A motion filed by an accused Proud Boy provides the most detailed account to date of their plans for the Capitol riot.
Federal prosecutors say that the nine-page document, “1776 Returns,” was in the possession of longtime Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in the days leading up to the riot. It comprises a multifaceted plan to seize control of federal buildings and cause chaos around the Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
It includes specific roles for various unnamed individuals, their plans, tactics, and demands. Violence isn’t explicitly called for but is arguably implied via instructions to target individuals and create distractions to infiltrate buildings.
Their demand is simple: a new election on Jan. 20. For this election, they insisted on paper ballots only; no electronic, absentee, or mail-in voting; identification required to vote; and that the National Guard oversee it all.
“The evidence of election fraud is overwhelming,” it states falsely, echoing the claims of former President Donald Trump and his allies.
Prosecutors referenced “1776 Returns” when they indicted Tarrio and other Proud Boys for seditious conspiracy earlier this month. Its contents were largely unknown until accused Proud Boy Zachary Rehl filed it in a motion on Wednesday. Rehl is also charged with sedition.
To accomplish their goals, the document instructs them to enlist hundreds of people on Jan. 6—at least 50 for each of the seven federal buildings, which included various House and Senate buildings, the United States Supreme Court, and CNN’s office. The document notes it might not be possible to infiltrate CNN. If not, “at least egg doorway,” it says.
The Capitol building is not included in the list of targets.
Some researchers believe that the exhibit Rehl filed isn’t the full version of their plan, however.
“This is not the ops plan for the Capitol attack. It seems meant for the public, to move crowds around,” @capitolhunters tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “Remember not everyone gets all info.”
The document notes that the first several pages, called “storm the winter palace,” are only for internal distribution. The last few pages, the “patriot plan,” are for the public.
Given the timing of the election certification process, it arguably wouldn’t make sense to occupy buildings other than the Capitol. Even if they had taken over those buildings, inside the Capitol, Congress could’ve still certified the election for President Joe Biden.
Among the most chilling part of the plan is an instruction to “target specific senators’ offices.” Even they weren’t sure how this would end, however.
“WHAT’S THE ENDING POINT FOR THIS? Does everyone just leave at a certain time? WHO DOES THE GOV RESPOND TO?” it wondered.
During the Capitol riot, people roamed the halls, calling representatives’ names. Many representatives have spoken out about fearing for their lives that day.
Other parts of the plan potentially included the use of force. It notes that infiltrating buildings may require “causing trouble near the front doors to distract guards who may be holding the doors off.”
It lays out the chain of command and roles for each, including a lead, second, hypeman, recruiter, and patriots. Each building was to have its own team.
The leader, described as a “covert sleeper,” was tasked with making a fake appointment with a member of Congress and spending the day inside their office building to let people in. Should the leader be discovered, the second was to take their place. “Will also need to make a fake appointment,” the document states.
The hypeman had the role of keeping the crowd energized with chants, including “liberty or death,” “no Trump, no America,” and “free and fair elections.”
The recruiter was directed to gather people, “patriots,” at each building and share the “patriot plan” with them. “A minimum of 50 for each building or it’s a no go.”
The document urged participants to hide their identities with masks—”use COVID compliance in your favor”—set up a headquarters in each captured building or a nearby hotel and disrupt traffic in specific locations via a caravan of vehicles or semitruck. “Now is the time to reach out to truckers or bikers for Trump for these roadblocks,” it says.
The plot involved several days of action. From Jan. 1-5, they were to distribute the plan online, assign roles, conduct reconnaissance, and set up appointments with representatives in the buildings they planned to target.
Jan. 6 actions were to begin before dawn with a surveillance sweep to check for road closures and update plans accordingly.
Throughout the morning, the leads and seconds were to infiltrate and remain inside the buildings while the recruiters outside distributed the plan and enlisted people in the cause and the hypemen kept the crowd fired up with chants.
At 1:00pm, they were to meet outside each building. At 1:22pm they’d decide whether there were enough people. If so, then upon the lead’s signal at 1:30, “storm building.”
A detailed timeline of the Capitol riot published by NPR reveals that this timing aligns closely with what happened that day.
At 1:00pm, protesters stormed the barriers outside the Capitol. Thirty minutes later, at the exact time 1776 Returns commanded them to infiltrate buildings, protesters overcame the police.
Rioters occupied the Capitol for hours, assaulting police, trampling one another, and causing millions of dollars of damages.
Nearly an hour after the first rioters breached the building, the House and Senate called a recess and the building was locked down. Then-Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated by the Secret Service as people continued pouring into the Capitol, many chanting for him to be hanged.
The Proud Boys’ 1776 Returns plan includes a haunting reference to Pence, as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and bizarrely, Bill Gates.
“We the people are watching you,” it says.