Ali Alexander's January 6th Deposition
Ali Alexander's January 6th Deposition
8 WASHINGTON, D.C.
10
11
13
14
15
17
18 Washington, D.C.
19
20
21 The interview in the above matter was held at Room 5480 O'Neill Building,
2 Appearances:
7 INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL
8 RESEARCHER
9 CHIEF CLERK
10 RESEARCHER
11
12 STAFF ASSOCIATE
15
17
21
3 Mr. Ali Alexander conducted by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January
4 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, pursuant to House Resolution 503.
5 At this time, I would ask the witness to please state your full name and spell your
7 The Witness. My chosen and professional name is Ali Alexander. Ali is spelled
9 Mr. And what name would you like for us to use today for the
13 So this will be a staff-led deposition, and members, of course, may choose to also
14 ask questions throughout this deposition. In the room today you have myself,
16 , the parliamentarian.
17 And then members, we have Ms. Zoe Lofgren and Mr. Adam Kinzinger.
18 Under the House deposition rules, neither committee members nor staff may
19 discuss the substance of testimony you provide today unless the committee approves
20 release. You and your attorney will have the opportunity to review the transcript.
21 Before we begin, I'd like to describe a few ground rules. We will follow the
22 House deposition rules that we provided to your counsel previously. Under the House
23 deposition rules, counsel for other persons or government agencies may not attend, and
24 you are permitted to have an attorney present. I would like to note for the record that
25 what was previously presented to Mr. Alexander's attorney as exhibit 1 is the subpoena
4
1 for Mr. Ali Akbar, Mr. Ali Alexander, which is dated October 21, 2021. You are here for
2 this deposition pursuant to that subpoena. The House deposition rules are included in
3 this exhibit, which is exhibit 1, and were previously provided to you and your counsel.
4 At this time, would counsel please state their name for the record?
6 Mr. McBride. Joseph Daniel McBride, M-c capital B-r-i-d-e. Good morning.
8 deposition. Please wait until each question is completed before you begin your
9 response. And we will try to wait until your response is complete before we ask our
10 next question.
11 The stenographer cannot record nonverbal responses such as shaking your head.
12 So it is important that you answer each question with an audible verbal response. If I
13 notice you're using a nonverbal response, I may ask you to clarify it with your words on
14 the record.
15 We ask that you provide complete answers based on your best recollection. If
16 the question is not clear, please ask for clarification. If you do not know the answer,
19 the select committee. If you refuse to answer is question based on privilege, staff may
20 either proceed with the deposition, or seek a ruling from the chairman on that objection.
21 If the chairman overrules such an objection, you are required to answer the question.
23 Congress. Since this deposition is under oath, providing false information could result in
2 - Would you please stand and raise your right-hand to be sworn in?
3 [Witness sworn.]
8 M r . - Thank you.
9 Logistically, please let us know if you need any breaks or would like to discuss
10 anything with your attorney, Mr. Alexander, and we will go on recess so that you can do
11 so. There also may be several people asking you questions here today, including the
12 members. If you don't understand the question from them as well, just simply ask for
13 clarification.
15 you could like it enter that statement into the record, the select committee can
18 The Witness. Yes, I would. I got my final statement this morning so.
19 Mr. - Would you like to enter that it into the record in lieu of what has
24 Mr. Can you please provide that to us and to the court reporter?
4 are not invited or entitled to deliver an opening statement. However if you with like to
9 and committee staff. My name is Ali Alexander. With my today are my legal counsel,
10 Joseph McBride, Paul Kamenar, and unfortunately Baron Coleman who has been
12 I want to be crystal clear at the outset, I had nothing to do with any violence or
13 law breaking that happened on January 6th. I had nothing to do with the planning of
16 Any suggestion to the contrary is factually false. Anyone who suggests that I had
17 anything do with the unlawful activities of January 6th is wrong. They are either
19 It is not uncommon in the aftermath of historic chaos and disruption to look for a
20 bogeyman. After all, someone must be held accountable, right? As an Arab man and a
21 Black man, an American, it is common for people who look like me to be blamed for
22 things that we did not do. On top of that, my birth name can sound scary to the
23 uninformed and uneducated. It has often been used as a weapon against me by both
24 the left wing and the right wing. Ali Abdul-Razaq Akbar, someone with that name, that
1 Again, I want to be perfectly clear. I did absolutely nothing wrong. I don't hide
2 from who I am. I'm the American Dream. My mother was a Black mother in Section 8
3 housing. My father was an Arab man who disappeared when I was just 2 years old.
4 About 15 years ago or so, I was arrested on two different occasions for petty crimes.
5 won't re-litigate the merits of those offenses in this short time, but two arrests in your
6 early twenties as a Black man often sets people back, so far back, that they never again
8 I managed to collect those two criminal charges as I was just starting out as an
9 adult. I had every reason to fail in life, but I refused to fail. My faith in Christ refused
10 to allow me to fail.
11 Instead, I worked to change the system people insisted was supposed to hold me
12 down. I got involved in politics and started putting together coalitions, rallies, raising
13 awareness for a variety of candidates and causes I believe in. I went from riding in the
14 back of a cop car as the accused to advising the Presidential administration on criminal
15 justice reform.
16 I used a silhouette of my most tragic youthful mug shot on a T-shirt to raise money
17 for fatherless Black boys. Boys who were growing up like me. I've hosted hundreds of
18 rallies with millions of participants in all 50 States, not one single rally, to my knowledge,
19 has ever turned violent, not one, never. That's not a coincidence. I demand
22 My leadership and I work closely with law enforcement at every event to ensure
23 peace and order. We obey rules and commands, we treat officers and officials with the
24 respect they deserve. Those principles were not compromised on January 6th. In fact,
25 I stated on numerous occasions that I support the production of legislative solutions and
8
1 recommendations on how to best avoid future collapses of civil order and violence at the
2 Capitol. I've stated on numerous occasions that I support the work of law enforcement
5 January 6th, after the violence had begun, but early in the stage -- in the early stages of
6 law breaking. And those videos our group can be seen working with officers to try to
7 end the violence and law-breaking. We can be seen yelling and screaming at people to
8 stop trying to breach the Capitol, and to stop violent law-breaking in general. I believe
9 those videos have been provided to the committee. If they have not, we'll happily share
10 them.
11 While I was actively trying to deescalate events at the Capitol to end the violence
12 and law-breaking, it is my believe that this many have not been a problem had the
13 Women for America First leadership at the Ellipse event not intentionally removed
14 instructions from the program that were supposed to be included to provide clarity on
15 exactly where to go following the Ellipse event, and that was to Lot 8, the north side of
18 participating as an organizer or speaker at the Ellipse event that preceded the Capitol riot.
19 Ultimately, I became just a VIP guest at the Ellipse event. As a result, civil authority
20 collapsed before the Ellipse rally was even over, this is well-documented before I arrived
21 and before my event was ever scheduled to begin. I want to clarify, my permitted event
22 at Lot 8 never took place on the northeast side of the Capitol Grounds. The quote, "One
23 Nation Under God" event that Stop the Steal did not start the chaos. The chaos was
24 well underway before our event was scheduled to begin. We never held our event, we
2 subpoena. Over the past few weeks, I've spent more than 80 hours personally searching
4 committee's request. I have probably spent another 120 hours preparing for your
5 answers over the past 3 weeks. And I've hired attorneys and computer consultants to
6 be as responsive as possible, to provide as much as I can find within the short amount of
9 records, emails and texts, even though much of what is sought over is not pertinent to
10 the committee's purpose, or in some cases, subject to privilege. I did all this despite not
11 being accused of a crime. I did all this despite being a private citizen with constitutional
12 rights protecting me from unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant entitling
14 from working. It has preventing me from sleeping at times. And it has been extremely
16 If this committee thinks of anything I haven't turned over to which you believe I
17 have access to, I ask that you please let me know and how much refresh my memory.
18 receive, at times, hundreds, or even thousands of texts, or emails a day. I appear at all
19 hours of day and night on media and social media and do interviews, livestreams, and
20 chats. I can't possibly remember everything I've seen, everything I've heard, everything
23 where my for my skin color, my birth name, my party affiliation, who I voted for in 2024,
24 my ability to earn a living, my belief that Christ is king, and a concerns about election
25 irregularities have been weaponized against me. But I can assure you I have you nothing
10
2 We may disagree politically, they call politics a contact sport after all. But at
3 heart, we're all Americans. We stand before God and our fellow man in a great social
4 contract where we promise to do the best to get it right. May God have mercy on us
5 and us peace for how we treat each other at times in the world of politics.
6 I thank you for your time. I look forward to answering any questions you have.
7 And one thing I'd like to add is while America is divided on many issues, at the end of the
8 day our First Amendment rights to assemble to protest, whether on the right or the left,
9 should be protected and should be protected by this body. To prevent future unlawful
10 activity which is the goal of this committee, whether from those who stormed the Capitol,
11 or those abortion rights activists who stormed the Supreme Court, or blocked Justice
12 Kavanaugh's confirmation, or BLM rioters, that is a matter of law enforcement, not the
15 Before we get into the questions, I would like to note for the record that I will be
18 documents throughout the day. I just want to make everyone I might start with Exhibit
19 26, I might go to Exhibit 2, but they have all been premarked and have all been provided
22 EXAMINATION
23 BY
24 Q So Mr. Alexander, let's start with Exhibit 26, let's start there. I'll give you
25 time to flip to that exhibit. And I want to orient you a little bit. Let's go to the evening
11
1 of January 5th. And can you go to page 211, there's Bates numbers in the bottom
2 corner.
4 M r . - 26. Yes.
7 BY
8 Q So this is the evening of January 5th at approximately 7:19 p.m., you text a
9 Ms. Liz Willis, what appears to be an itinerary for January 6th. You said "Ellipse," then
10 the "U.S. Capitol. Trump is supposed to order us to the Capitol at the end of his speech,
11 but we will see." So on January 5th around this time, just walk us through what events
14 Q At this time on January 5th, that evening, walk us through what your plans of
16 A The first thing I want to state it is 7:19 p.m., I'm trying to place myself. A
17 great deal of my actions are captured on video, so I wouldn't rely on memory to tell me
18 where I was texting this reporter. So Liz Willis is with RSBN. She's a reporter asking
21 A Can I --
23 A Just for clarification, I don't know that this is 7:00 p.m. -- 7:19 p.m., it looks
25 Q Okay. Sorry about -- so 7:19 a.m. So the day before January 6th, what
12
1 were your plans for January 6th? What events were you going to go to?
2 A From what I recall, January 6th was about attending the Ellipse event at 6:00
3 or 7:00 a.m. to help guide VIPs to try to figure out when my speaking slot was going to be,
4 to make sure they had control of all that media, et cetera. So I don't know when I
5 arrived, but it was certainly early. And to the best of my memory, it was certainly, you
6 know, before 7:30 or 8:00, but these text messages will probably provide a better
9 6th at the conclusion of the President's speech, you know, he's going to keynote it
10 obviously, we were going to exit and then go to Lot 8 where we had a permit for a
11 coalition called "One Nation Under God," Stop the Steal was the funder of it; Stop the
12 Steal was the main organizer of it, but it was a religious and political thing. We
13 exhausted all of our other political options and left it up to Congress. And so, that is my
14 awareness.
15 And what I want to convey to the committee is that you don't tell the President
16 when to stop speaking. So while a lot of us may have said, Oh, this would be beautiful if
17 it ended at 12:30, it could have ended at 1:00 or 1:30 and that would affect the lot 8
18 event. So anyway, I think to the best of my recollection, on January 5th, the only two
19 events I'm planning to attend are the Ellipse event, and then the Lot 8 event, but I'm
20 aware of, like, a dozen -- nearly a dozen other events happening within proximity and
21 others. And it's not foreign that people would pull me aside and ask me to attend
22 something.
23 Q Thank you. And just to clarify, when you say Lot 8, where is Lot 8?
24 A Lot 8 is, and this is a ser -- it is kind of -- it's not embarrassing, but just to
25 show you how kind of -- I've worked in politics a long time, but I've tried to avoid D.C., is
13
1 my best understanding is that Lot 8 is on the northeast side the Capitol Grounds. So it is
2 not the Capital Plaza, it is not the Capitol Building, it is the northeast side the Capitol
3 Grounds.
4 In many of my text messages I think I'm referring to as south. And so I think that
5 my attorneys have tried to provide clarification and correspondence, but I'm not -- I think
7 Q But just to be clear, your plans on January 5th for the next day is that you
8 were going to the Ellipse and then you were going to go to the Capitol Grounds. Those
11 Q Okay. And on January 5th what were your expectations for the attendees?
12 Where were they going to go on January 6th? Where did you think the
15 with you, but I'm being asked to recall about what I thought on January 5th, and that's 11
16 months ago. And, you know, out of an abundance of caution, I don't want to give you
17 false testimony, so while I'd like to engage on speculating with you, the text messages
19 Q So let's do that then. On the same page in your same text with Ms. Liz
20 Willis, you say, "Trump is supposed to order us to the Capitol at the end of the speech,
21 but we will see." So your expectation is you were going to go from the Ellipse and by
23 A The Lot 8 event followed the Ellipse event schedule-wise. And there is -- I
24 don't know what the perimeter was, in November it was something, in December it got
25 wider, and then in January, you know, the D.C. authorities made it even wider. The only
14
1 way of getting from one physical location to another is to walk over, and so that's that.
2 Q So just to confirm, you were going to attend the Ellipse, and the attendees
3 and you were going to walk over to the Capitol Grounds following it?
6 A Yes.
9 myself, to my knowledge.
10 Q So I want to go back to something you said a little earlier, I guess on the 5th,
11 you believed you were going to be a speaker at the Ellipse on January 6th?
12 A Absolutely.
13 Q And why did you think that you were going to be a speaker at the Ellipse
14 event?
16 the committee represent -- unfortunately, I'm watching it be debated in the press and on
17 Twitter, but contemporaneously it wasn't a debate. I'm talking with a Trump campaign
18 staffer, the representations that are being made to me are contemporaneously being
19 proven true. There was some suspicion among some of my associates that, no, no, no,
20 we're being played. But that's not -- I didn't see any evidence of that. And I had heard
21 that there was some people who didn't want me to speak, but that's not the
22 representation from the Trump campaign official that I got. And so, I can attest that my
23 text messages, my emails, and the fact that I showed up that early attests to the fact that
24 I, 100 percent, believed, you know -- again, I'm recalling something 11 months later, but
1 Q Who--
2 A And --
3 Q Okay.
4 A I'll just provide some more rope. But, you know, even evidenced by this is
5 a -- [Link] ran a story saying I was a speaker. And I don't know when that article
6 came out and I didn't talk to Breitbart about that article, so I had every belief to believe
8 Q Who was the Trump campaign staffer that you were just referencing?
9 A The Trump campaign official that I was just representing was Caroline Wren.
11 A Caroline is a political consultant. She, you know, I don't know like, you
12 know, what her official titles were. I knew that she was a fundraiser. And I knew that
13 she either had the Trump campaign, or PAC, or we all -- I work in politics, I guess you guys
14 work in government, but when we say someone works for something, we could be talking
15 about a larger collection of entities, whether it is, like, a joint fundraising committee, or a
16 PAC, or a campaign. So during it, Caroline Wren was working with the President's son
17 and Kimberly Guilfoyle to do fundraising, and was the person who initially reached out
18 and said she reached out on behalf of, let's call it Trump world, and wanted to unite these
19 events.
20 Q What role did Ms. Wren represent to you? What was her role that she
21 represented to you? Did she say I'm part of the Trump campaign?
22 A That was 12 months ago -- or that was, like, 11 months and 2 weeks ago or
23 so. So I wouldn't be able to recall specifically. What I believe, you know, based off my
24 best recollection that I colloquially called her in my internal communications with people
25 and on conference calls and stuff like that that she was with the Trump campaign. So I
16
1 can't -- if I said something else, you know, that's possible. If it was more detailed,
3 Q So just, it was your understanding at this time in January that Ms. Caroline
5 A What's fair to say is that Caroline Wren represented greater access to the
6 decision makers in Trump world, in Trump world it could be the RNC, it could be the
7 Trump campaign, it could be the joint fund raising committee, with any number of
8 entities. And again, just out of the abundance of caution, because you know, I wasn't
9 asked to volunteer my testimony. I'm here under subpoena. And I know you guys
10 have got a job do. And I know that there's been some, you know, adversarial
11 accusations about me, but you know I would love to nail it more down for you, but I think
13 Q So it was Ms. Wren who asked you to speak at the Ellipse on January 6th, to
16 Q Okay. You mentioned that Ms. Wren worked with President Trump's son
17 and Ms. Kimberly Guilfoyle. Can you please elaborate more on that working
19 A No. But if you have a specific question, I couldn't because I wasn't with
20 them.
21 Q What did she represent to you. How was she working with the President's
23 A Well, what's been widely recorded is that she works in a fundraising capacity
24 officially with Kimberly Guilfoyle. And I think it was either RNC part-time and Trump
25 campaign part-time or something like that, you know, consultants we're allowed to have
17
1 a lot of hats. But, you know, you have like different guidance memos and firewalls. So
2 if I represented anything more to you, I would be speculating. But -- and then obviously,
3 as I understand the President's son, you know, was at a lot of these events. I don't know
4 that he was a contractor getting paid for his work. He's obviously a surrogate for his
5 father.
9 understood Ms. Wren's role with Ms. Kimberly Guilfoyle and Mr. Donald Trump, Jr. based
12 Q Okay.
14 Q Got it.
15 A I'm sorry.
17 So in your view, who was in charge of the January 6th event at the Ellipse? For
18 example, was it Stop the Steal? Was it the White House? Was it Women for America
21 Q Who was responsible for the decision making of the January 6th event at the
22 Ellipse?
23 A You know, I've done 15 years of political organizing, and I've been doing
24 events since, I think, 2010, I think 2010. I did help the RNC in 2008, but -- I don't want to
25 be coy, but coalition-type events, the decision tree it really depends on what silo of the
18
1 event you're kind of talking about, what aspect you're talking about.
