A new bombshell report by The New York Times claims that a Donald Trump’s White House official was in contact with a member of the far-right group Proud Boys ahead of the violent attack on Capitol Hill on January 6th that left 7 people dead and dozens injured.
Citing a law enforcement official who was briefed about an FBI investigation, The Times reported Friday that mobile phone data, including location and call records links a Proud Boys member and a top White House official.
Proud Boys is a far-right, male-only organization known for engaging in violent clashes at political rallies, which has been described as an extremist group by the legal advocacy organization, the Southern Poverty Law Centre. The group has been declared a “terrorist organization” by the Canadian goverment.
Facebook and Instagram have banned content from members of the group from appearing on their sites, with the former explaining its decision by saying that it bans “hate organizations” from its service.
The FBI didn’t reveal what was discussed during the communication and the official would not name the White House official to the newspaper.
The communication was reportedly made in the days leading up to the riots, where a mob of pro-Trump supporters breached the US Capitol, causing House members to barricade themselves inside their offices.
The FBI has recently intensified its investigation into possible links between far-right extremists and members of Congress and the Trump administration.
You can read the entire report here.
