Democratic attorneys general accuse GOP counterpart group of ‘recruiting’ for Capitol riot

The Democratic Attorneys General Association put out a statement calling for Republican attorneys general to leave the Republican Attorneys General Association after a report came out that the Republican group helped organize the protests that occurred before the attack on the Capitol Wednesday.

The statement released Friday accused and condemned the Republican group and its Rule of Law Defense Fund for having any part in the organization of the protests and for their part in pushing Trump’s false claims of election fraud. 

“The continued peddling of conspiracy theories and pandering to President Trump’s dangerous lies by the Republican Attorneys General Association, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, and some current and former Republican Attorneys General has gone unchecked for too long,” the Democratic Attorneys General Association said in a statement.

This statement was written by Maura Healey and Aaron Ford, co-chairs of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, after it was reported that the GOP group helped organize the events and and their fund appeared on a list of groups on the “March to Save America” website. The list has been deleted from the website. 

The Rule of Law Defense Fund put out a robocall that told Trump supporters that they were marching to the Capitol to “call on Congress to stop the steal” and they hoped “patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections,” Documented reported.

Republican Attorneys General Association Executive Director Adam Piper denied that his group or the fund had any involvement in the protests and riots on Wednesday to the Capitol.

“The Republican Attorneys General Association and Rule of Law Defense Fund had no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization of Wednesday’s event. No Republican AG authorized the staff’s decision to amplify a colleague speaking at the event,” Piper said in a statement to The Hill.

The group came out against the violence on Wednesday tweeting that “violence and lawlessness should not be tolerated and must be immediately condemned.”

Americans have the Constitutional right to peacefully gather and protest. However, violence and lawlessness should not be tolerated and must be immediately condemned. Thank you to our brave law enforcement officers and the Capitol Police for protecting our nation’s Capitol.

— RAGA (@RepublicanAGs) January 6, 2021

Piper said that “[o]rganizationally and individually” the group “strongly condemn and disavow” the riot that happened at the Capitol. 

The Democratic group’s statement also criticized the GOP’s comparison of the Capitol mob that happened on Wednesday to some of the violence that occurred over the summer during the protests against police brutality.

“It is not enough for Republican Attorneys General to denounce the violence at the Capitol; they must publicly distance themselves from the Republican Attorneys General Association and its leadership,” the Democrats wrote. “And we encourage any individual and entities financially-backing the committee to abstain from further supporting an organization that makes such a mockery of the rule of law and our beloved democracy.”