3 personalities, different people are in a different pecking order in life, you know. And
4 so -- so again, if you ask me, your first question is, who was in charge, it would be
6 subjective, and probably categorizes more than what you guys should actually want.
7 You guys should want a more detailed probing into the event, and a general answer like
8 that I don't think would -- it would just require my speculation and not serve the purpose.
9 Q So on the morning of January 6th, who did you understand made the
13 A So here's my best memory, if I could walk you through it. I arrive to the
14 Ellipse event in a golf cart, permitted golf cart. There is feuding at the VIP tables.
15 have a very strong personality, and on line, I represent myself very aggressively. But
16 anyone who knows me, knows that I'm generally a peacemaker, a dealmaker, a coalition
17 builder. And I bring a variety of people together, and there's press reports that accuse
18 me of, like, even of White supremacy and stuff like -- it is frankly bizarre some of the
20 And so, I remember helping to contribute to squash that beef. And I did so with
21 my reputation as the founder of Stop the Steal. So that's the authority I was using.
22 And so, in a situation like that, imagine this, there are people who have physical
24 There is someone who gave them the badges. And then there's me, you know, who is
25 saying, I really don't care right now, this needs to work this way.
19
1 Anyway, I wanted to describe that microcosm event to you so that you could
2 understand what would take place when we finally got into the rally. So we got through
3 the
4 Secret Service. They are running the metal detectors. We walked through a muddy
5 field. We walked past the press. And then the VIP seating section I can't recall, but I
6 want to recall. I don't know when, because I went out and in several times, but there
7 might have been a hold-up initially again, because people are trying to decide is this the
8 Stop the Steal event? Is this the Women for America First? Is this a Trump event? Is
9 this a TP USA event? You know, and this is a lot of egos and personalities.
11 front to see if there's a seating chart, because the seats that you can immediately see
12 there is no seating chart. When we walk up there we finally see a seating chart, and I'm
13 really happy with my seat, obviously. You know, and then I find Caroline Wren to thank
14 her. And ask her when I'm speaking. And she said, don't get me started. And that's
15 what I recall her saying. That's my best recollection. And I said, that's not an answer.
16 And I actually need an answer because I'm going to go speak. And I haven't prepared a
17 speech, okay? None of my speeches over the 60-plus days of Stop the Steal, to my
18 recollection, were prepared, none of them, okay. And the Ellipse wasn't going to be any
19 different. And because I wanted more people to speak from the Stop the Steal coalition
21 So then I'm informed that the police were called on Caroline Wren by Tyler
22 Kramer, and this is -- you guys haven't asked this, and my lawyer is probably, like, what
23 are you doing, but I'm thinking, this is kind of a brain fart moment. This is a Trump
24 campaign official, wearing Trump gear, who is the only reason this event exists, and has
25 done great work, and has been a peacemaker, and delivered on the goods. She
20
1 delivered the President, you know, that's a big, that's a big deal. And you're telling me
2 that a PAC or a (c)(4) or whatever of people who I have been friends with, you know, prior
3 to November for a decade through, you know, thick and thin, that they called the police
4 on her. Okay. I'm trying to figure out why are you still here? What authority do they
5 have to call the police? I do know the permit's in their name, but that's is kind of like a
6 placeholder. And what does Don, Jr. think about this? What does Kimberly think
8 And so a -- so I'm trying to figure out whether I'm being played by Caroline, or
9 whether I got, you know, screwed over for lack of a better term by Kylie and Amy Kremer,
10 because they are the permit holder and they have a legal -- so the National Park Service
12 And so, I actually press her for more answers, because I need to figure out what
13 the heck is going on because there's a lot of people who look to me to tell them what
14 then they are going to. Activist Scott Pressler and other people. And so, again, my
15 best recollection from an event that's 11 months ago, but this was obviously a moment
16 that really pissed me off. And, you know, it is kind of playing itself out now.
17 So then she proceeds to tell me that the National Park Service or police or
18 whatever got called, they showed up, they did try to kick her out. They decided not to,
19 and that she was avoiding it. And it is probably best just to be a team player, Ali. And I
20 felt taken advantage of. And not by Trump, and not by the Trump campaign, and not by
21 Caroline. It just looked like more drama. And, you know, I said, Well, what about my
22 other speakers? Because I can understand if somebody has some personal vendetta
23 against me, what about the others? And I was told, no, we have no control. So then I
24 say, okay, well if it this is kind of a federated decision-making process -- and I hope in this
25 answer you can see why I didn't invade your previous answer. I am just describing like
21
1 this is how events go. It is very hard for people to believe that, but my story establishes
3 So when I tried to go backstage, this guy in military boots and all this other stuff
4 who has a Women for America badge on him -- America First blocks me. He's, like,
5 you're not going out there, Ali. I'm, like, how does this dude know my name, but a lot of
6 people know he my name. But he said it with a personal, you know -- it was almost like
8 And so, that let me know that I did not get screwed over by Caroline, that this was
9 something that happened in the last minute. Where it happened, I would just have to
10 figure out in the months or weeks later. My answer is going long, isn't it? So -- so
12 Q We'll come back to a little later when we get to the day of January 6th. But
13 sticking with the evening or the day of January 5th, in that same message, to Ms. Willis
14 you say Trump is supposed to order us there. Order us, it refers to the Capitol complex
15 after the speech at the Ellipse. Was this -- did you come to this understanding through
17 A That was -- that was -- that was 11 months ago, I couldn't tell you how
18 exactly I came to that understanding. It is obvious -- I can tell that you Liz Willis is a
19 good journalist. I'd have no reason in this text message at 7:19 a.m. to lie. And I do
20 know that I'm obviously pretty busy at this moment firing off a text and hoping that it
21 that it gets through the condensed cell tower, you know, there's a lot of people there.
22 And so, you know, during these things you're chattering with a lot of people so.
23 Q So you don't know how you came about telling Ms. Willis that Trump was
24 supposed to order us? You don't remember how you came to that conclusion?
25 A Eleven months later with the specificity that is required when swearing
22
2 BY
3 Q May I just ask, Mr. Alexander, was there anyone other than Caroline Wren
4 who you were talking to at the time who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the White
5 House that you can remember whether about this or any other aspect of that event?
6 A Oh man, that.
8 A Well, you said White House, and I haven't said White House at all.
10 A There was a lot of chatter and in these situations, sometimes you'll hear
11 something third party and it is credible and sometimes not. And, you know, as a
12 professional in this space, somebody -- what I will say is unique about Donald J. Trump to
13 politics is everyone thinks they are his adviser, that everyone thinks they know exactly
14 what he's saying. It has been very widely reported that -- that, you know, the last thing
15 said in his ear is the thing he'll do. And, so, if I gave you a specific answer, it wouldn't be
16 doing you justice or me justice. My main point of contact with what I'm calling Trump
17 world was Caroline Wren regarding what I consider the scope of the committee, and
20 Mr- I would like to note for the record that Mr. Kinzinger has left and
22 BY
23 Q So going back to January 5th, when you are thinking about the plans, after
24 leaving the Ellipse, where were the attendees supposed to go on the Capitol complex
25 Grounds?
23
2 supposed to -- these are adults, and there are, I think, a dozen events happening in D.C.
3 The only reason I'm aware of this again is because a lot of people and a lot of chatter are
4 talking to me. There's Lot 8 this, that's my event obviously. There's Lot 9. And the
5 U.S. Capitol Police represented to my consultant that there was an event at 9, 10, at 11,
6 and then I heard something was adjacent like a medical freedom rally or whatever. And
7 so, could all of the attendees, were they supposed to go anywhere? No. Did we want
8 some attendees to attend Lot 8? Absolutely. But it was our understanding that
9 obviously all of those people could not fit on Lot 8. Lot 8 has a -- we are in a 3-D world.
10 Q Let's go to your event on Lot 8 at the Capitol Grounds. Who was supposed
12 A Well, I think for the purpose of this deposition, we should clarify just to do
13 the record justice that it wasn't an event, that it was a planned event, that it was an event
14 that was supposed to happen. It is an event that was prevented from happening.
15 When you get a permit from the U.S. Capitol Police, they say that they will provide you
16 barricades and protection. We got neither one of those. And that's the not the fault
17 of U.S. Capitol Police, but we weren't provided either one of those. Okay.
18 So there was no way our event was going to be able to take place. And then,
19 obviously, there's everything else that was happening. So, but who did I plan to, you
20 know, speak at the Lot 8 event? Some of those people were at the website that you
21 guys infamously have. And others of those had expired because the event moved. So
22 the original Lot 8 event was scheduled for like 7 -- not 7, 9 a.m. or something like that.
23 And when the Ellipse event emerged, we moved that event to whenever Trump
24 would be done speaking. And the best guess we could have was 1 o'clock, because
25 that's when Congress was, you know, constitutionally ordered to gavel in in their joint
24
1 session.
2 So I couldn't -- I can't recall all the speakers. I'm trying to be -- you know, I'm
3 trying to provide the record and y'all, the committee, with as much an information as I
4 can. Obviously, the Members of Congress were no longer going to be able to speak,
5 because they were in session. But the original plan was that they would be able to
8 event?
9 A I can say with certainty one name, and that's, you know, Representative Paul
10 Gosar was going to speak if the event was happening at 9 a.m. or whenever, whenever I
11 said it was starting. And what happens is that a variety of people, like, for example, you
12 know, there's a Pennsylvania radio show host Rose Tennent who is very close friends with
13 Representative Mike Kelly. And so, what I would say is I didn't talk to Representative
14 Mike Kelly, and I didn't talk to his staff. And I didn't get a confirmation. And I didn't
15 even know that he's on the website. And I probably shouldn't be volunteering
16 information.
17 But what I am saying is that I try my best to represent things that are true. And
18 things get updated or moved and that's been butchered in the press. I actually think
19 that this committee, you know, obviously is going to understand a truer version of events
20 than has ever been reported, and that's unfortunate, because a lot of people are taking
21 even deepfakes, or photoshops, or real images online and saying this didn't happen or
22 this, this. And it is like, well, things were moving all the way up until the morning of
24 So, you know, Dr. Paul Gosar was certainly scheduled to originally speak, but no
25 Member of Congress was going to be able to speak because they were in joint session
25
1 afterwards. And so different Stop the Steal organizers confirmed different Members of
3 speak then, you know, I definitely authorized that we could post them on the website.
4 Q So going back to Mr. Gosar -- and by the way, I need to note for the record
6 So going back to Mr. Gosar, who did you coordinate with to have him originally
7 speak at your event? I understand the plans charged, but who did you coordinate to
10 Q Who did you coordinate with when you originally were planning the event at
12 A I believe I was coordinating with his chief of staff. It's possible -- I know
13 that I met one or two other staffers in Arizona, but obviously, you know, as is
14 constitutionally permitted, Dr. Paul Gosar and I share political beliefs about election
15 irregularities. And he had been a friend to the movement and, you know, he is a stellar
17 Q So when you say Mr. Gosa r's chief of staff, are you referring to Mr. Thomas
18 Van Flein?
19 A Yes. And my answer was conditioned on a couple of other things, but yeah.
20 Q Did you ever speak to Mr. Gosar directly about your plans to have him speak
21 on January 6th?
22 A I don't recall.
23 Q And just to be clear, there were no other members of Congress that you
24 were communicating with about speaking on January 6th, only Mr. Gosa r's staff?
25 A I don't believe that's what I said. I said who I could tell you with 100
26
1 percent certainty was Representative Gosar. And that there was a coalition effort to
2 recruit several members and get them confirmed for the original Lot 8 event which was
4 Q So with 100 percent certainty you only recall reaching out to Mr. Gosa r's
6 A That's the only specific name I can recall right now. Yeah.
7 Q Thank you.
11 Oh, also, did you ever talk to Mr. Anthony Foti, F-o-t-i, from Mr. Gosa r's staff?
13 Q So let's stay on January 5th. Did you speak to Ms. Guilfoyle, Ms. Kimberly
15 A Yes.
16 Q All right. When did you talk to her, approximately? Was it afternoon,
17 morning, evening?
19 Q And how did you talk to her, was it in person, was it over the phone?
20 A Phone.
21 Q And what did you discuss with Ms. Guilfoyle on January 5th?
23 wasn't planned. And I remember being thanked for making voting rights and election
24 integrity key issues for the Republican Party. I remember back and forth about the
25 Georgia election. And I'm pressing my memory right now -- it really was a thank-you
27
6 Q Fair enough. And it was Ms. Guilfoyle, it wasn't Ms. Caroline Wren,
7 correct?
9 Q Okay. So Ms. Kimberly Guilfoyle called you on January 5th, and the phone
10 call came through with Ms. Caroline Wren -- with Caroline Wren's phone number?
13 Q Okay.
14 A And I answer it. And I can't remember if Caroline, you know, says, here's
16 Q Fair enough. And you all didn't discuss anything, any plans for January 6th
20 BY
21 Q Do you know where they were at the time, Mr. Alexander?
25 Q Did she give you any sense of what the President's mind set was going into
28
1 January 6th?
2 A Everything that I recalled about that thank-you call, the thank-you call that
5 Mr. Alexander.
10 Mr.- No.
11 BY
12 Q So we've been going about an hour now, do you want to take a comfort
13 break?
14 A Sure.
16 [Recess.]
29
2 [11:12 a.m.]
5 BY
6 Q So, Mr. Alexander, as we move on to the next sections, I do appreciate the
7 color you're providing us. If you could just answer the question first and then provide
8 the color afterwards, that would be greatly appreciated. And, again, we do appreciate
9 your answers here today. But, yeah, just help this move along a little faster.
10 So let's go to January 6th now. All right? So, we've moved on from January
11 5th. For January 6th, Mr. Alexander, you understood that on January 6th Congress
12 would certify the electoral college, making Mr. Joe Biden the country's next President,
15 Q So why were you protesting on January 6th then? Why was that day
16 special?
18 likely be successful in certifying the electoral college, but that the Constitution allows a
19 protesting of that vote so long as it has a single member from each Chamber. The
20 Democrats did this in 2017 and in 2001, and it was the first time, to my knowledge, that
22 And I had supported Senator Ted Cruz's proposal that we take 5 or 10 days to
23 review the process, but I support Congress making a decision. But to say that it
24 was -- that it -- that it was constitutionally required to go through on that day, that's not
1 Mr. I'd also like you to know that Mr. Aguilar has joined the
2 deposition.
3 B
4 Q So going back to what you said, if the certification of the electoral college
5 was successful, Mr. Joe Biden would be sworn in as the next President. Is that correct?
6 A No, that's not correct. And I'm -- I'm not a lawyer, but I've read the
7 Constitution. And -- but that's not -- that's not a correct reading of the Constitution.
8 Q So we start on the morning of January 6th, right? And you tweet, "First
9 official day of the rebellion." And this is exhibit 11, if you want to turn to that in your
11 A This graphic on page 11, I'm going to have to add some color here. This
12 graphic on page 11 looks like a screenshot. I can't authenticate it because I don't have a
13 Twitter account, and it looks like y'all did not retrieve this from Twitter. So you
15 What -- if I sent this at 3:13 a.m., so before I was going to sleep on the 6th, then,
16 you know, it's color. I'm a political personality. It's legally permissible speech. And it
17 certainly, you know, would not be illegal activity that I would publicly be tweeting about
19 Q No one's saying that it's illegal. I just want to understand what you meant
20 by it.
21 A Yeah, and I wish what I understood. But what I understand today is that
23 Q Do you recall tweeting, "First official day of the rebellion," on January 6th?
1 A This is a quote from a very famous political document called the Travis
2 Letter. And I was quoting Alex Jones, quoting it because a lot of his audience was there
3 the night of the 5th. I love history, and I'm a Texan. This is a very famous Texas
5 America's full of quotes like this that emphasize one's values, that one values
6 liberty more than having longevity as life as a slave. This is the history of Americans and
7 American descendents of slaves, my ancestors. This echoes the Gadsden flag, quote,
8 "Join Or Die," "Give me liberty or give me death," by Patrick Henry, the Magna Carta,
9 Harriet Tubman's own words, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, our Founding Fathers and
10 Mothers. And it was said in this context. The Travis Letter is out of the Alamo. No
11 one was talking about winning or overthrowing the Mexican Government, which is where
13 I don't believe in unjustified violence. I went out of my way to talk about that or
14 being an aggressor. I never believe in being the aggressor. No one was talking about a
15 violent overthrow of the United States Government that night or day. Again, this quote
16 is just a popular quote on Alex Jones' lnfowars show. His audience made up, I think,
17 about a third of our rallies -- I talked about this internally -- and would often use quotes
19 So this was Alex -- this was me quoting Alex Jones, quoting the Travis Letter from
20 1836. No one went there was committed to violence, or we wouldn't have had permits.
21 Q So let's go back to exhibit 26, page 270. You've already briefly discussed
22 Mr. Thomas Van Flein, who we've established is -- was Mr. Gosa r's chief of staff. And I'll
25 Q Page 270.
32
5 Mr. Alexander. Oh, it's literally the last page. I'm sorry.
6 BY
7 Q I'll direct you to, like, the top half of the page. And you're talking to
8 Mr. Thomas Van Flein. It looks like at 5:44, you are asking: "I'm hearing there's a
10 What petition or document are you referring to here? And I'll give you a chance
11 to read through it, but I just want to understand. What document is this?
12 A Okay. Hold on. I don't know. I honestly don't know. I mean, I wish
13 there was more context here. The objections are getting signed. Signature instead of
15 Q You were asking about it. That's why we were trying to figure out what
18 Q Okay. On the same page, it looks like at 5:48, you asked Mr. Van Flein, "If
19 We can send an email to the entire House Freedom Caucus, that they all need to be at
21 How did you come to this understanding that POTUS wants force?
22 A Well, in reading this and knowing that this is a message that I would send,
23 when you're talking about -- when you're talking about, whether it's sports or events,
24 you're talking about coming out in full force. You're talking about participation. You're
25 not talking about violence, and you're not talking about Star Wars.
