Oath Keepers Saw Trump As a Path to Legitimacy

Day 7 of the Select Committee Hearings on January 6th just concluded and Alex felt it was necessary to provide some analysis of what happened. Alex focuses on the testimonies of two individuals — Stephen Ayres and Jason Van Tatenhove. Ayres was a former Trump supporter who believed the big lie and felt obligated to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally. He described that he never intended to go to the capitol, but Trump riled up the base and the energy during the rally helped stoke this action. Van Tatenhove is the former media director for the Oath Keepers. He basically argued that the Oath Keepers saw Trump’s lie as a way to pave a path to chaos and violence. The Oath Keepers saw January 6th as the spark that could have started a civil conflict. Van Tatenhove also described how January 6th exemplifies the Oath Keeper’s vision for America and that he was surprised that more bloodshed has not occurred. Ultimately, Alex expresses fear over how these organized militias saw Trump’s lies as a path to legitimacy and this should concern everyone, especially when he can rile up average supporters who believe his lies.