Once FBI Special Agent Kate Camilleri returned to the witness stand, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough began reviewing a series of Parler posts from the defendants from late December 2020 and early January 2021. (These go toward proving the defendants’ intent to stop the nation’s transfer of power by force, according to the Justice Department.)
McCullough began by focusing on a flashpoint leading to the insurrection: Dec. 19, 2020.
This was the day that former President Donald Trump sent out his infamous tweet urging supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6 for a “wild” rally. It prompted a wave of responses from Proud Boys on Parler.
Defendant Joseph Biggs: “Two measly signs get burned and the world comes to a halt. Thousands of businesses ruined by Democrats, Businesses looted burned by antifa/blm, Trump signs vandalized. Nothing. Silence. This is a war on true Christianity. This is a war on Americanism. This is only the beginning."
A day after Trump’s tweet, Biggs wrote: “Just booked my flight for DC again this time Jan 5-7" and then “I need a stab proof vest.”
Defendant Zachary Rehl responded to Trump’s tweet too and when a Parler user asked him why Jan. 6 was important, Rehl replied: “It's the day Congress gets to argue the legitimacy of the electoral college votes and yes, there'll be a big rally that day.”
A day after Christmas 2020, Rehl shared an article on Parler that suggested former Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to overturn the election.
On Jan. 1, Biggs wrote on Parler: “Mike Pence will betray President Trump, this is my prediction, I'll be in DC to witness this historic Judas moment when he turns on the right thing to do for mere coin.”
Biggs also specifically flagged senators including Ted Cruz, Tommy Tuberville, Marsha Blackburn and others, saying “they will object” on Jan. 6.
As for Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, went on Parler on Dec. 29 and said there would be a big announcement about the Proud Boys and Jan. 6.
“Chess. Always chess,” Tarrio wrote.
The announcement he would come to make was about a Washington Post report that mentioned how an area hotel had become a Proud Boys hangout and the hotel had closed for three days as a result of the press.
“They have fallen victim to fake news. With the Proud Boys, you can see the media machine do the globalist dirty work. The media is the enemy of the people. We had already stopped using the hotel as a hub three months ago,” he wrote on Dec. 29. “With the new ability of being able to put 3,000 boots on the ground, we outgrew any single hotel. Proud Boys will turn out in record numbers on Jan 6. We wont be using our traditional black and yellow. We will be incognito and we will be spread out across downtown DC.”
Tarrio urged Proud Boys to consult the book “The 48 Laws of Power” and specifically, laws 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 29, 37, 39, and 48.
Agent Camilieri read from the third rule for jurors. It essentially instructed: cover your plans in enough smoke that it renders your opponent unable to see what is happening until it is too late.
Going toward the conspiracy charge, the prosecution had jurors then review the response to Tarrio’s instructions from defendants including Nordean and Biggs.
The language used by the defense as Jan. 6 approached started to heat up even more. On Jan. 2, Biggs took to Parler and wrote: “Every lawmaker who breaks their own stupid fucking laws should be dragged out of office and hung. The government should fear the people, not the other way around. You work for us. You don't have ruling power over me. We only allow you to have that privilege. FAFO.”
FAFO is shorthand for “fuck around and find out.”