33
1 But -- so, I think what I was attempting to do here was to get a chief of staff of a
2 member to talk to other staff in getting their physical presence to the morning rally prior
3 to, again, a joint session that was supposed to start at, you know, 1:00 or whatever the
4 Constitution provides.
5 Q Okay. So I'm more interested, though, in the actual POTUS wants force.
7 A Well, I'd appreciate my words being repeated back to me with the context
8 that I just gave them which is, you know, participation. So out in full force, you know,
9 this is POTUS wants force. You know, you don't call the members of Congress to come
11 So if you're -- if the question is actually, you know, how did I come to the
13 watch the rally that he was going to speak at, I couldn't tell you. But it seems obvious in
15 Mr. For the record, Ms. Cheney, the vice chair has joined this
16 deposition.
17 BY
18 Q So just to be clear, you didn't hear specifically from anyone on the campaign
19 or the White House that President Trump wanted force from the House Freedom Caucus?
20 A Well, again, I just want to reiterate for the third time that force means
21 coming out in full force. It's a common term used in events, in organizing, in sports, in
22 all kinds of things -- I say this with complete conviction -- and that you don't call Members
23 of Congress to come and watch a bunch of speeches and intend, you know, anything, you
25 And so, I don't know how I came to this. If the committee could provide other
34
1 text message that preceded this that talk about the same thing, then I'm happy to review
2 those and then try to contextualize it. But I think, again, it's very obvious that the House
3 Freedom Caucus was, like, the conservative wing of the conservative wing. And having
4 them all at The Ellipse rally to hear the speakers that preceded the President was
5 important to all of us. And I think it's, you know, the logical course of action.
6 Q Yeah, so it's interesting because you're focusing on the word "force." I'm
7 focusing on "POTUS wants." Help me understand that part. How do you know what
8 POTUS wants?
9 A I'm sorry.
13 So you went over this a little bit earlier. But so after you left the hotel, by the
14 way, where were you staying when you were here for the January 6th event? What
17 Q Okay. So walk us through the morning. How did you get to The Ellipse?
18 What time did you leave? What time did you arrive? Just walk us through that.
19 A I don't know the times. The times would be better represented by the text
20 message.
22 A I really wish I could. That seems overly broad. You just showed me a text
23 message, or you just showed me an alleged tweet that I sent at 3-something a.m.
24 didn't even have an awareness until now, again, if the tweet is real, that -- that I went to
25 bed after that time. It seems like I needed more sleep than that. So, so if I
35
1 sought -- the question just seems way too broad. And I'm happy to drill down on any of
2 the specifics around the events that you guys are investigating.
5 A Yes, sir.
7 A Yes, sir.
9 The Ellipse?
11 Q Okay. So when you arrived at The Ellipse, did anyone let you in? How did
14 recollection of how I entered and what was happening at the VIP section, and I'd refer to
15 that.
16 Q Did Ms. Wren escort you in, or were you able to still walk through the
17 security?
19 my best recollection of the story, I had to actually retrieve our badges using my
20 reputation alone. And then I believe I saw Caroline ultimately, you know, 20 or 30
21 minutes later, after we made it through Secret Service, metal detectors, through the
23 Q Okay. Did you have a security detail with you on January 6th?
24 A Yes.
1 A Not specifically, but generally, it would have probably been multiple layers.
2 I do know that the Oath Keepers provided me two gentlemen, and I do not recall their
3 name. And I don't even know if those two gentlemen were assigned to me or my overall
4 party. But I had multiple layers of security, and those were volunteers really.
6 don't know his last name, but he's an African immigrant. And -- but, again, you know, I
7 probably assigned him to somebody else. In these type of situations, you know, you
8 welcome help from police officers and veterans and great Americans like that, first
11 ~ Please.
12 BY-:
13 Q A moment ago you said that some of your volunteer security detail was
14 volunteers. Is that you saying that you did not pay those individuals, that they worked
15 for free?
16 A I don't recall ever paying the Oath Keepers. And I don't recall that being a
17 part of any of their arrangement of how they, like, volunteered their services for security.
18 Now I don't know if we provided them, like, hotel rooms or food or water or anything like
19 that. But, you know, I've never written a check to the Oath Keepers to the best of my
20 knowledge.
21 Q Who would know if you provided them with hotel, water, or food or any of
24 Everybody was doing the best that they can. If these text messages represent
1 Q No, no. I'm just saying a moment ago when you said, "I don't know if we
4 Q Okay. And you said you paid an individual named Patrick for security.
5 A Uh-huh.
7 A No, I don't.
9 A No, I don't.
11 A Unfortunately, no, I don't. You know, I have -- I was -- I was very -- I don't
12 want to say I was never alone. But to the best of my recollection, I didn't have a
13 moment to be alone. And, so, I delegate tasks to people based off availability or
15 It's very likely, you know, he's a -- he's, again, I believe he's an African immigrant,
16 you know, specializes in security. And he's, you know, strong and doesn't talk too much.
17 So, you know, I could see -- I could see, you know -- I just wouldn't know.
18 Q Well, what I'm trying to figure out is it sounds like you or your
19
20
21
-
organization -- and I'm sorry. I didn't realize you
-
It sounds like you or your organization paid for a security detail, and I'm trying to
22 figure out who would have been responsible for coordinating the payment of that?
23 A Yeah, and I just told you I -- there are so many people in my nexus, both
24 physically and assigned tasks, that -- that, you know, it -- I wouldn't know any specific
25 person.
38
1 BY
2 Q And we'll get back to security a little later.
3 So I want to keep moving through the day for January 6th. And I want to direct
4 you back to exhibit 26 again, and we're going to be referring to exhibit 26 throughout
5 today, specifically page 241. It's near the back, and I'll just read it out loud as you go
6 there.
7 But at 10:02, Mr. Roger Stone texted you, "As I expected, no speaking spot. No
9 And you replied, "I understand the funder of today's event is not happy. I never
11 So as you read through it, I just -- can you help me understand what role
12 Mr. Stone might have played in planning the events on January 6th?
14 Q Okay.
15 A He's -- I don't even know how old he is, but I think above 70.
17 January 6th?
20 potential speaker? Was it Stop the Steal? Women for America First? The White
21 House?
22 A I couldn't tell you. He's -- he's a personality unto himself. And, like I said,
23 he's internally booked. So he handles that within his own, you know, nexus.
25 Mr. Alexander. Her name, I believe her name is Kristen. I've only met her once,
39
2 B
3 Q In this text you also say, "The funder is not happy." Who's the funder?
5 Q Okay. Who was your understanding of who the funder was for
6 January 6th?
7 A I don't know that there was a singular funder of January 6th because I didn't
8 deal with any of that, any of the funding for The Ellipse, you know, not like staging
9 equipment or anything like that. And, you know, contemporaneously I don't know.
10 But, you know, reporting, public reporting now, you know, points to a Florida-based
11 woman. And that could have been who he was referring to.
12 Q And when you say, or when it said "time to sue," who are we talking about
13 suing there?
15 Q And what was going to be the basis of suing Women for America First?
16 A That we had folded our Lot 8 morning event into The Ellipse. And there
17 was all this pretense that, you know, Roger Stone is the gentleman who came up with the
18 phrase Stop the Steal. I have, you know, this gentleman's agreement with him that I
19 have a perpetual use of the license. And -- and they got up there and lied to the crowd
20 and lied to the Nation and that we were deprived of participating in our other separate
21 event so that they could fold us into this. It seemed like a claim to me that I wanted
24 A The whole One Nation Under God Coalition that Stop the Steal was a part of.
1 A Like many political functions and groups, you know, in this business, it's an
2 impromptu coalition based off of a need. And you see this a lot around like the
3 ObamaCare issue. Or, you know, on the left and on the right you'll -- you know, we've
4 had impromptu coalitions around, like, the estate tax, the death tax we call it.
5 So One Nation Under God is, like I said, Stop the Steal paid for all the staging and
6 equipment. But because it wasn't exclusively political, and it was also religious and we
7 were doing prayers and the blowing of the shofar and it was a very Judea-Christian event,
8 and that that was going to be the real focus. I even talked about changing hearts and
9 minds.
10 So we were seeking a political legislative remedy from the outside. It was very
11 spiritual thing, and so we had to call it One Nation Under God because there's a bunch of
12 Christian groups that didn't fit into Stop the Steal. Some Christian groups did, but not all
13 did. Some Jewish groups didn't fit in there, and we wanted their participation.
14 Q While you were at The Ellipse, did have you any interactions with Secret
15 Service?
18 BY
19 Q Did you talk, communicate with any Secret Service agents after getting into
20 the magnetometer?
23 A I don't recall, you know, verbally communicating the way you're defining it
25 Q And, correct me if I'm wrong, but did your personal security detail go with
41
3 Q Okay.
4 A -- because, you know, as Secret Service was letting myself and Mr. Alex Jones
5 out, we couldn't take everybody. And so, I think I sacrificed my security so that I could
7 Q Okay.
8 A And -- and we were really close to not even being allowed to take his
9 security. So I -- that's why I say I don't think so. But that's to the best of my
10 recollection. But it would be -- I would be hard pressed to say yeah, my -- you know,
11 they were added to this train of people that Secret Service allowed through a special exit.
12 Q Did you receive any pins of any nature from Secret Service?
13 A No.
14 Q Okay.
15 BY
16 Q Just it so's clear, you were talking about exiting the event with your security?
18 Q 1know.
20 Q I hear you.
21 Did you bring your security into the event with you to the event?
22 A I believe so. They -- I believe so. Like I said, I usually have, like, different
23 layers of, like -- I won't call them aides -- like helpers and security and I know I would have
24 had to take some security with me in a golf cart to The Ellipse and they would have
25 entered with me. But because I was running errands in and out, or I was shoving people
42
1 to go into the Ellipse event while I handled drama, you know, at the VIP ticket table, you
3 BY
4 Q Do you recall any of your security having any issues getting into the event
5 through security?
6 A My security?
7 Q Uh-huh.
8 A A lot of people --
9 Q I mean yes.
10 A A lot of people had a lot of people had a lot of issues, and I worked to
11 resolve some of those issues. But my security? None that -- anybody who arrived with
12 me got in.
13 Mr. Alexander. Okay. Before I move on to the next part of the day, do any of
14 the members have any follow-up questions? Seeing no response from the members,
21 Mr. - Just to be clear, Mr. Alexander, did anybody else accompany you to
22 The Ellipse when you came over from the hotel that you remember, security aside?
23 Mr. Alexander. I don't know who all I took with me. I know that we had, like I
25 Mr. Sure.
43
1 Mr. Alexander. And -- and, you know, I just always -- I always had, you know,
2 rotating different helpers or aides with me. And so, you know, I couldn't -- if I
4 BY
5 Q So earlier you mentioned that when the President speaks, it's on, like, their
6 own schedule. I'm paraphrasing. Like you can't control when the President speaks.
9 Q Right. So did you leave The Ellipse before President Trump had finished
10 speaking?
11 A Yes. And that's, you know, been widely captured by media and attested to
12 by myself.
13 Q And why did you leave before President Trump finished his speech?
14 A We left The Ellipse early because we were requested to by Ms. Wren and her
15 aide -- and/or her aide. And it was a whole process that we were aware could happen,
16 and so it was happening. And I don't know if the process took 5 minutes or 15 minutes,
17 because there's a lot of back and forth. The President's speaking. I'm sitting. We got
18 200 media behind us. How do you get up while the President's talking in a discreet
20 And, so, we were requested that, because people were leaving the overflow, that
21 there probably should be some leadership toward the Capitol, and that Alex Jones and
22 myself should be the people to help to, you know, lead that overflow crowd that was just
23 starting to leave.
25 A Or her aide.
44
2 And do you know who Ms. Wren or her aide was receiving this request from?
5 A She was part of -- she was a part of -- she was a part of the people who
6 walked me and Alex Jones and whoever else we had with us out a special entrance, yeah,
7 exit.
8 Q And when you left the special exit, where were you heading?
10 regroup.
12 A We stopped right outside where we were let out at the fence. And then
13 we -- we -- I think, some of Alex's cameramen met us, you know. So they had ran out
14 the exit and ran around and met us, or something like that. And they were there to film
15 us, and I'm actually very grateful that all of my actions were filmed so that my attention
17 But we ended up stopping again at the Freedom Plaza type of area, and Alex gave
18 an impromptu speech. And the goal of this was to have people, you know, what they
19 call in media a B-roll shot, you know, walking behind him. And so -- and I was using his
21 Q Just going back really quickly, do you know who Ms. Wren's aide was?
24 A Yes.
25 Q Okay. And you said that Mr. Jones stopped and gave an impromptu
45
2 A At Freedom Plaza, at the corner of, you know, what we refer to as Freedom
3 Plaza.
4 BY
5 Q Did the Secret Service ever tell you before you left The Ellipse anything
7 A I've already testified that I don't recall any verbal communications with the
8 Secret Service.
9 Q With yourself. Did you hear them tell anyone else you were with or
10 communicate with them, like Mr. Jones, about the march to the Capitol?
11 A Well, walked over to the Capitol. Did I overhear Secret Service talking?
13 Q You just used the word "walked" to the Capitol instead of "march." Is there
15 A I think I -- you know, sometimes there is and sometimes there isn't. And
16 I'm not assuming anything in what you're saying, but I definitely want to clarify what I
17 intend. And, so, in the event space there can be. But in the colloquial space, no, there
18 is no difference.
19 Q Okay. And on the website that your organization put up, it said, "March to
21 A Yeah.
23 A I think so.
25 January 6th at The Ellipse, did you ever see Secret Service communicate with anyone in
46
1 your group about your movement from The Ellipse to the Capitol?
2 A Secret Service escorted us out. And so, you know, you know, I don't want
3 to get in word games. But, you know, there was, you know, there was a decision made.
4 It had to go this way. The reason why I said I don't know why whether it took 5 minutes
5 or 15 minutes for Alex Jones and myself to decide when to leave is because what I was
6 told was happening is we were basically negotiating how many people could exit, you
7 know, with Secret Service. And so, you know, that conversation was handled on the
10 A Yes.
12 the President's intention after he was done with his speech coming from either the
14 A The --
15 Q The President.
19 Q So did you know anything at that time about whether he would be coming
21 A I'm not privy to any of the internal conversations that Trump had with Secret
22 Service.
23 BY
24 Q This is actually a perfect segue. Can you go to page 170 on exhibit 26?
25 And it's page 170. And this goes to point about whether President Trump
47
2 At 12:19 p.m. you ask Ms. Wren -- so I'm assuming this is after you've left The
3 Ellipse -- if POTUS is walking and for her to give you an update every 5 minutes. So at
4 12:19 p.m. on January 6th, was it your understanding that President Trump was going to
6 A One, I really appreciate you pointing out this text. This is helpful. It's also
7 helpful that I use the word "walking," and you characterized it as marching before you
10 my profession. And professionally, I'm sorry to bore you guys, but professionally, in my
11 interactions with observing Secret Service over the years, observing Democrat nominees
12 and Republican nominees and Presidents is, something like that's just not allowed to
13 happen.
14 But I do know that we live in interesting times. And if it were to happen, I would
15 like an advance notice. And, again, I'm sorry. I saw the faces, but I'm sorry if my
17 Q So based upon this text, you were asking Ms. Wren, because you presume
18 she would know if President Trump was going to walk to the Capitol?
20 Q All right. So when you left Freedom Plaza, did you start heading straight
22 A Can I note for the record? Just -- well, no I'm sorry. What was your
23 question?
24 Q When you left Freedom Plaza with Mr. Jones, did you start heading towards
2 that direction.
3 Q Before arriving at Lot 8 on the Capitol complex, were you aware that
6 Q I'm asking. So as you're walking towards the Capitol complex, were you
7 aware while you're walking that individuals had started to breach the Capitol grounds?
8 A These terms are very specific, and I take this issue very seriously. So I
9 wasn't aware that anyone, and I'm still not aware, that anyone breached the Capitol at
10 that time. I was aware that there was chaos, confusion, and mayhem that I did not like,
11 did not approve of, and that we started in a sprint until Mr. Jones could not keep up and
13 Q Approximately how many people were with you as you were walking to the
14 Capitol?
16 concerned about getting there to deescalate. First we were getting news updates.
17 Arizona, Mike Pence this, it was all political. And then first time I see, you know, a
18 struggle between a law enforcement officer and an individual, I was like, okay, I need to
19 get there as a human and stop whatever's happening because this is stupid. And so -- so
20 that's my understanding.
21 Q So is it fair to say that there was a large crowd of people around you all as
25 Was it 100 people? Was it 200 people? Was it two people? How many folks were
49
2 A I'm not sure, but that's probably captured better on video than any verbal
4 Q And you were saying that you were trying to get to the Capitol complex to
5 deescalate. Can you help me understand that assertion with the fact that you were
6 walking to the Capitol, chanting things such as "Stop the Steal"? So help me
7 understand. Like you're getting to deescalate, yet you're leading the crowd in a chant of
9 A Stop the Steal is a legally permitted, First Amendment chant in the same way
10 that Black Lives Matter is, in the same way that so many other political issues are.
11 And I just want to say I kind of -- I kind of resent, kind of offended by the, you
12 know, the implication that you can't yell, "Stop the Steal." This was a movement that
13 had 500 events, and all were peaceful. And yelling, "Stop the Steal," is about election
14 integrity. And yelling, "Stop the Steal," even when we did the Jericho March with the
15 Christians, before a broader, you know, theft in a spiritual sense. And you'll see her
18 tool of rhetoric and of speakers to use to get attention so that we can then move people
20 Q So once you arrive at the Capitol complex, what did you observe?
23 A I see people.
25 A Some people are filming. Some people are walking. You know,
50
1 there's -- there's -- the crowd gets dense. And, again, I can't see the conflict, but I
2 already known about it minutes prior, whatever, from Twitter or a text message.
3 Q So when you got to the Capitol, did you see any of this conflict that you just
5 A No, I actually just said I didn't see it because the crowd was so dense toward
6 the fronts.
7 Q Got it.
8 A But they were in a spot they shouldn't have been in. I saw no barricades.
9 I saw no police officers. And I were like -- and I was, like, what the hell are people doing
10 on the inauguration side? We hadn't been there in December. We hadn't been there
11 in November. Stop the Steal had never been on the inauguration side. So who
12 directed these people? Who pushed these people here? Who let these people in?
13 Where were the barricades? Those were the first questions that popped in my head
14 when I'm observing this dense situation in the context of a text message that I received
15 about conflict.
16 Q So going back to exhibit 26 on page 170, you there? I just want to make
18 A Yes, sir.
19 Q Ms. Wren says to you, "I think you should leave. This will come down on
20 you hard." Help us understand why this would come down on you hard.
21 A I was the guy who started Stop the Steal as a protest movement, which is
22 separate from people chanting it, which is separate than the origin of the phrase. So I
23 led an organization, and she -- it looks like out of concern that the media would
24 characterize what happened there prior to me getting there as my fault and other
25 activists' fault. But I, you know, because this is a text message from one person to
51
1 another, I think she's talking about, like, it's going to be blamed on Trump. It's going to
2 be blamed on everybody. I'm concerned about you. You know, you should leave.
4 And I really want to point this out for the record. This is extremely important.
5 I'm on the ground. Most of the time my cell phone signal is jammed. I am less aware
6 of the events that are going on than people who are watching TV and getting detailed
2 BY
3 Q Staying on exhibit 26, if we could go to page 242 -- and we're just trying to
4 get a better understanding of the events on that day by using these text messages.
6 Q So page 242, you text Mr. Thomas Van Flein, who we've already established
7 is Mr. Gosa r's chief of staff. "I think you and your staff should maybe leave. This is hell
8 out here." Why did you think Mr. Gosa r's staff should leave?
9 A For the same reason that Caroline Wren thought I should leave. Well, she
10 thought I should leave for my safety, and because, you know, people would try to blame
11 me and other activists and the President. But I was very concerned, again, with these
12 text messages that I got that were either tweets or pictures of conflict. I had never seen
13 anything like that. I'd never seen anything like that. People were scaling the wall like
14 Spiderman. I've never seen anything like that. Nothing like that's ever happened at a
16 And so I was very concerned about my friend. I knew a lot of people in Congress.
17 I wouldn't want them hurt. So I said I think you and your staff should maybe leave.
18 Now in retrospect that's stupid because where were they going to go? But remember
19 I'm seeing one picture, one tweet. I think it's happening on one side, a side that no
20 one's authorized to be on. And I'm just, like, I'm just thinking about lives and people.
21 I'm not thinking about my event. My event's already ruined. I can't have it. I'm
23 Q So you thought Mr. Gosar and Mr. Gosa r's staff was in danger?
25 escalated. I was, like, there's no way this escalates because surely police will put
53
1 whatever's happening down or whatever. I never got close enough to see what -- so,
2 you know, these iconic pictures we see now, I didn't see any of that. But I was, like, if it
3 goes there, if that's actually happening, if people -- if what people are saying is true, then,
5 Q So you just are describing the environment of what you were seeing on the
6 ground.
7 A As best as I can.
9 Around this time do you recall tweeting, "#occupyDC. Remain peaceful in rally.
10 Sources are telling me we're going to try to use two hours per State."
12 Q Okay.
13 A And so we were talking about -- we were talking about Senator Ted Cruz and
14 Congressman Paul Gosar and, like, Jody Hice and a couple of others were going to protest
15 Arizona and Georgia and some other States. And what was being communicated to me
16 was that what were the legal legislative rules for this process. Again, this actually -- this
17 actually proves that I'm participating in the legislative process, and that I don't desire
19 Q Okay.
20 A You know, that type of text message would have happened prior to any of
21 this conflict stuff. And Occupy D.C., just for the record, is a reference to a popular
22 far-left, anarcho-left movement in which people set up tents in D.C. and Lafayette Park
23 and they did it in New York and stuff like that. It was legally permissible.
24 Q So when you get there on the ground, do you recall, you and Mr. Alex Jones
25 directing individuals to the other side the Capitol, to the east side the Capitol?
54
1 A What I recall was seeing, seeing it and being shocked, saying we need to
2 deescalate this -- this is in the text messages, and it's verbally on video -- and then
3 climbing on a wet stack of metal chairs in which I could have fallen and injured myself,
4 but it was more important to get the outskirts of the crowd. These people were not on
5 the plaza, and they weren't on the building. These people were in a legally permissible
7 And we started chanting. We started yelling. We tried all types of tools that
8 speakers use to get attention to say there's no event here. There's no event on the
9 inauguration side. And so, these people were either new to Washington, D.C., new to
11 And my worst fears about The Ellipse event had happened. It's, like, people look
12 at the scaffolding and they think there's going to be an event here. So I was, like, Okay.
15 And I'm, like, okay. We are officially exiting this. We've got as many people as
16 we can get with a megaphone. We need to move them away from the inauguration
17 side. Don't defile the inauguration side. Don't be a part of scaffolding that could fall
18 and hurt people. I was very concerned the scaffolding was going to fall and collapse on
19 people.
20 Q On exhibit 26, can you go to page 256, please? And this is going to be
21 around 2:34 at the time. There's an STS Patriots group. I'm assuming STS Patriots
23 A Yes, sir.
24 Q And you say in one of these group chats, "Please let me know if anyone gets
25 arrested. Civil War is," and then there's, like, a blank after that.
55
3 A Oh I'm reading here "please also have check-in times with each other. So
4 this is me telling people to make sure that they're safe. I can't possibly text everybody
6 There was, in addition to the conflict that happened at the Capitol, which was
7 inappropriate, there were, at night, there were activists in this group called Antifa that
8 used totalitarian force to back up their ideas. And they would beat up. You know, this
9 is in all the D.C. police reports. So at our events at night, we frequently told people stay
10 inside because you're in danger. So I'm saying have check-in times with each other, and
11 then and let me know if anyone gets arrested. There should have been a period there.
13 I'm very concerned that our Nation is irreparably divided. And you can see this
14 not just, like, in what I'm talking about, because I'm not advocating a civil war. I haven't
15 even advocated what's called a national divorce. You can find that in Newsweek on the
16 left. You can find people talking about it on the right. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has
17 tweeted an article about this. This is something a lot of intellectuals talk about, and I'm
18 very concerned.
19 When you watch what you watched at the Capitol happen, you know, I can
20 understand why Democrats say you guys are causing a Civil War. And I understand why
21 Republicans are saying you guys are causing a Civil War. All I'm concerned about is that
22 that threatens to break apart the Nation that I love and that I've worked -- I'm fighting for
24 Q Right above that, right above that text where you say civil war -- and we now
3 A Yeah.
6 Q Right.
9 You say, "And do not text message each other. Start a Signal group." So did
11 A I don't know that we ever started one. This was me just giving advice to
12 people, and Signal is a popular app used by politicos and government officials and
13 members of Congress that are, you know, present here, I assume. So it's kind of a
14 standard app. And I just did not think that it was good for people to willy-nilly be texting
15 each other with all of the campaign to frame people and violate our privacy rights.
20 Capitol attack, and then as you guys widened it, in my opinion, to cover legally
21 permissible events that I wanted to cooperate with this committee about like January
22 5th, I don't recall having any in my possession from Signal. Most of what I did was
24 And you can -- well, you can't. But if you were to ask Google, you know, for my
25 email activity prior to Stop the Steal, it would be 10 times more, because I was just that
57
2 Q So staying in exhibit 26, can you now go to page 238? And on the bottom
3 half of the page, it appears that you're texting Ms. Kimberly Fletcher.
4 A Yeah.
6 clock there. It looks like you say, "POTUS is not ignorant of what his words will do.
7 Wish it didn't happen, but understand the people and I won't denounce them." So
8 reading this text, is it fair to say that President Trump's words were influential to his
9 supporters?
10 A The short answer is no, because we have a wise Supreme Court that came
11 out with a case called Brandenburg v. Ohio which helped us, you know -- and I say "us" as
12 in human civilization -- establish jurisprudence about, you know, what is a tool of rhetoric,
13 and then what is incitement. And the Supreme Court, you know, tried to help guide us
15 What I will tell you about this text is, this text was sent when I didn't know some
16 of the worst that had happened. So I'm specifically referencing, you know, aggressive
17 stuff that was, you know, not good, not good at all. Trespassing stuff, not good at all.
19 But I will tell you that, you know, no one has the authority outside of a judge or a
20 jury to determine the answer to your question. I certainly don't. But because this text
21 can be used against what -- what did I mean, is I was hurt. I was hurt. I was frustrated.
22 And, you know, at one point, what I want to point out is, if you scroll up on those text
23 messages, you know, it's almost like what happened? Ali, this is a madhouse.
24 And I'm getting this flurry of text message that spontaneous come in because of
25 the jammers that were put up. And I'm thinking, like, like, I can't possibly be responsible
58
1 for tens of thousands of folks. Why are you texting me? I'm busy trying to remove
2 bystanders from becoming protesters or protesters becoming agitators. That's how I'm
3 thinking. I'm trying to triage people in my brain of who can I save, because nobody
5 And So I was very frustrated, very mad. And I'm of the opinion that the
6 President's words without the context of where to go was not helpful. And I've said as
7 much, and I don't care who that pisses off. But, you know, as someone who's done
8 professional events, that's, you know, the agreement should have been honored and we
11 A Excuse me?
14 because there is a viral video that -- where it shows me on top of 101 Constitution
15 Avenue. And I do a video, and I said I don't denounce this. I don't disavow this.
16 People want me to disavow this. And this is kind of a tool of rhetoric and debate that I
17 got from my late friend, Andrew Breitbart. Apologize for what, you know, he said.
18 Apologize for what? And that was to say that you don't owe your enemies an apology.
19 And then my Christian doctrine is, like, but you owe them something when you've done
20 something wrong.
21 So, first off, I'd like to say I've done nothing wrong. And I did nothing wrong.
22 So asking me to disavow the actions of other adults would be silly. People who didn't
23 attend Lot 8, would be silly. People who disrupted my event from taking place, me to
25 And then what -- the video's cut off but it's gone viral, millions of views, and
59
1 people who think that I was saying I support the violence. The video says that I don't.
2 It says, obviously, I denounce the people inside and the agitators. And I still have that
3 position. I've said that we should prosecute the violent actors. I've said it in my
5 And so what I'm saying here in this text message, I won't denounce them, I'm
6 talking about the people on the ground. I'm not talking about the people in the
7 building. I'm not talking about people who punch cops. I'm not talking about any
9 violence. There's no text message where I'm celebrating injured people. There's not a
11 M r . - I'd just like to note for the record that Ms. Cheney and
12 Ms. Lofgren and Mr. Schiff have left the deposition, and the only remaining members are
14 BY
15 Q I believe in the afternoon of January 6th you tweeted, and I quote,
16 "Democrats and media ended the republic and that people responded. Welcome to," in
17 quotes, "duh." What did you mean? Please explain this tweet for us.
20 question here.
21 A Thank you.
22 Q When you say that people responded, what are they responding to?
23 A Well, again, I have to say this for the record for anything that's presented to
24 me that either I didn't authenticate, or was -- does not look like it was pulled from Twitter
25 itself. So this, again, assuming that this is true and out of great respect for the
60
1 committee, Democrats and media ended the republic. So this is my truly held belief
2 that -- and it was 47 percent of America at the time believed that there were election
4 Republicans still believe that. And we're not going to stop believe that because there's
6 And I said, you know, people responded. And that's unfortunate. This is not a
7 value-based judgment. This is not one. This is me making some analysis, and it's not
8 good. It's not healthy for you. It's not healthy for me. It's not healthy for either of
9 our parties. And I think that this is a failing of Democrat Party that compromised our
10 election itself, and I think this is a failing of the media which is supposed to speak truth to
12 I want to state this: Stop the Steal was not a Trump movement, and that's why I
13 really resent this whole March for Trump stuff and Trump 45 stuff and all of that. That's
14 silly to me. Okay? We support fair elections and transparent counting. We believe
15 that there are election irregularities, and we believe those irregularities favor Joe Biden,
17 So that's our stance, and that better describes and adds context to this tweet.
18 Mr. Kamenar. Excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt. Is there a date and time
19 of this exhibit?
21 Mr. Kamenar. Is there any reason why? We're talking about chronology and so
22 forth. I just thought it might help the witness if he had a date and time.
23 Mr. - It's not in the exhibit, and he provided the analysis that we
1 Mr. Alexander. Okay. Can I -- I'd like to clarify on the record then. I thought
3 BY
4 Q It is.
5 A And I'm glad that -- I'm glad that I clarified at the beginning of my tweet,
6 assuming that this is true, okay. But if this was in response to something else, because
7 we're having all kinds of small victories or small defeats at the States, then that's
8 whatever. But, you know, if I was writing this tweet today, that's, you know, what it
9 would mean.
10 Q And with this tweet, when you're saying, "duh," are you saying that, you
11 know, the response you just described is the natural and obvious result to those alleged
14 Q So you talked about how you went to I believe you said 101 Constitution
15 Avenue. Is that where you went after you left the Capitol complex grounds?
16 A That's where I believe I went. I've since gathered the address from trying
17 to get evidence gathered for y'all. So I'm trying to best represent where I was.
19 A I left with Mr. Jones and his security and camera staff, and if there were
20 other people with us. Michael Coudrey was with me. If there's other people, I don't
21 recall.
22 Q And when you say you were talking about the video of you making the
23 speech about you don't disavow this, you don't denounce this, who recorded that video
24 of you?
25 A I don't know.
62
2 A No. I mean, it could -- you know, it could have been Michael. It wouldn't
3 have been Alex, you know. It could have been staff. It could have been security.
4 was friendly -- those guys were protecting me. So I was friendly with everybody. And,
6 I'll be honest. Before I had to gather this evidence, my recollection was actually
7 that I shot my own video. And so that's how, you know, in reviewing this evidence,
8 weird it is. And to be de platformed and not have access to any of that stuff makes
9 me -- you know, I'm acting in good faith. I'm cooperating and acting in good faith.
10 Q So going back to exhibit 26 -- and I'd like to direct you to page to page 236.
11 Sorry. Let's go back to the east side of the Capitol. Sorry. When you got to
12 the east side the Capitol, did you give another speech? Or did you and Alex Jones give
13 another speech?
15 BY
16 Q How about do you just remember, Mr. Alexander, when you were on the
17 pallet, talking next to the stairs? You all left and went to another area on the Capitol.
18 Do you remember that? And can you just walk us through that movement?
20 Q Remember with the -- you were talking about statement that, you know,
21 when you climbed up whatever you called it, at risk to your own personal safety?
23 Q Right. Sorry. And then you left from there and went somewhere else.
25 A Yes.
63
2 A I believe, again --
5 I missed -- I was confusing -- I was confusing, I believe, south with east and north with
6 west. And this is reflected in these text message, including a text message that I ended
8 So we were walking, I believe, on the south side. We ran into an officer who
9 was, you know, politely but very annoyed, directing people to the east side. And we
10 asked him several times how can we help. What can we do? And he didn't want to
11 engage in that conversation. He's, like, just go to the east side. Just go to the east
12 side.
13 So we, of course, are walking towards the direction of Lot 8. When you're
14 walking -- when you're walking, you know, again from The Ellipse to Freedom Plaza, to
15 the west, past the north -- I hope I didn't just previously just say south -- past the north.
17 A And then what's directly in front of you, you think it's Lot 8, but it's actually, I
18 believe, Lot 9. But if somebody showed me a map, we cube more accurate about it.
19 What we see then is about six or seven officers, I believe, on the steps closest to us. So
20 this is hard northeast of the Capitol building. We walk up to them, engage them.
21 And, again, we're -- we're escalating our deescalation efforts, myself and Alex
22 Jones and Owen Shroyer and thinking, well, we'll be recognized by part of this crowd.
23 These aren't all our supporter, but a lot of them are. And we engage with those officers.
24 Eventually they tell us, you know, okay. Try to get those people down if you can. We
1 We go up the steps of, like, I guess the south or, no, the northwest side.
2 And -- and we're doing chants that is common to Alex Jones' audience to get people's
3 attention because there's music blaring. And, again, I'm in the state of, you know, I've
4 worked this -- I'm working through it, you know, with a therapist and stuff like that. But
5 I'm in a state of, like, shock. Like, like, why are there vehicles on the Capitol Plaza?
6 The cops told us there wouldn't be any vehicles. Why are there vehicles? Why is there
7 loud music playing? Who the hell has a speaker that loud? Because on the Capitol,
8 you're only allowed wound-up speaker, and this speaker's loud and it's playing, like,
9 heavy metal music. It seems like something out of, like, Abu Ghraib.
10 I mean, it's just -- it was just a, frankly, bizarre situation. And there's all these
11 people who some of them think that that's where the rally is, and then other people who
12 are just bystanders. And then some idiots, some real idiots, you know, some bad,
13 nefarious people, I guess, you know, they're up at the front. But I don't see them.
15 And then, so, we spend, I don't know, 5 to 15 minutes -- I don't think it's 15 -- but
17 loudspeaker and these vehicles are interrupting our ability to take command of the crowd
18 where we cannot take command of crowd and physically grabbing people and shoving
19 them down the stairs. Okay. That's how desperate I was to deescalate this situation,
21 And -- and, so, then we -- so then we exit. And we start talking to people on,
22 like, Lots 10, 11, 9, and 8 and trying -- what happened before we got here? Were you
23 here? And what we come -- came to learn is that most of those people had never
24 attended The Ellipse rally and heard Trump's speech. Most of those people, you know,
1 All the people at Lot 8 were peaceful. Lot 8 never erupted into violence. Lot 8
2 maybe had, like, 10 people on it. But those people, you know, had gotten my tweets.
3 So maybe I affected 10 people, and that was kind of defeating. And ultimately I
4 was, like, I don't want people to think I'm condoning this. And I don't want people to be
5 attracted here and then accidentally get swept up in all of this. Mob psychology's a real
6 thing.
66
2 [12:16 p.m.]
3 The Witness. And so, then I said, let's go. Me and Alex Jones make the
4 decision, the executive decision that we are leaving the entire premises, we've
5 abandoned our event. The police we wish would have given a dispersement order.
6 We wish would have had barricades, we wish we this protection. None of our security is
7 there. It was a failure of epic proportions. And I found myself, you know, just trying to
8 deescalate and then trying to exit, because that's what I've been taught.
9 BY
10 Q Right. And as you were moving from where the chairs were around to
11 where you ended up on the stairs, you were with Mr. Jones during that time, walking with
12 him?
13 A I believe so.
15 A I believe so. We were all in the same security bubble because we were
16 really scared about ourselves getting hurt. It's like you don't know who is punching who
18 Q Right.
19 A Honest to God, at this moment, I'm not thinking it's the stop the
20 certification, that is contrary to our purposes. We are winning our political purpose.
21 Even if we lose, we are winning our political purpose. And we were going to primary
25 Q The answer is who you are with and as you are walking?
67
2 Q I'm not trying to be combative. I am just trying to figure out some moves,
3 and that's it. You can get in more as we speak, we are just trying to move this along.
4 A Yeah.
5 Q And so, and Shroyer, for the record, is S-h-r-o-y-e-r. And so as you're
6 moving along with Mr. Jones and Mr. Shroyer along the side of the Capitol where you end
7 up, there are times when you come in contact with Capitol police officers or Mr. Jones
9 A We collectively did.
10 Q Right. Okay.
11 And did you hear Mr. Jones tell the police officers that President Trump was
12 coming?
14 Q Do you recall when you were on top of the chairs when Mr. Jones had a
19 A Yes.
21 A Yes.
22 Q Do you remember him telling the crowd that President Trump was coming?
24 like I've said. And I apologize if you I are doing a little back and forth. I'm trying to be
1 And so, what I have seen since then is a video that I believe to be true, and which
2 he says, Hey, guys, you can't be here. Go to Lot 8, that's where Trump said he's going.
3 Q Right.
4 A And so, that was a tool of rhetoric by speaker. At that point I have to
5 believe that Alex -- but Alex can be naive and innocent and he could have believed that.
6 Q That's fine. We saw a text message earlier you saw where Caroline Wren
7 told you --
10 A Yeah. And that's what -- my true belief is that the President was not
11 coming.
12 Q Right. So at that time you knew it wasn't true, as far as you knew that the
13 President -- when Mr. Jones said that the President was coming, you knew at that time he
16 Q I'm asking what you understood at the time that he wasn't coming.
18 degree. And again, I already told this committee that in my professional opinion, there
21 And so, did you ask Mr. Jones at the time why are you saying that President Trump
22 is coming?
23 A No. I'm observ -- I have tear gas in my eyes. I'm not thinking about
24 correcting him. And again, we're engaged in tools of rhetoric to get people out of the
25 conflict zone. And so, if Mr. Jones said that there are aliens on the other side, I would
69
1 support that, because that would get people away from tear gas, away from conflict.
2 Q Right. Because what attracted people is the fact that President Trump was
3 there in your mind, right? That they would go to where he said President Trump was?
6 words, we are not talking about Brandenburg in the Supreme Court. The people who
8 A There are a lot of people and a lot of evidence to suggest that the reason
9 that we saw no counter protesters is that they were in the crowd, too.
10 Q There. The majority of the people you saw there were Trump supporters
13 safe, which is why I said me, and Owen Shroyer, and Alex Jones are all in the security
14 bubble. And we are stuck together. There is no exiting the security bubble. We are
15 in the security bubble and we are at the mercy of whatever those gentlemen tell us to do.
16 Q Right, okay. And so, at any point did you ever talk to Mr. Jones where he is
18 A No.
20 A No. That would be improbable. I have tear gas in my eyes. I'm suffering
21 from a traumatic event. My event is being barred from happening. And I'm just
23 Q And part of that would be it sounds like at least Mr. Jones was saying that
25 Mr. Kamenar. Counsel, I think he's asked and answered your question. You've
70
B-
3 Mr. Kamenar. And he said he hasn't talked to Jones to explain --
5 Q How about after the fact? Did you ever have a conversation with Mr. Jones
6 why he said at the time at the Capitol Grounds that President Trump was coming?
7 A I don't recall that Alex Jones and I have had a conversation about a play by
10 BY
11 Q Let's go back to Exhibit 26, page 236. You're on that page already.
13
15 BY
16 Q That's okay.
17 And it looks like you're testing a Jordan Harrison, do you see that part of the page?
18 A Yes.
19 Q And there are messages to say make the wild protest. I am assuming the
25 Q And why are you telling Jordan Harrison to make the web page blank at the
71
3 Q No. Why are you telling him, Mr. Harrison, who has access to
5 A Because my event had been prevented from happening because there was a
6 Capitol riot. There was no -- there was not going to be an event. And I did not want to
7 be subject to the defamation, and libel, and slander that I have since been subject to
8 confusing my efforts to deescalate with people who did deplorable things, horrible things.
10 Staying in the same exhibit, Exhibit 26, I'm going to page had 170.
11 I just have one quick question. Mr. Alexander, do you know who
12 Mr. Harrison works for or does he own his own web vending company?
15
16
17
Mr.-
Q
B- Exhibit 26, page 170.
And this is a message from Ms. Wren -- so kind of on the same lines of what
18 you said to Mr. Harrison about making the web page blank, Ms. Wren writes you and said
19 can we take down the coalition partners page on the website? This is on January 7th.
22 Q Looks like January 7, at 11:35 a.m. She says quote, unquote, "Vo, crazy day
23 yesterday. Can we take down the coalition partners page on the website, please."
24 And it looks like you replied "yes." And then it looks like she replies "thanks." Is she
25 referring to [Link]?
72
1 A No. I'm just trying to read the prior text messages to figure it out because I
2 did not know because it could be the website you just mentioned, because we were
3 running two different websites. So it could have been that website, but it doesn't say
4 here in the prior text messages but it could have been that one.
6 A I'm aware -- right now, I'm aware of Stop the Steal U.S. so three, Stop the
8 Q So when she says can he take it down the coalition partners page, is it your
10 A Excuse me?
11 Q When she says take down -- can we take down the coalition partners pages
18 follow-up questions. Any questions from the members? That's a negative. And any
23 [Recess.]
73
2 [1:10 p.m.]
3 BY
4 Q Mr. Alexander, I just want to go back before we move on to the next topic.
5 And before we start, I would like to announce that no members are on. And that Mr.
9 B~
10 Q Can you go to Exhibit 26, page 238 again. The text messages with Ms.
11 Kimberly Fletcher?
14 A 238?
15 Q That's correct. So on the bottom half of the page where you say, "POTUS is
16 not ignorant of what words would do." Just very clearly explain to us what do you mean
21 BY
22 Q You're saying it. I am just asking what you mean by your words.
23 A Yeah, I've already been asked this question and given the record an answer
25 Q So when you -- Mr. Alexander, I'm going to ask you the question again.
74
1 A Well, this is the fourth time you've asked me, but I already have an answer
2 on the record an hour ago. And I would feel very uncomfortable exposing myself to that
3 legal liability. I am under oath. I acknowledge that I'm under oath. And I had to
4 recontextualize it here 11 months later for y'all in my first answer. So the fourth one
5 wouldn't --
6 Q So he was not ignorant that his words would lead to the rioters attacking the
7 Capitol?
8 A _ , you know, a fifth time. I would really just like to stick with my first
10 Q And as the rioters are attacking the Capitol, you're not going to denounce
12 A On that separate text message you've already asked me that, too. And I
13 actually remember said that I denounced all the people who performed vandalism, all of
14 the people who performed violence. I didn't denounce the people who were on the
15 grass and peacefully assembled. And a lot of people wanted to lump them in together.
16 And I just don't believe that that is equal treatment under the law. I am a little civil
17 libertarian on some of those issues. I believe that each individual should, you know,
18 have their fair day in court. And to denounce everybody and lump them in with people
20 Q So show me where you're saying I denounce the people that are going in and
21 vandalizing -- why would it make sense to denounce people who are not breaching the
22 Capitol?
24 Q I'm trying --
1 answer. But, you know, if I can go without interruptions, , because I didn't even
2 get a sentence in. This is the third time you and I are talking about this denouncement,
3 and I've described it here 11 months later. And I have a video of me that you guys have
4 denouncing violent people. And I told you, you know, you work in government, I work
5 in politics. A lot of people think they are the same, but they are not. And there is a
6 game in media and politics that -- a denouncing game where people try to associate you
7 with people that you're not associated with. And that's not fair. It happened to Barack
8 Obama, it's happened to Donald Trump, and I was afraid of it happening to me. And
9 guess what? It has happened to me. I am not associated with the Capitol attackers.
10 Q So at this moment while the rioters are attacking the Capitol, you're thinking
12 A No. Because as I said in a previous answer, I was on the ground, I didn't get
13 to watch CNN like you. I didn't get to watch tweets or Twitter or anything like that.
14 And from what I saw was chaos. What I saw was tear gas. I didn't watch anyone
15 punch anyone. I was afraid that it was going to escalate. And so, what I was worried
16 about is that blame would be laid at the feet of Republicans who believe in election
17 integrity and not Capitol attackers. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, they
18 should have their day in court, a fair day in court. But lumping everybody together,
19 whether it is me or two other Americans, it is not right, and not fair, and it doesn't speak
21 Q So going back to your security, while were you planning the wild protest
22 event at the Capitol on January 6th, did you have any security concerns?
23 A I'm a public figure and I walk around -- even coming to this hearing, I had
24 great security concerns. And us trying to get here on time, we actually approached four
25 times, and it was hard for us to get through the perimeter because y'all had a security
76
2 Q So what were your security concerns while were you planning the wild
5 and some other fringe left-wing Socialists, Communist, Marxists, and other kind of gangs
6 get away with violence unprosecuted here. I've seen my face on a target map. I've
7 been called a nigger. I have been called everything by the left wing. And to this day,
8 you can go to Twitter right now and find death threats about me.
9 And so when I tried to get security, I got paid security to take on the liability of
10 confronting anyone if they confront me, self-defense only, but volunteer veterans or
11 police officers, first responders are mostly there to keep a perimeter around equipment.
12 Q Did you conduct a threat analysis while you're preparing the security for the
13 wild protest?
14 A Me personally?
15 Q Yeah. As you're planning to for the event, did your Stop the Steal or
16 anyone engaged with planning this event, did you conduct a threat analysis?
18 threat analysis. I've heard of this term, and I've, you know, it has probably been said to
19 me in passing or something like that. But, you know, an intelligent assessment would
20 require the time to be able do it. And I lack the time to collect anything of what was
21 happening on the ground or interface with the police directly myself. I hire people, or
23 Q Did you hire someone to conduct a threat analysis for your event?
25 BY
77
1 Q Real quick, sitting here today, can you remember anyone on behalf of or
2 associated with the Stop the Steal or One Nation Under God event conducting any kind of
5 we needed to do, what they would do, and any, any concerns. And the permitting
6 process is an open process until the day of. And so I hired people to interface with the
7 U.S. Capitol Police and all other government agencies. And they communicated with
8 them on a regular basis. And sometimes, in our previous events, I don't recall January
9 6th receiving them, but sometimes if police want to pass something through us, we would
10 get that. But I -- I don't really recall today anything. But the process is super
12 Q Outside of the interaction with the Capitol Police, do you know of anyone at
13 Stop the Steal or One Nation Under God who conducted a threat analysis for that event?
14 A I am the only officer, you know, at Stop the Steal, I'm a one-man shop, and I
15 have volunteers that do work with me and stuff like that. But, and that Stop the Steal
16 the organization, not Stop the Steal the hashtag, not Stop the Steal when someone is
17 chanting "stop the steal," not "stop the steal" that originated in 2016 with Roger Stone.
18 My Stop the Steal is a protest movement. It has 500 peaceful rallies in 50 States
19 under its belt, and January 6th was not one of ours. So this seems like a specific term,
20 and if you guys reference something, I can tell you if I recognize something or not, but it is
22 Q If you don't know the term, then you can say I'm not aware of any threat
24 A Today I do not. You know, I do not recall -- I do not recall -- I do not recall,
25 you know, like, paying $50,000 for a threat analysis or anything like that. That's what it
78
2 Q I'm not trying to make it complicated because if you don't know the term,
3 that would suggest that you were not aware of a threat analysis. I'm literally just asking,
4 are you aware of any threat analysis being conducted for Stop the Steal?
6 Q That's it. And I'm not trying to trick you. I think you get what I'm asking,
8 BY
9 Q Can you got to Exhibit 14, please, Mr. Alexander? This is a text message
10 exchange between you and Mr. Stephen Brown. Who is Mr. Brown?
11 A Mr. Brown is a -- I think he's like a preferred vendor with the National Park
12 Service or something like that. He has some special designation with -- there's like three
13 or four different groups that run permits around D.C., depending on what type of land it
14 is. And I met him during the December 12th event, I think it was, the Jericho march.
15 And he was -- I joined in on that event. I endorsed that event. And it was a Christian
16 event. And he, I thought, did an excellent job of, like, the staging and some of that.
17 And there was a lot of pressure. And so he was the guy that I knew who I could hire to
18 do permitting and tell me, you know, point me in the right direction, and just handle all of
21 A I hired him.
23 A Yes.
25 So just to orient the room, this is text messages from Mr. Brown's standpoint, so it
79
1 is to Mr. Alexander, that's why you see to Ali Alexandra, spelled wrong at the top.
6 M r . - When you text from your phone, it doesn't say your name on it.
7 So it would not say his name on here. It just says to Mr. Ali Alexandra on here, but he
10 M r . - Correct.
14 BY
15 Q So in the middle of this page it looks like a message from Mr. Brown to you.
16 Mr. Alexander, it says, "Do you still want Stewart to provide you with two protection
18 A If this text message exchange is accurate and -- then I would say -- then I
19 would have to speculate that Stewart, is Stewart Rhodes from that veterans group.
21 A Uh-huh.
23 A Well, this text message that you just pointed out is showing that I am not
24 talking to Mr. Rhodes about this, that Stephen's handling it for me, which sounds like me.
25 And I met -- I met -- let me see, I actually have -- I think I have some details. I think I met
80
1 Stewart Rhodes in Atlanta. We had an Atlanta protest and Stewart Rhodes showed up.
2 Someone introduced us. And he said, Hey, wherever you guys go across the country, we
3 can provide veterans that are clean. And they actually, you know, were, like, we
4 don't -- we don't protect White nationalists, we don't do this, we don't do this. We are
5 just like here to help patriots like you. And, so, like I mentioned earlier, I believe I had
6 two Oath Keepers with me or my party at the Ellipse event. And so, this text message
8 Q So when you were talking about the Oath Keepers, the veterans group is a
9 term we use, it sounds like they were pretty professional to work with in your
12 with them in December or not at the Jericho march. But again, was an even I partnered
13 on. I didn't really run the whole thing. And so, maybe that's why Stephen is handling
14 the exchange because he worked with them more. That's what I was told about Oath
15 Keepers is they are a veterans group. And, you know, I've seen con -- I've seen other
16 media reporting characterizing them as other things or whatever, but January 6th, like I
17 said, I used two of them. I don't know if I just answered your question or not.
18 Q No. Did you consider them professional from your experiences with them
19 in Atlanta?
20 A In Atlanta they were professional. And I barely had any-- I didn't have any
22 Q You trusted them to provide your security, though, for January 6th?
23 A No.
24 Q You did not trust the Oath Keepers to provide security for you on January
25 6th?
81
1 A What I have described to this committee is that I usually have several layers
2 of security. And the highest, the highest form of security I like to pay because they
3 usually come bonded and other stuff like that. I do know on the 6th, let me volunteer
4 this information is that I think I talked to either Stephen or somebody that the Oath
5 Keepers were -- because you can't have a rope line on the Capitol Grounds, so there is no
6 way to protect the stage or limit people, so the Oath Keepers were going to be the
7 limiting force for Lot 8. But you know, when I showed up there, they are not there.
8 Q Do you recall Mr. Morelock providing part of that voluntary security for you
9 on January 6th?
11 Q Okay.
12 A Of his face.
13 Q It is M-o-r-e-1-o-c-k.
15 A Yes, sir.
16 Q This appears to be a Signal chat entitled Jan 5/6, D.C., OK, which I believe
17 stands for Oath Keepers security. The rest of it is cut off. Do you recall being a
20 Q Please.
22 Q Okay. Let's actually just make it easier, on the middle of this page, it says
24 A Well, I'm Ali Alexander. This seems like what you're saying is that this is a
25 screen shot on Stephen Brown's phone based off what we just tackled and it says, I'm a
82
1 participant in this chat. I'm not a member of an organization, I'm not a member of --
2 Q All right. That's fair. So you were a participant of the Signal chat?
3 A I don't recall this, but I am not reading anything that is sticking out that, you
7 Q Right.
8 A Volunteers.
10 A Yeah, yeah. Well, not for me. If Stephen Brown is not -- was not hired to
11 handle my January 5 events or me going around as a public figure to other events. And
12 so, this chat would have been specifically only about Lot 8, which means that if they
13 weren't my security they are again the Lot 8's, again, kind of perimeter buffers.
15 A Yes, sir.
17 A Okay.
18 Q There is a text message between you and Mr. Stephen Brown. And it looks
19 like he says, "room needed for Ali PSD guys at the JW in the name of Jeff Morelock and
20 Tom Burgess." And you respond back with a thumbs up emoji. Do you recall these
22 A The first thing I would like to point out is there is a discrepancy in the
23 evidence with Stephen Brown. And that's that the three or two other pieces of evidence
24 that you've shown me with him, my name an Ali Alexandra. On this one it says Ali
25 Akbar. And so, that's my birth name, which I don't think I've ever told Stephen, and
83
2 So I have told this committee already there are two gentlemen who I didn't know
3 the names of that were Oath Keeper volunteers. They were at the bottom of the stack
4 of my security detail. And when I say my security detail, it could apply to me as a person
5 or whatever group I was with, I do not recall this exchange. And the red flag to me here
6 is that there are two different names Ali Akbar and Ali Alexandra cannot occupy the same
7 space on an iPhone.
8 BY-
9 Q Mr. Alexander, on Exhibit 22, do you see the little picture next to the Ali
10 Akbar character. Is that your face or is it your position that that's not your face?
13 Q So sitting here you have no memory of this and it is your position that it is
16 Q No, no. I'm asking you, yes or no, is it your position that it is not you on the
18 A My position is that I do not recall this text exchange, that there were two
19 Oath Keepers given to me at the bottom of my security stack. If these are the two
20 gentlemen, then I will have to take someone else's word for it. I don't remember. I'm
21 getting their names. I meet a lot of people, I met tens of thousands of people on the 5th
22 and 6th, me personally. And I would just like to finish. But the discrepancy of
23 evidence, like this wouldn't be admitted to court. You have my name is Ali Akbar here.
24 Q I totally understand.
1 Q I don't want to interrupt you. This is important, because this isn't court.
2 And I respect that there is a lot of prep and I really do respect that --
4 Q I get that, but it is important that this is not court. And I don't want you to
5 waste a lot of time, and, frankly, lawyers' fees, on objecting to things that aren't relevant
6 to our situation. I just need to know are you saying here today that you don't believe
7 that's you having that conversation, is it your position that's not me. That's a yes or no.
9 ~ Thank you.
10 BY
12 A Nathan Martin is a friend of mine that I've known, I think, for a decade and
13 he's not really a big Trump fan. And when Stop the Steal was growing faster than I could
15 recruited him to help coordinate some of that stuff, because he's really good at logistics.
16 And he runs, like, a travel agency so we were able to book stuff through him.
18 A Yeah.
19 Q Did he book your travel -- actually, did he book other people in Stop the
21 A Like I said, Stop the Steal is me. But if I asked him to book someone else,
24 And go to the third page of Exhibit 21. So you've already said you stayed at the
25 JW Marriott on January 6th. The first name on the third page appears to say Akbar/Ali.
85
2 A Okay.
3 Q I'm sorry.
4 A Yes.
5 Q Okay. And we mentioned in the text message from Stephen Brown earlier
6 about personal security. There is that Tom Burgess name under the Stop the Steal room
7 block. So did he stay in your -- you're not going to deny that he stayed in your room
8 block, right?
11 Morelock, correct?
13 Q In the same exhibit, there is an individual in the Stop the Steal room block
15 A This paperwork says that he was staying in the same room with this Tom
16 Burgess.
18 go back to Exhibit 22, the one you were just saying you cannot confirm whether that is
19 you. The room block listings we just looked at is consistent with Stephen Brown saying
20 "room needed for Ali PSD guys at the JW in the name of Jeff Morelock and Tom Burgess,"
21 correct?
23 Q So let's go back to Exhibit 18 in the Signal chat. Do you know who OK Gator
24 1 is?
25 A No. That's someone who works with Stewart Rhodes. At first I thought
86
3 A Who?
5 A Kelly Meggs?
6 Q Yes.
7 A That name is not ringing a bell at all and I don't see it on this sheet.
8 Q Okay. What about, did you know Mr. Don Seikerman, he's on this chat on
9 the bottom.
10 A No, I don't. I'm not familiar with that name right now, and I don't
14 Q Okay. Let's go to Exhibit 12, so it appears on January 4th that Mr. Stephen
15 Brown forwarded you a list and he says, "This is the list of PSD we have working with us
18 ~ Thisis12.
19
23 assuming to the Nathan Martin you just discussed who does did your logistics for Stop the
24 Steal?
25 A Yeah, he did some of the logistics. I believe that is his email address.
87
2 A I do not recall receiving this email. And I can tell you why I don't recall it.
4 A January 4th, 2021 at 5:55 p.m. I was in Georgia, helping out in the runoff.
5 I don't know that I ever saw this email. I was working on run off, helping out with
6 events on the 5th and the 6th, doing Georgia logistics, and trying to get my butt D.C. the
7 next morning by 6 a.m. So I don't recall ever seeing this email. And, you know, I see
8 here it says "Gator Kelly Meggs." When you said it the first time I thought Kelly was a
10 BY
11 Q Can I ask you something? Does that mean that you would have allowed
12 Stephen Brown and Nathan Martin to coordinate this with you on your behalf while were
15 volunteer organic effort. We are not getting our marching orders from Trump or the
16 RNC. And so there's a lot of labor of love which requires a lot of delegation. And I
17 trust Steve Brown, Stephen Brown and Nathan Martin to be professionals and to do the
18 right thing. And they are both Christian and I'm a Christian. And I don't -- I don't mess
19 around with details like this when I don't have to. And sometimes, I'll fly into a
20 conversation and then I'm out, but that's why they have group conversations, so that
22 Q I just wanted to clarify because I think earlier you said you were the one
23 person for Stop the Steal, so for them to do this, you believe they had your authority to
24 act on your behalf to make these arrangements without your knowledge -- without you
1 A I'm the only person with Stop the Steal, LLC. I didn't give anybody else a
2 directorship or officership, or -- and no one else was really given political making powers.
3 So logistics stuff I rely on people I pay, or volunteers who have that in their talent stack.
4 BY
5 Q So just humor me, there appears to be what 20 or so names in the list that
6 Mr. Brown forwards to you on January 4th. Is that right? And you can take time to
7 look it over.
8 A That's what this email kind of shows. And it's an email that I don't recall
9 seeing. I probably -- this is probably in my inbox as unread. And I don't -- I don't recall
10 seeing this, but I also don't see anything wrong with it, so.
11 Q Why would I need that many security folks for January 6th?
12 A Well, I think I've testified on the record already that I needed two at least
13 with my party. And then we just needed bodies for the perimeter of Lot 8 so that it
14 didn't get out of control, because you're not allowed rope lines. So this is about you
15 don't have equipment, what do you have? You have human bodies.
16 Q So these folks were supposed to, like, kind of protect the perimeter of Lot 8
17 on January 6th?
18 A That's what I've tasked Stephen Brown with, and that's why they are
19 coordinating together.
20 Q And these are the Oath Keepers that you talked to Mr. Rhodes about from
23 Q These individuals, these are all Oath Keepers, and I'm presuming this is
25 A Oh, no. No, that would be the wrong presumption. I don't have anything
89
1 to do with the Oath Keepers. They are a veterans group that has volunteered services
2 for other speakers associated with me and me. And so, I can't confirm this list the
3 people for you, because I'm not a part of their organization. And the only reason I
4 would think that we would need these names is because, you know -- and look, some of
5 them are missing names. So it is kind of weird to me, it's like that's not my -- that's -- I
6 needed people to watch my stage. If they were Oath Keepers, or if they were Moms for
8 line. And you have a lot of speakers, and we have a video camera.
9 I even talked about how it's unlikely that we're going have a large crowd, they will
10 be doing other stuff or other permits. And we have a video where we do a tight shot of
11 everyone and we'll release those videos, so what these people are is about video
12 equipment, staging. And we can call that security -- I don't even know what PSD means.
13 So if somebody wants to inform me on what that means, that will help contextualize this,
14 too.
90
2 [1:40 p.m.]
3 BY
4 Q So if I were to ask Mr. Martin why he reached out to Oath Keepers, it's your
5 testimony here today that he would say you didn't direct him to do so?
6 A What I just answered was that me and Stewart Rhodes did not come up with
7 this list together, and I can't vet it. And I didn't talk to -- you know, I don't recall talking
9 Q I'm not focusing so much on the list. I'm focusing on why Mr. Martin sent
10 you this list. Did you direct him to go get Oath Keepers for your security?
12 Q I'm not asking about the email. I'm asking, if I were to ask Mr. Martin did
13 you direct him to go to Oath Keepers for security, would he say no?
17 Q Did you direct Mr. Martin to go get Oath Keepers for security?
19 Q Yes or no, yes or no, did you direct Mr. Martin to go get --
23 Q Thank you.
24 So let's look at this list. Are you aware that Kelly Meggs, Connie Meggs, Caleb
25 Berry, Kenneth Harrelson, David Moerschel, Jeremy Brown, Graydon Young, Jason Dolan,
91
1 Joe Hackett, Ben Parker, Sandra Parker, Jessica Watkins, and Donovan Crowl have all
2 been charged by the Department of Justice for crimes committed at the Capitol on
5 Q So that's 13 folks on this list that was sent to you by Mr. Martin. So you're
6 saying here today that you did not hear the Oath Keepers throughout the day on January
8 A I had very little interaction with the Oath Keepers on all of January 6th
9 because, as the two were with me, I believe, the two came with me to the Ellipse, they
10 weren't sitting with me. I was in the front row for all of the speeches.
11 And they didn't -- I don't believe that they went with me when Alex Jones and I
12 were walking with his security, which was why I was in his security bubble.
13 And I don't recognize any of the Oath Keepers in pictures that I've seen in
14 preparing for my testimony in shots of us. And when I got to the Capitol, not only did I
16 Q Right. So I guess that didn't answer the question. So you don't recall
17 hearing Oath Keepers talking about their plans for the Capitol --
18 A I didn't have an opportunity to hear any Oath Keepers talking about anything
19 that, you know, that would have lasted more than from, based off my recollection, from
21 Q So you're providing the color without, kind of like what said earlier,
1 ~ Thankyou.
3 BY-:
4 Q Actually, I just -- I'm a little -- I'm confused. Because when I'm looking at
5 this email, if I understood -- and is far more familiar with this, so forgive
6 me -- but Stephen Brown -- or Steve Brown, excuse me -- was a media agency event
8 A I hired him.
10 And Nathan Martin was somebody that worked for you, correct?
11 A He worked with me, half volunteer. And then when I could compensate
14 M r . - Mostly.
15 Mr.- Okay.
16 BY
17 Q And so I'm looking at an email from Steve Brown, somebody that you hired,
18 to you and Nathan Martin, saying: "This is the list of personal security detail" -- and if
19 you don't know what PSD is, that's usually what it means --
20 A Oh, okay.
21 Q -- "we have working with us and their names/nicknames from Signal." And
22 you are completely unaware of this, despite that it's from the person that you hired,
24 And I'm just trying to figure out, is it your position that, despite the fact that this is
25 who you hired and this is who you direct, you had no idea that any of this was happening
93
3 Q The email, like the arrangement of the personal security detail, you had no
4 idea that Nathan was getting Oath Keepers, you had no idea that he sent this to you?
5 I'm confused, because these are two individuals that you either hired or directed,
6 and I just want to make sure that what you're saying is, "I've never seen this email. I had
9 narrative form try to summarize what I believe I've told this committee.
10 I do not recall seeing this email until today. I still believe that I probably have
11 possession of this email and did not know that I did. And it's probably marked unread,
12 and I gave the context of the date and the time and what I would have been doing.
13 The second thing I'd like to observe is I trust Stephen Brown and Nathan Martin
14 mostly at my direction. You know, I don't know if we want to play around with language
15 or whatever. I'm so unfamiliar with this email I didn't know what PSD means until you
17 What I will say is I'm unfamiliar with this list. This is my best recollection first
18 time seeing this list. So when read out the list faster than I could put dots near
19 the name of who was arrested, that's how new this information is for me.
20 And the question I have is, are the two that guarded me that were not with me
21 until -- were no longer with me after 10 a.m., did they get arrested?
22 Q And what I want to make sure is that you're not getting wrapped up.
23 Because what we're not trying to do is trick you. We have an email from people to
24 people. We're not trying to trick you about what the email says or doesn't say.
25 What we're trying to get from you sitting here today is, do you remember the
94
1 facts and circumstances surrounding the three of you via this email arranging the Oath
2 Keepers to serve as the personal security detail? And if you want to answer it in
3 narrative form, that's fine. I'm really not trying to trick you.
4 Mr. Kamenar. I think he already answered that he doesn't recall this email. So
13 Sitting here today -- forget the email -- do you remember any conversations with
14 Nathan, any conversations with Stephen, about hiring the Oath Keepers to be a personal
16 The Witness. I either made the decision or authorized the decision for Oath
18 And I do not remember. I mean, this is a big list. Okay? I don't know who
19 came up with this amount of people. It could have been me. It could have been
20 Stephen. It could have been Nathan. It could have been Stewart. It could have been
22 But let me say this. Their job, we can call them security or PSD, I've never called
24 BY
1 A They are perimeter people. They are there just because we can't have a
2 rope line on the Capitol stage. We wanted to cooperate with the U.S. Capitol Police.
3 Q You keep saying you never used PSD. Turn to exhibit 22 for me and go to
4 the second page, please, because on that you literally text, "Means I have 2 PSD guys."
5 The second page on the back. You literally say it. Vet you're sitting here, testifying
7 A I don't recall.
10 In all of the evidence that we've reviewed today, I don't recall using PSD. This is
11 on the back of a page that we all reviewed together in which, you know, you're saying
12 that Stephen used PSD first and I responded back with his language.
13 Q That's fair.
14 A I'm sorry.
17 Which brings me to the point of, how did you search for responsive documents?
20 Q And I'm assuming you searched for emails of Nathan Martin since he was
23 even in a correspondence tried to provide some of the terms that we looked for and
24 asked the committee to specify any particular people that they were drilling down on so
1 Q And I have to assume that it would be just the most logical search term for
2 you to go to Mr. Steve Brown, who was getting your permits for you, that you should
4 A No. Incorrect. What I wouldn't find, because the subject line doesn't say
5 "Stop the Steal" or "January 6th" or "Lot 8 event." To my knowledge, that doesn't say
6 this in this email. Again, I'm being asked questions about something that I don't recall
8 Q That's fine.
9 A But what I'm saying is those are terms that we would have used to come up
10 with something like this. And so I didn't grab all Stephen Brown emails if they
12 Q So you didn't search Stephen Brown emails after January 1st and at
13 January 6th, like between that date range? You didn't search for those Stephen Brown
14 emails?
16 represented by hundreds of pages. There's five volumes of binders here on the table.
18 And so we've been as responsive as we can. If you said, "This is a subject line
19 that we want you to authenticate ahead of this meeting," I would have done that.
20 Q That's not my responsibility. But did you not search -- I mean, the subject
24 in terms of the thoroughness of the terms, given this line of conversation, that if the 6th
25 wasn't included in the search emails that may be something that we need to discuss?
97
2 ~ Okay.
3 Mr. Kamenar. Also, I believe when we provided documents, Mr. Baron Coleman
4 also said this is what we've found. It's not exhaustive. It's not everything. We'd be
5 glad to go back and recheck to see what may be missing or what was overlooked by a
6 consultant --
7 Yeah.
8 Mr. Kamenar. -- that was hired to look through these search terms.
9 - That's fair. And it might help actually maybe we could give you a list
10 of key words?
11 No.
12 - No, no, no, I know. But to the extent that there's any confusion.
13 Because I think we would have thought the 6th would have been an obvious term.
14 Mr. McBride. Well, we believe that the 6th is an obvious term. And if we
15 looked for it and if we don't have it, we'd be more than happy to take a second look for
16 you.
18 So you said you met -- did you have any follow-up, by the way, ? Sorry
19 about that.
20 BY-
22 something.
23 Our job is to find the facts, and sometimes that's just to take the answer from you.
24 Okay?
25 When the report by this committee comes out, it will be so and so said this, so and
98
1 so said this, so and so said this, right? And what I want to make sure is that we're not
2 putting words in your mouth, that we're not mischaracterizing you. And sometimes it's
3 hard because there's a lot of color added to the answers. So when we try to drill down,
4 it's because we don't want there to be confusion in terms of what your position is.
5 And what I want to make sure, because I'm looking at the exhibit in 12, and I'm
6 looking at the exhibit in 22, and what I see in 22 is a text conversation. And I'm sorry,
7 my eyes are terrible, but it looks like it's between Stephen Brown and somebody named
8 Ali Akbar, who has your picture on it, who's talking about rooms at the JW Marriott that
10 A Uh-huh.
11 Q -- with individuals who are in your room block with a personal security detail,
12 a term that you used, presuming that this is you in this text, with the layers that you've
14 And your position is that that's not me on the text and I don't remember this
16 I'm just -- that's where I'm -- that's what I'm taking away. And I want to make
17 sure that I understand that that's what you're saying. And if I'm wrong, I want you to
18 correct me.
20 Q But here's the thing. If your previous answer wasn't clear, I have the right
21 to ask you to clarify, which is not "asked and answered," it's a clarification. So if what I
23 Mr. Kamenar. Well, excuse me. What you said, asked what was wrong, you
25 Sure.
99
2 After everything that Mr. Childress asked you about the JW receipts,
3 about your personal security detail, I'd like you to answer, sitting right here, that you
5 The Witness. I'm not saying what I believe or don't believe. I'm saying I do not
6 recall this exchange. This exchange lines up with all these other facts.
8 BYMR.
9 Q Going back to when you said you met Mr. Rhodes in November of 2020,
10 where did you -- like what was going on where you met him? Was it an event,
11 preplanning an event? What was going on? How did you meet him?
13 introduce me to Stewart Rhodes. And he volunteered to, you know, hey, wherever
14 you're going across the country, if you'll give me a call or have your people give me a call,
16 Q What event were you throwing in November when you met him? Or what
18 Do you not recall the date, the rally or the event you were planning in November
23 A Yes.
24 Q Okay. And what were you protesting at the State Capitol in Georgia in
25 November?
100
2 Q Okay. Does November 18th sound about right, because that was the day
3 that Georgia was supposed to complete the audit and recount? Does that sound about
6 Q Did you official -- was this your rally in Atlanta at the Capitol? Was it a Stop
10 A No. However, at one point in Georgia, and I don't know if it was in this
20 BY
21 Q Just to clarify, we were talking about whether the event on November 18th
23 A Definitely not.
24 Q Okay. When you were having this event, were you coordinating with the
1 A No, I don't believe so. I think going into Georgia after D.C. was a "me"
2 decision.
3 Q What about did you coordinate this even with the White House at all?
5 else's permission to do something like that as a collaborative effort, and the answer is I
6 made the decision that we would protest Georgia. I formerly lived there, I know the
8 Q I guess let me go back a little bit. That's a great way to get to this.
9 Who have you talked to that works in the White House in December or January?
11 Mr. Kamenar. Is that a question who does he know or who does he talk to?
12 BY
13 Q Actually, who have you talked to in the White House in December or
14 January?
16 Q Just in general.
17 A I would really like to stick to the pertinency of the Capitol attack and January
19 Q So the reason why I'm asking is because throughout the text messages that
20 you produced to us there's the term "White House is telling me" or "White House this."
21 I'm trying to figure out who in the White House is telling you anything.
23 through each one of those text messages one by one and see if I recall something or try to
24 recontextualize it contemporaneously.
25 But in politics, someone can either indirectly tell you something or you'll indirectly
102
1 hear chatter or they'll tweet about something and put out a press release and someone
2 won't be in the know and you're telling them that they're in the know.
3 What I can say is that I'm just going to volunteer this information, even though,
5 I spoke with White House adviser Peter Navarro on January 5th at our rally, and to
7 Q Okay.
8 A And, you know, he was at the rally. So I think we spoke for 2 minutes, and I
9 introduced him.
10 You know, I know a lot of people in politics. Some people, like, you know, take
11 leave from the administration or they're in the administration but not the White House.
12 But what I will say is that the people -- you know, I didn't need to talk about the Ellipse
13 and Lot 8.
14 The person that I talked to was Caroline Wren, and to make a duplicative effort to
16 a day. I mean, I was like the busiest person in America. I know some people don't like
18 And another gentleman I talked to at the White House was -- and we did talk
19 about election integrity, but I don't recall talking about the 6th -- Garrett Ziegler, who
20 worked for Mr. Navarro. And I know we talked about election integrity. I don't recall
21 talking to him about the 6th or the 5th. And I don't see how he would be in any
23 Q Okay. Okay. When you were doing this rally at the Capitol, did you
1 Q Yeah, we as in Stop the Steal, which you are the single leader of.
5 A November rally?
7 A Can you establish a nexus between that and the Capitol attack?
8 Q Well, I know you've probably read this, right? But our House Resolution
9 memo allows us to also investigate the influencing factors that fomented the attack on
11 And so you've already talked about how Oath Keepers provided you security on
12 November 6th. When asked how you first met Mr. Stewart Rhodes, you said you met
13 him at a rally in November. So, of course, I'm just trying to explore this rally in
14 November that led to you talking to Mr. Rhodes for the January 6th event.
15 A It's not clear to me the nexus between Members of Congress and my First
16 Amendment right to seek redress from them and the Capitol attack or the resolution.
18 Q Are you refusing to answer the question? Are you refusing to answer the
19 question?
22 need to step out and talk with your lawyers to understand the context of how to make an
25 If we need to step out for you to have that conversation, we will. Our position is
104
4 The Witness. That helps. I didn't have -- I didn't have a Capitol rally in
5 November.
6 You just said November 18th you had a rally -- you had a rally --
8 Not in Atlanta?
10 investigation.
11 Mr. Kamenar. Okay. I think we need some clarification. What rally? What
12 date?
15 The Witness. You guys have gone back and forth between two different events
16 right now.
18 saying November --
21 January 6th rally. is asking you about November 18th, 2020, in Atlanta.
22 Is that correct?
24 On November 18th --
25 The Witness. Did I talk to any Members of Congress about Atlanta November
105
1 18th?
2 BY
5 Q Thank you.
6 A That helped. That helped. I really heard, like, two or three difference
7 questions.
10 BY
11 Q It's reported that at this event on November 18th that you said, "Who's
12 going to be ready to storm the capitol with us in a couple minutes?" Do you recall
16 A I recall being invited into the State Capitol and coordinating with police and
17 making sure that we weren't too loud as not to interrupt the work.
21 A A bunch.
24 There was a gentleman there who wanted to stage a sit-in. And I said, "No, under no
1 like that.
2 It was a viral video, because I then got attacked by White supremacists because I
3 called him a hillbilly. And, you know, I probably should have been more artful in my
4 language. But I got attacked for weeks by White nationalists and White supremacists for
6 But, anyway, I think we had a photo op. We talked to the media. I think the
7 whole -- well, I don't know how long the security process lasted. But being on the
8 capitol steps with the cooperation of Georgia State Police and Representative Vernon
9 Jones, I think that, I mean, it lasted like 10 or 15 minutes. And then we single-filed out.
10 Q Did you also in this time period -- I want to say it's November 21st -- did you
12 A I know that I went outside the governor's mansion across the street, and we
14 Q Okay.
16 Q And did you talk to Mr. -- is this when you talked to Mr. Stewart Rhodes
18 A Yes. I think we spoke for the first time -- man, actually I don't know if it
19 was this or a subsequent trip to Atlanta. Atlanta, you know, we were frequently in
20 Atlanta.
21 Q Can you go to page 1 of exhibit 26 from your production? It looks like you
22 say to Mr. Stewart Rhodes in this chat -- and the date, to be clear for the record, is
23 November 21st, 2020 -- "It's Ali Alexander. Can we meet after the governor mansion
24 op?"
25 He says, "You bet, brother. Getting my men fed, and then we'll all be there at
107
2 I'm trying to understand, what was the purpose of having the Oath Keepers go to
5 them to the governor's mansion. He then later says in this that he's going to show up.
6 We had said earlier that day at the State Capitol, we said let's go protest at night
7 at the governor's -- outside the governor's mansion, peacefully and legally. And so
8 everyone who heard my voice would have heard that. That means I don't think I had
10 Q Okay. So if I were to ask Mr. Steward Rhodes if you invited him to the
11 governor's mansion on November 21st, it's your testimony here today that he would say
12 no?
15 Q Okay. So I want to think big picture here for a second. And you've
16 mentioned that you -- Stop the Steal, I say you, but I mean Stop the Steal had thrown
17 rallies at State capitols after the election, leading up to January 6th. Was there a certain
19 A Yes. That's where the lawmakers meet. And we sought to seek a redress
20 from our government, consistent with Black Lives Matter or Second Amendment
21 supporters or whatever.
22 This happened a lot in the lockdown era. So this is just a ritual. You know, it's
23 probably been, you know, 60, 70 years Americans have been meeting at State capitols
25 And, you know, we only, fortunately, thank God, participated in peaceful and
108
1 legal, you know, redresses of our government. And we wanted State legislatures,
2 particularly, to call for special sessions. So that's why we were looking for action from
4 Q Got it. And so you said, speaking, like, lockdown. I'm assuming that's
5 COVID lockdown.
6 A Yes, sir.
7 Q Is one of those State capitol protests you're talking about like the one on
8 August 25th where protesters pushed their way past police forces in the Idaho
10 A I'm not at all familiar. This is first time I'm hearing of that.
11 Q And you aren't familiar with the December 21st protest in the Oregon State
12 Capitol during a special session where protesters went inside the capitol?
13 A I'm very familiar with that one because I publicly denounced it. I publicly
14 denounced it on Twitter. It was widely reported. This committee should, you know,
15 be aware of that. I think we've even provided documentation to this sort or a statement
18 that on Twitter. Came out very early. And I said that those people are not strategic.
19 They're not thinking about the safety of people. And it was just -- it was inappropriate.
21 Q Okay.
22 A It wasn't a Stop the Steal event. I want to go on the record with that.
23 Q And I'm going to defer t o - a f t e r I ask just the first question. But
24 for, like, this November rally at the State Capitol, how did you raise the funds to throw
1 A I gave general tweets where I was, like, you know, hey, if we needed money
2 to, like, mainly flights and hotels and food, water, security, if we were paying for them,
4 But there was no staging. You know, we just worked with the police. So we
5 didn't even need a permit there. Our permitting activities were really focused for
7 BY
9 What was the actual mechanism that you used to fundraise? So, like, I think you
10 said you did tweets. There was like a link to a donation page? Like, what was the
12 A Oh, yes, it was usually tweets to -- the fundraising platform we were using
13 was Donorbox.
14 Q Okay. Was that all you were using at the time in November, or were you
16 A Okay. So Stop the Steal starts on November 4th. And at that point I'm
17 basically alone. There's no Stop the Steal organization. There's me. And I said, "Hey,
18 if you guys want to send me personal donations, I will redistribute this and I'll buy
19 people's flights."
20 And then when we formed Stop the Steal and we provided that type of
21 documentation and finally got to move over to Donorbox, that made me feel easier,
22 because then we were doing something with some organizations, some rhythm. And
24 So, however, I collected personal donations for that. I think it was a week. It
3 Could you do it in a chronological order? Because it sounds like you were doing
4 it. When you started Stop the Steal, it changed. Like, could you tell me at
5 this -- before I was fund raising "X" way and then Stop the Steal happened. Because I got
7 A Okay.
8 Q And it would be easier if you could just timewise how were you fundraising
9 before and then at what -- like, how did it change, at what point? That would be easier
12 integrity movement and that I would borrow from my 2018 protest in Florida, in Broward
13 County.
14 And so when I was like a one-man team soliciting allies, I encouraged my existing
15 customers, clients, and donors to donate for me to do this type of stuff. And then I
16 offered activists to pay for their flights and I said we'll figure it out as we go.
17 I don't know how many weeks it lasted that we kind of had to do that, and I wasn't
18 able to phase myself out. I was on a phone call with Scott Presler and Alexander
19 Bruesewitz where I said, "I could help you guys set this up for 2 weeks, and then I'm going
20 to hand it over to you guys. I don't want anything to do with this, you know, whatever."
21 And I couldn't get out. So what we had to do instead was form an LLC so that we
22 could get a Donorbox and fund raise that way through, until we got deplatformed shortly
24 Q And so help me understand. Prior to Donorbox, when you were saying that
25 it was you or that you were trying, what was the fundraising mechanism before
111
1 Donorbox?
2 A I had links of it was, like, PayPal or other sites, and that was all, my personal
3 site. And I know there's a screenshot of that in here that is my personal site.
4 Q Okay. All right. So prior to it was the personal stuff. And then as soon
5 as you get Stop the Steal set up, the LLC is able to establish Donorbox. You use
6 Donorbox until you're deplatformed. And then after deplatforming, what are you using
7 after deplatforming?
8 A Well, that's after the 6th. I mean, that has nothing to do with the Capitol
9 attack. But we, you know, we went -- we got a credit card processing company to bill,
10 like, the back-end stuff. I mean, I'm a techie, but this is, like, above my pay grade.
11 Q And just so you know, because I don't want you to think we're asking
12 irrelevant questions, the fact that you may have been de platformed because of your
15 That's not necessarily about you. You just got deplatformed. So that's -- it's
16 just a factual -- it's not a comment. It's not a, you know, judgment. It's just the fact
17 that you got deplatformed, possibly because of your role in January 6th, maybe not.
18 I'm just curious, after you were de platformed, were you able to raise money?
20 deplatforming. I made the comment to say that donations raised after the 6th couldn't
24 BY
25 Q Yeah, it would just be helpful if you could answer the question. Were you
112
2 A Yes.
4 A Yes. Like I said, the technical details are above my pay grade. We saw the
5 credit card processor, and they built something custom. And that's on the
7 Q Okay. Great. So Stop the Steal through the website, you use a credit card
8 processor. And you're able to directly take donations through that credit card processor
9 through your website. That's perfect. I totally understand that. Appreciate it.
10
11 Q Mr. Alexander, when did you start planning the January 6th events?
12 Approximately when?
13 A I probably actually should have nailed down that date. The date I keep
15 Q Okay.
17 Q Yep. Yep.
19 Q Okay. So around December 16th, December 17th, it's fair to say you
25 Q That was like the same day you were having -- or I don't know if you were
113
2 A I --
5 Q Uh-huh.
6 A -- Arizona activist who wanted to rebrand the local "Stop the Steal" Stop the
7 Coup. As far as I'm concerned, I was there, Stop the Steal. There were some signs that
9 And it's kind of clever. It's kind of clever branding. But I just didn't think it was
10 as catchy.
11 ~ I'm sorry. Before you go on, are you going past the security
17 I'm so sorry.
19 BY
20 Q While you were planning this Stop the Steal event in Arizona, I believe in
22 Who is Ed Martin?
23 A Ed Martin is the -- I think he's a former, like, State house member, State
24 senator. I think he ran for Congress or RNC chair. I forget. But he runs a group called
1 Q Okay. And was he involved with helping you plan January 6th events?
3 Q Can you just -- was he involved with helping you book January 6th?
4 A Well, he was kind of like a mentor. I could bounce ideas off him. He's
5 been in politics longer than me and he knows some Members that I don't know and -- like
6 Senator Josh Hawley. And I don't have a personal relationship with him.
7 So, yeah, he was a guy I got to -- a sound board and then sometimes, you know,
8 we prayed together every morning. And he runs a, you know, he runs the Eagle Forum,
10 Q I want to direct you back to exhibit 26 and page 85. The reason why I'm
11 asking about Mr. Ed Martin, on this page -- and I'll just start reading it as you're flipping
12 there. It's page 85. It's before the December 19th rally, on about December 16th.
18 I know a lot of people in Alabama. I was there in 2010. I think Brooks was
19 elected in 2010. And so I just have a huge grassroots network in Alabama and
20 so--yeah.
22 The Witness. I think I was sending texts to his office number. And I definitely
23 spoke to his staff. And, you know, we were talking about a Dear -- what in politics you
25 Okay.
115
3 for legislation or a legislative fix or action by the executive or judicial branch, and they
4 write to their colleagues. And they say, "Dear Colleague, I want you to support this.
6 And it was widely reported that Representative Brooks started a Dear Colleague
7 Letter around election integrity. And when we caught wind of that, I knew that, like, we
8 need to talk to him team, because we can be helpful in lobbying Members of Congress
10 Thank you.
11 BY
15 Q Uh-huh.
18 Q I'll rephrase it then. In the leadup to January 6th, did you speak to
21 obviously ask his staff if he was available to speak. And we talked, you know, we talked
24 A It was me. They had, I think, two staffers on their end on a call.
1 A I do not recall. If there's a text message that refreshes it, that would be
2 better.
3 Q So it was a phone call. It wasn't a text message, you talked to the staffers?
4 A The staffers, I believe -- I believe it was a phone call. I know that we had a
5 phone call. If I exchanged text messages with the staff, I don't readily recall that.
6 But we definitely had a conference call, me, Ed, at least two of their staff
7 members. And they were telling us about their efforts. And we were like, oh, we can
8 probably be helpful in tweeting this, or, oh, we can be helpful in giving out phone
9 numbers, you know, to Members of Congress' offices so that people know that they need
12 A I don't recall. It would have been around when he announced the Dear
16 early -- actually -- actually, you know, I don't know when the Dear Colleague Letter came
18 Q Okay. But you spoke to, it sounds like, Congressman Brooks after the 2020
20 A Speaking to? I don't know that we "spoke" spoke. I know that I sent him
21 messages that were getting -- that I thought were getting delivered that weren't getting
22 delivered. And then I believe I got a message to him. And he sent me some boilerplate
25 interaction with the Brooks office was the call where they got to describe their actions to
117
2 Q And when you said, "He sent me some stuff," was this over email?
4 Q So how would you send somebody something if it's not over email or mail?
5 Just help me understand, what was sent to you, how was it sent to you?
7 wasn't about January 6th. It was about election integrity. And, you know, and again,
9 And they were doing it independent of me. They were doing it independent of
10 the White House. They were doing what they thought was right.
12 that was silly. What I wanted to know, I wanted to be a clearinghouse for some of this
13 information and concentrate the effort in a productive, legislative, legal, peaceful way.
14 Q How did you know they were doing it independent of the White House?
15 A Because on the call they were in over their heads. They were, you know,
16 saying -- I asked -- I think I asked, "How many Members?" Again, like, this makes me
18 But they -- they -- I asked them, I think, you know, how many Members you guys
19 have or something? We're trying to probe the political viability of the issue. And it
20 was a ridiculous answer or something like that. And I was like, "Are you guys working
21 with White House Legislative Affairs? Are you working with anybody who's, like, helping
23 And whip counting is, you know, counting the expected votes for a piece of
24 legislation.
1 appreciate it.
2 BY
3 Q What was the issue again? What was the issue that you all were
4 discussing?
6 Colleague Letter. So it will be referenced there. But I don't recall what -- everyone had
7 their own bright idea, and everyone wanted to be a star. Jody Hice wanted to be a star.
8 Ted Cruz wanted to be a star. Mo Brooks wanted to be a star. And then there were
9 team players like, you know, Paul Gosar, who was, like, "Okay, I'll sign onto anything
10 election integrity-wise."
11 Q I don't recall seeing any text messages in your production with anyone from
12 Congressman Brooks' staff. You just said it was probably over text message.
13 A I'll have to get with counsel and see what -- see if there's something
14 responsive there.
15 Q Again, were you searching for various Congressmen's names when looking
18 hired a consultant ultimately when it was in over my head, as you guys know. I had to
20 But there was such a dramatic difference between our first production and our
21 second production, because the first production was me trying to understand the House
23 Mr. Kamenar. As we said earlier, this is not a definitive, exhaustive list. We'll
24 be glad to go back and re-check. So I appreciate your pointing these out, and we'll go
2 BY
3 Q I'm just pointing out various information that would be responsive to the
6 D.C. for certification on January 6th. What was your plan for January 6th as of that
8 A I do not recall. I don't have a copy of that speech. All speeches are
10 Q No. Actually I never mentioned December 21st, but that's a great segue.
14 Q Did you call in to the meeting between President Trump and congressional
20 with Members of Congress and the President. I do know that the President hosts
22 Q So it's your testimony here today you did not know about a meeting
25 and the President in the Oval Office. Did not call in to a conference call, to my
120
1 knowledge.
2 And there were times when, you know, a Member of Congress, like
3 Representative Gosar, if he would talk, you know, to the President or met with the
5 Q Got it.
12 spent some time there -- or if I would talk to his chief of staff on the phone.
14 I'm just curious. What is your tweet, "Hoping this call changed the world?"
18 Q So your testimony here today is, looking at this tweet of you saying, "Hoping
19 this call changed the world," with the screenshot of a phone number of
23 would definitely not know what this one was. But if I tweeted about it, it was a big deal.
24 BY
25 Q__I guess that's where I'm a little confused. I don't -- and I don't profess to
121
1 remember all of your tweets. But I don't think you tweeted every time that you had a
2 call. And usually when somebody tweets, "Hoping this call changed the world" -- and
3 don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you didn't think you were changing the world
4 every day. But this seems like a big one, "Hoping this call changed the world." And
6 Take a minute and think. Can you remember what this call was?
7 A This call happened almost 12 months ago, and I honestly do not recall.
8 agree with you on it must have been significant for me to tweet it out. I am prone to
10 Q Okay.
12 Q We appreciate that.
13 A And I think you should hunt down this number and then you guys tell me
15 Actually so, Mr. Kamenar, I'm cognizant of the time. We've been
16 going for about an hour, a little over an hour and a half. Do you want to take a recess
17 now?
