Conspiracy Theories and Thug Violence
Trump threatened government officials who refused to support his criminal conspiracy to overturn the election.
Public officials testified how Trump used threats to pressure them into supporting unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, alter the official vote, and fake electors in an illegal attempt to overturn the election. When direct pressure failed, Trump resorted to public lies and false accusations that resulted in violent threats against them and their families. Liz Cheney speaking to her Republican colleagues warned, "We cannot let America become a nation of conspiracy theories and thug violence."
From left, Arizona state House speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and chief operating officer for the Georgia secretary of state Gabriel Sterling, arrive Tuesday to testify before the Jan. 6 House committee. Credit: Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images
By Scott Wong
Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, in emotional testimony, discussed standing up to Trump allies who pressured him to help overturn the 2020 election. This hearing focused on Trump's pressure campaign on the state-level and the real emotional toll this had on those caught in the cross-fire, including "the violent threats to those who stood up to Trump’s election lies and the upending of the lives of even the most low-level poll workers".
Georgia elections worker, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, described how her life was ruined after being targeted by conspiracy theorists in the weeks after the 2020 election. Moss detailed racist threats she received and explained how things have changed for her since the election.