DOJ-FBI Jan 6 Investigation

Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen United States Department of Justice U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Director Christopher Wray Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Acting Attorney General Rosen and Director Wray; On Wednesday, January 6, an armed mob of domestic terrorists breached the walls of the United States Capitol to forcefully interfere with the certification of a free and fair national election. The terrorists, intent on executing a coup, threatened elected officials and staff, terrorized media professionals, destroyed federal property, and ultimately caused the death of five people, including a Capitol Police officer who was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher. Many in the mob wore military or police tactical gear and carried zip-tie restraints, signaling a high level of preparation and coordination for the events that occurred. This was an attack on our country. As the full extent of the insurrection unfolds, we fervently urge you to investigate the federal and state lawmakers directly involved, as well as those who, through words and conduct, aided and abetted sedition, treason or any other federal crimes. The events of January 6 were not spontaneous, nor were they the random acts of a diffuse handful of unconnected individuals. For weeks prior to the breach, a group of Republican Arizona legislators and legislators-elect publicly advocated for the overthrow of the election results which encouraged precisely the kind of violent conduct that we witnessed. Their own social media posts strongly suggest that Arizona State Representative Mark Finchem and former Representative Anthony Kern were present at the riot in Washington D.C. on January 6 and actively encouraged the mob, both before and during the attack on the Capitol. See, e.g., 1-6-21 Twitter Post by Rep. Kern (equating the rally to D-Day); photos on the Capitol steps. After the attack, Finchem and Kern sought to conceal the consequences of their conduct by falsely blaming "Antifa." Arizona State Legislature 1 7 0 0 We s t Wa s h i n g t o n P h o e n i x , A r i z o n a 85007 One of the riot's organizers, Ali Alexander, publicly claimed to have planned and organized the insurrection with Arizona Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs; stating in a broadcast that "[W]e four schemed up putting maximum pressure on [C]ongress while they were voting..." 1-8-21 Twitter Thread Jason Paladino. They did all of this in public. What they did outside of plain view we do not yet know. But there is evidence to indicate that Arizona Representatives Mark Finchem, Anthony Kern, Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs encouraged, facilitated, participated and possibly helped plan this anti-democratic insurrection on January 6. It is vital to any current or future federal investigations, and ultimately to the Arizona public they represent, that we learn what these elected officials knew about this planned insurrection and when they knew it. We the undersigned members of the Arizona Legislature, urge you to fully investigate the extent of their involvement. Expeditious timing of this request is critical, as if you find any evidence that these individuals incited, encouraged, or participated in the lawless behavior that took place on that day, we believe they would be potentially criminally liable and ineligible for public office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as having engaged in insurrection and rebellion1 . Signed, Athena Salman Reginald Bolding Ranking Member, Government & Elections Democratic Leader State Representative, Legislative District 26 State Representative, Legislative District 27 Rebecca Rios Jennifer L. Longdon Democratic Leader Assistant Democratic Leader State Senator, Legislative District 27 State Representative, Legislative District 24 Lupe Contreras Domingo DeGrazia Assistant Democratic Leader Democratic Whip State Senator, Legislative District 19 State Representative, Legislative District 10 Martin Quezada Victoria Steele Democratic Whip Democratic Whip State Senator, Legislative District 29 State Senator, Legislative District 9 1 “No Person shall . . . hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State . . . [if] having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature . . . to support the Constitution of the United States, [they] shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” U.S. Const., Section 3, Amendment XIV. Juan Mendez Melody Hernandez State Senator, Legislative District 26 State Representative, Legislative District 26 Charlene Fernandez Raquel Terán State Representative, Legislative District 4 State Representative, Legislative District 30 Rosanna Gabaldon Lela Alston State Senator, Legislative District 2 State Senator, Legislative District 24 Diego Rodriguez Jennifer Pawlik State Representative, Legislative District 27 State Representative, Legislative District 17 Pamela Powers Hannley Randall Friese State Representative, Legislative District 9 State Representative, Legislative District 9 Lorenzo Sierra Alma Hernandez State Representative, Legislative District 19 State Representative, Legislative District 3 Andres Cano César Chávez State Representative, Legislative District 3 State Representative, Legislative District 29 Kirsten Engel Richard C. Andrade State Senator, Legislative District 10 State Representative, Legislative District 29 Daniel Hernandez, Jr. Sally Ann Gonzales State Representative, Legislative District 2 State Senator, Legislative District 3 Judy Schwiebert Mitzi Epstein State Representative, Legislative District 20 State Representative, Legislative District 18 Jennifer Jermaine Stephanie Stahl Hamilton State Representative, Legislative District 18 State Representative, Legislative District 10 Myron Tsosie Robert Meza State Representative, Legislative District 7 State Representative, Legislative District 30 Arlando Teller Diego Espinoza State Representative, Legislative District 7 State Representative, Legislative District 19 Kelli Butler Amish Shah State Representative, Legislative District 28 State Representative, Legislative District 24 Christine Marsh Sean Bowie State Senator, Legislative District 28 State Senator, Legislative District 18 Andrea Dalessandro Lisa Otondo State Representative, Legislative District 2 State Senator, Legislative District 4 Jamescita Peshlakai Tony Navarrete State Senator, Legislative District 7 State Senator, Legislative District 30 cc/ Michael Bailey, United States Attorney, District of Arizona cc/ Esther Winne, United States Attorney, District of Arizona cc/ Sean L. Kaul, Phoenix Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations