Apparently, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene told then-President Donald Trump, just days before January 6th, 2021, that a contingent of her supporters who believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory were going to be present at the January 6th rally. The revelation comes from transcripts of conversations between former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and the January 6th Congressional committee.
What Happened?
According to Hutchinson, MTG showed Trump a photo of her constituents from a December 2020 rally, saying “those are all my people.”
“I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene bringing QAnon up several times, though, in the presence of the president, privately with Mark [Meadows], Hutchinson said. “I remember Mark having a few conversations, too, about – more specific to QAnon stuff and more about the idea that they had with the election and, you know, not as much pertaining to the planning of the January 6th rally.”
Hutchinson also said that MTG discussed QAnon with Trump while Trump was visiting Georgia for a rally, just two days before the January 6th riot. “Ms. Greene came up and began talking to us about QAnon and QAnon going to the rally, and she had a lot of constituents that are QAnon, and they’ll all be there,” Hutchinson said. “And she was showing [Trump] pictures of them traveling up to Washington, DC, for the rally on the 6th.”
Does it Matter?
Only in an attenuated way.
I think we all just kind of understood that Trump operates with the knowledge that any Trump-related event, rally, riot, or gathering is going to be infused with QAnon subscribers.
So, the disclosure that MTG told Trump that QAnon subscribers were going to attend the January 6th rally doesn’t mean too much.
Sure, it’s an explicit example of an elected official speaking about QAnon directly to the sitting President of the United States.
I get it.
QAnon is absurd and should not be granted an audience either in conversation or in personified form with the president.
But MTG has been spouting about QAnon for years; Trump just hosted a QAnon-adjacent documentary at Mar-a-Lago. Are we supposed to be shocked and awed that MTG and Trump had an explicit discussion about QAnon?
Or are we supposed to be indignant about the fact that QAnon subscribers participated in the January 6th riots? Was there ever really a doubt that QAnon subscribers participated in the January 6th riots?
Regardless, I don’t think it especially matters who was at the January 6th riots, or what their deeply held beliefs may or may not be. January 6th was a problem because of what the rioters did – not because of who the rioters are or what they believe.
I suppose we’re meant to be horrified that Trump would rely on QAnon subscribers for political clout. But most politicians are guilty of taking what they can get, or worse – cultivating and endorsing certain fringe-y populations and beliefs.
The hard right for example has been purposefully cultivating relationships with, and relying upon the voting power of, a bloc that believes the world is only a few thousand years old and that the non-baptized will burn in Hell for eternity.
The left is courting a group of voters who believe sex is a spectrum and that genetically modified foods are inherently dangerous.
QAnon is repulsive and stupid; the January 6th riots were an abomination. But that QAnon subscribers participated in the January 6th riots, with Trump’s knowledge, is neither surprising nor noteworthy.
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Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken.
