Republican candidate Tina Forte, who is running against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in the 2022 midterm elections, was a participant in the January 6th riots at the United States Capitol, according to a new report by Snopes.
The publication tracked down social media posts that showed Mrs. Forte at the Capitol building on January 6th, and she even went so far as to tell other Trump supporters to “get your asses to the Capitol” at the conclusion of the “Stop the Steal” rally.
“She took selfies with a number of attendees who considered her a ‘superstar,'” writes Snopes. “In a live video, she urged people at then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse to make their way to the Capitol. We even found that she entered a restricted area after the crowd knocked down barriers that law enforcement installed.”
In one video, Forte even praises her fellow Trump supporters for “storming the Capitol” as the riots were occurring. She also promoted the protests at the Capitol ahead of January 6th that were filled with QAnon references about “the storm” arriving in Washington D.C.
Additionally, Snopes has found Forte has had multiple interactions with members of the Proud Boys, including current leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to jail time for burning a BLM flag.
Read Snopes’s full report here.