19 Let's take a recess, and then we'll come back. How about let's
23 [Recess.]
25
122
1 Q So I want to go back.
2 Mr. Alexander, earlier I believe you said words to the effect of Mr. Gosa r's office
3 or Mr. Gosar was the only Congressman that you had been in contact with. Then we
4 heard information just now that you had been in contact with Congressman Brooks' staff.
11 He thanked me for my peaceful protest work. I can't recall what all we said
12 except that he had mentioned that he had talked to a group of Republican Senators and
13 that he was optimistic about something. He mentioned Senator Rick Scott by name.
14 I remember being happy about that because my Stop the Steal efforts originated
18 mostly. And I think, you know, there were some of these events where me and a
19 Member of Congress spoke. Mike Kelly was at the November rally. Briefly got
21 conversation.
22 I asked at one point Ed Martin to reach out to Senator Hawley. His wife was
25 Q So I want to direct you to exhibit 26 again and text messages that you
123
1 produced and to page 86. And this goes back to the conversations that we were -- that
2 you were describing with Congressman Brooks' staff, I believe. But I'll allow you to add
3 color.
4 So on December 16th, 2020, after Mr. Ed Martin asked for Congressman Brooks'
5 number, it looks like there -- it looks like outgoing. So this is like you say to him, "Mo
6 Brooks number works." And it looks like Mr. Ed Martin says, "Great." And then it
9 A I'm unsure, but I'm really happy that we provided this document.
11 I'm sorry. Are you saying that that was a document attached to the
12 text, or you're saying that you're glad you provided the text that has that language in it?
13 Like when you say, "I'm glad we provided this document," you mean the text or --
15 - Okay.
16 BY
17 Q Why? What is this text message? "He sent me this." Who is "he"?
19 Q How come we don't see anywhere on December 16th, 2020, in your texts or
20 emails of anyone from Congressman Brooks' staff sending you this message?
21 A Well, I can say that, like, for example, right now, sitting here, I couldn't tell
22 you the first or the last names of Representative Brooks' staffers that I was on the
23 conference call with and had a substantive conversation with. And so if that evaded our
24 search, then that evaded it. But that we put -- that it is, the substance is here, you
25 know, we're happy to provide the actual record when we find it.
124
3 A I provided --
7 of 2020?
8 A Excuse me?
10 you speaking directly to Congressman Brooks. Did you speak to him in December of
11 2020?
13 text from this number, that's either him or his chief of staff or secretary.
14 Q Do you recall -- let's put verbally aside. Do you recall in a written form
16 A I'm saying that this message was either from him or his staff.
17 Q And I guess I'm trying to figure out where this message comes from, because
20 still have possession of -- I don't have possession of everything from December and
21 everything from January of last year. I don't have possession of all those things.
25 Sorry. Just for the record, someone was up against the glass.
125
4 The Witness. So the "he" is either Congressman Brooks or his staff. Sometimes
5 in politics it is the Member. Sometimes it's someone representing the Member, and
6 then someone represents that as a third party as the Member. I hope that's not
7 confusing.
10 The Witness. We provided, I think, you know, over a thousand text message. If
11 it's not in here and it exists and it's in my possession, I'm instructing my counsel to go
12 over it and look for it with our consultants and provide it?
13 B
14 Q Maybe I could ask a clarifying question. A second ago you said the
17 A I wouldn't know.
18 Q No, no, I mean just generally, like, how often do Congresspeople call you,
20 A That's a rare thing. Most stuff is delegated to staff, even if it's in the
21 Member's name, is what I'm trying to, I think, explain, and I'm not doing a good job of it.
22 Q This is my lack of political knowledge. But I've gotten the impression from
23 some of the folks I work with that it's actually a big deal when a Congressperson calls you,
25 Do you agree with that? Like is that your perception of it or in your experience?
126
1 Because, I mean, I know you're very politically active. Is it not a big deal when
5 All I'm trying to get at is for some people, because of how politically
6 involved they are, they talk to Congresspeople all the time and have them on speed dial.
8 I'm trying to gauge, where are you on that spectrum? Are you somebody who
9 talks to Congresspeople directly all the time, or is it more a rarity when you directly talk
10 to the Congressperson?
11 A It's really a mixed bag, depending on the year, whether it's an election year,
12 and then what I'm doing. Because I was leading Stop the Steal, I was one of the more
14 And, you know, what you pointed out is a real observation. And I want to
15 acknowledge it. It's not one that I agree with, but it's not one that I dismiss. And I
16 don't know how else to put this except for put it this way.
17 I've been very critical of both the Democrat and the Republican establishments.
18 In some cases I've called the Republican establishment the "Blue Blood, Bowl Cut Boys."
19 And so what's interesting is a lot of these guys go to Ivy League schools, or they'll
20 come and intern on the Hill. They'll do five internships, and I didn't have to do that.
22 of Congress, oftentimes I'm not impressed. I'm just speaking truthfully. That's why
23 I've never gone in and worked in government. Some of them are not impressive people.
24 But there are a lot of people who have a wealth status far above mine who are enamored
2 unique and it's not -- and while I was leading Stop the Steal, you know, I was just very
3 popular. It's like, you know, I was leading a cause that Members wanted to be
4 associated with.
5 So are you saying that, during that 60-day period when you were
6 leading "stop the steal," that you so frequently talked directly to Congress people that
8 The Witness. I'm not saying that. A lot of my work was at the State legislature
9 level and with bureaucrats that are either unelected or elected; it was really at the State
10 level. And there have been periods in my life, like during the birth of the Tea Party
11 movement or other things that I've done, where it's like, oh, I could talk to a dozen
12 Members in a week. And that's impressive for some people. And that's -- you know, I
14 Mr. Kamenar. I think the witness has basically described his interaction with the
15 various Congressmen when you went down the list, did you talk to this one? He said, in
17
19 Can you go to exhibit 3 for us? This is it looks like the [Link] website
20 and it looks like an advertisement for "stop the coup," the rally you are talking about in
21 Arizona, December 19th, and on it their speakers, including you, Congressman Andy
23 December 19th?
24 A Adele (ph) is the local organizer there. And so it probably would have been
25 a mixture of, like, one of these faces I don't even recognize or know who is.
128
3 election integrity and was organizing there. And I was introduced to him by
4 Congressman Gosa r's chief of staff and told he was doing good work on the ground
6 Q How did the individual on Mr. Gosa r's staff -- or actually who was the
7 individual on Mr. Gosa r's staff who introduced you to it looks like Mr. Adele (ph) Belgate
8 (ph)?
11 A Yes.
13 message?
14 A On a phone call.
15 Q On a phone call?
16 A Yeah.
17 Q And what was the nature of this phone call? Why was Mr. Van Fie in
19 A Because we were -- they were going to host a hearing, I believe, I don't know
20 if this is this date or another one, but my first physical trip out to Arizona -- again, I don't
21 know if that's December 19th or not -- was to be in support of a legislative hearing of,
22 like, Republican caucus members. And I needed people on the ground to coordinate
23 with, you know, because like, okay, I've got to get picked up from the airport. I need to
24 get signs. I need to encourage bodies there. I need to know, like, what's the situation
25 on the ground.
129
1 Q So, at this rally, do you recall saying that you'd been on the phone with State
2 legislatures and people from the White House? Do you remember making that claim
5 Q Would it be unusual for you to say that you were on the phone with State
8 Q So, on December 19th, what people from the White House were you in
9 contact with?
10 A I don't know who I was referencing. Mary -- maybe it was Garrett Ziegler.
11 Q I don't see Garrett Ziegler in any of your productions. Was it a phone call --
12 A We --
13 Q I was going to say was it a phone call, was it a text message, or was it an
14 email?
15 A I believe having the phone call with him. I don't remember receiving any
17 Q Okay.
18 A I don't remember receiving any text messages from him. And we did have I
19 think one -- one, you know, physical interaction in D.C. and, you know, small talk.
22 Q Okay.
23 Can you go back to exhibit 26 at page 81? These are text messages. So we're
24 going to move a day past December 19th. We're going to go to December 20th of 2020.
2 Exhibit 26, the text messages. And that's going to be page 81.
6 Q So you found it? In your text message, you say, "POTUS is deciding in the
7 next 24 to 48 hours if he wants to go all the way." What does "go all the way" mean?
8 A No idea. I'm talking with Alex Jones, who is prone to hyperbole, and it
10 Q I mean, just, it might be hyperbole, but what is "go all the way" in context
11 to?
12 A I have no idea.
13 Q So it's your testimony here today that, on December 20th, when you're
14 telling Mr. Alex Jones that POTUS was going to decide within the next 24 hours to go all
15 the way, you have no idea what the context of that statement was?
16 A It is my testimony that, sitting here today, 11 and a half months later, that I
17 don't know what this text means. And I don't even know who would have told me.
18 And, in context, me talking to Alex Jones, it seems kind of humorous. And I see later
19 that Alex sends me again a hyperbolic title to one of the videos he made that he wants
21 Q Did you have any contacts with anyone from the White House on December
24
25 Q Could we go back for one second. A second ago, you said it is the nature of
131
1 your relationship. I don't want to mischaracterize, but it sounds like you said, "The
2 nature of our relationship is to send hyperbolic things to each other, and then we retweet
3 them out, and we promote each other's hyperbolic things"? There is nothing illegal
5 A I think so.
7 A Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's -- he loves comedy, he's extreme. He's funny.
8 He's self-deprecating, and he uses clickbaity things. And, you know, sometimes I'll
9 venture into that territory. Most times I don't, but, clearly, you know, we have some
10 evidence in production that, you know, shows that I sometimes engage in hyperbole and
13 BY
14 Q Going back to this, or we're going past December 20th to December 21st.
15 We've asked you if you recalled a meeting with Congressional Members and President
16 Trump. You said that you do not recall that meeting, correct?
17 A Correct.
19 A I don't recall one. I don't -- today, right now, I do not recall receiving one.
20 I have -- I have volunteered in my testimony that, you know, there was some times, like,
21 for example, when Paul Gosar had a conversation with the President or the White House
22 and then, you know, it would be some big news or something like that.
23 Q Okay. But, for this specific situation, you don't recall this debrief from
24 Mr. Gosar?
25 A No, that's a very specific date, and I don't even know that he was there.
132
2 A Yeah.
3 Q Do you recall Mr. Gosar debriefing you about a meeting with the President
4 on December 21st?
6 Q Okay. You made a comment you don't even know if he was there. Can
7 you flip to exhibit 33 for us, please? So this is a December 21st tweet. And I apologize;
8 the date is not on here. But Mr. Gosar says: Great meeting today with real Donald
9 Trump and Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, my homies Andy Biggs, Rep. Mo Brooks,
10 Matt Gaetz, and others, President is resolute. We will not accept disenfranchisement of
11 80 million who cast a vote for POTUS. This sedition will be stopped.
12 You don't recall getting a debrief about this meeting that Mr. Gosar tweeted
13 about?
16 Mr. 20 -- 21st.
20 BYMR
21 Q Okay.
1 chronologically now for your planning for January 6th, just to give you an idea. Right?
2 So you have the idea around the 16th or 17th. You spoke about it at your rally on
3 December 19th. I just went through the texts with Mr. Alex Jones on the 20th. You do
5 So now we're going to move to the One Nation Under God permit. You told us
6 that Mr. Stephen Brown -- you hired him to help you do it seems like planning for the
7 January 6th. Did you tell him to file for a permit for January 6th in Washington, D.C.?
10 So why did you -- did you direct him to file the permit or apply -- do the permit
13 consultation about it, and I don't know how we decided on the name. But, like I said,
14 One Nation Under God was a coalition effort of "stop the steal," which is itself a coalition,
16 Q If I were to ask Mr. Brown whose decision it was to file the permit under One
17 Nation Under God, it's your testimony here today that you all discussed this together and
19 A That's why I hire consultants, yeah. They consult me, and then I make a
20 decision on what I'm comfortable with based off of expertise that I don't have.
21 Q So, look, I'm saying so is it your testimony here today that, if I were to ask
22 Mr. Stephen Brown whether he consulted you on filing this application under One Nation
23 Under God, his answer would be yes, right? That's your testimony?
24 A I believe so.
25 Q Okay. So the date on the application was December 21st, 2020. Why did
134
1 you file for the application on December 21st, which happens to be the same day as the
3 A We -- the horrible thing about all of this was that I announced that we are,
4 instead of doing State capitals, we're going to go to Washington, D.C., and that our voices
5 will be peacefully heard outside. That's on video. And, when the President announces
6 it -- I believe the 19th is when his tweet was -- was a Friday late afternoon, and all of the
7 permitting offices were closed. So that was stupid on my end because I either hadn't
10 And so the 21st would have been the first available date in which my consultant
11 would have had the information or the wherewithal at the time to have filed this. This
13 Q Why did you file under One Nation Under God and not under "stop the
14 steal"?
15 A Because, as I've said before is -- I even said this at the event where I
16 appeared with Representative Andy Biggs, is that "stop the steal" could not just be
17 political; it needs to be a Christian ministry as well. And that some groups didn't
18 consider themselves political; they just wanted to pray over Democrats and Republicans,
19 but they wanted to participate. They thought it was historic. And so we called it One
20 Nation Under God because we also thought, well, you know, we don't want to over
21 advertise this. And there's other events happening right by us that we want people to
22 feel comfortable going to. If you see a big fat "stop the steal" logo, then we would be
23 taking away from other people's events. I wanted to share the love.
25 A Just logistically, if the President of the United States is saying come to D.C.,
135
1 then all of those people could not attend my event. I wanted them to be able to attend
4 A One Nation Under God is a pseudonym. And, as I understand it, based off
5 what my consultant told me, is that on permits the event name and organization name
7 Q So there's no one who's in control of One Nation Under God that could give
9 A It's a -- it's more of an event name. Like, for example, I believe that I
10 participated in an anti-CCP, pro-Uyghur event, and, like, on their application, it will say
11 the event name under organization -- from my understanding when you're dealing with
12 these agencies, you know, these consultants tell you it doesn't have to be a (c)(4) or
13 (c)(3). It doesn't have to have a board of directors; it just can be an event name.
15 Can you go to exhibit 36 for me, please? This is going to be the actual
16 application you submitted. And I know everything is double sided, but go to, like, the
17 fourth physical page of exhibit 36. And box 1 says, "organization and/or spokesperson."
18 You just said it could be the event name. Where in box 1 does it say it can be the event
19 name?
20 A Well, as I just testified, that's what my consultant told me that that's a norm
21 within it. And I didn't fill out this application; my consultant did.
22 Q So, if I were to go ask Mr. Stephen Brown whether it was his decision to put
23 One Nation Under God as the organization and/or spokesperson, your testimony is that
1 up with that.
2 Q So you had some input in putting One Nation Under God as the organization
3 and/or spokeperson?
4 A Yes.
6 A I just told you what the norms are for these applications that I have not
7 seen.
10 Q So, if were to ask Mr. Stephen Brown whether he told you the norm is that
11 you could put One Nation Under God in box 1, your testimony is he would say yes?
12 A Yes. I'm not even aware that there was a box 1. I didn't see a copy of
14 Q Were you trying to keep the term "stop the steal" off the application?
15 A I'm -- I wasn't opposed to having a "stop the steal" branded event until I
16 thought we got a crappy lot. There are other patriots who have done great work that
17 deserve some of the audience. I can't fit everybody. And that was my main
19 the Christian and the Jewish groups that did not want -- you know, it is the last electorial
21 Q So, if you go to exhibit 32, and I would direct you to the second page, the
22 second physical page. These are text messages between you and Mr. Stephen Brown.
23 The --
4 Q On exhibit -- sorry. I must have misspoke. 34, I read the wrong tab, so I
5 apologize. It looks like you text Mr. Brown, "I will have the team make separate One
6 Nation Under God graphics in case the cops ask you for a copy of promo so you can deny
7 Wild Protest being totally affiliated or whatever." It looks like you're trying to hide
9 A I don't think we're trying to hide it. Again, we're trying to disperse the
10 crowd. And he had called me and said he needed to submit a graphic advertisement,
11 but also that he advised that we not -- you know, that we not -- not like over publicize
12 One Nation Under God. And so, I said, okay. I'll have it done, because either he was
13 going to have to have the graphic work done and charge me or I can get volunteers to do
14 it.
15 Q Help me understand how, on the day of January 6th, it's your testimony here
16 today that you were trying to direct everyone to Lot 8. "I want to get everyone off the
17 grounds. Need to go to Lot 8." But now you're testifying, "I wanted everyone
20 those chairs, I'm still under this stupid belief that my event can take place, that all of this
21 can be just deescalated and chilled out. By the time I ever make it to the northeast side,
22 we're just trying to get people away from the building. And so whatever you have to say
23 to get people away from the building, including "there's an alien, there's free burgers
24 over there," you have got to get people away from the building. They were
1 participating -- for whatever reason, they were ignorantly participating in being in areas
3 Q So, in the lead up to January 6th, you were trying to minimize "stop the
7 can have more people, and sometimes the cops will give you a warning, but they won't
8 just tell you to disperse without a warning. And that is what I'm aware the norms are,
10 Q But, on January 6th, you're not telling people to disperse onto various lots.
12 A I'd refer you to my answer before my last answer, which is that it happens in
13 two different sections. When I first see the conflict, and what I'm trying to do is get
14 everyone over to Lot 8 because I ignorantly believe that, even though this is a little
15 collapse of civil authority, we'll still be able to have our event. When I run into the U.S.
16 Capitol Police officer or I don't know if he was the U.S. Capitol Police or the D.C. Metro,
17 but I talked to a gentleman on the north side. He also says, "Go that way, go that way,
18 go to the east and north." So he's also -- the cop is reiterating what we've just
19 reiterated, that makes me feel good. When I crossed the corner on to the east side and
20 I am expecting a peaceful people in my stage and instead what I see is people on the
21 plaza, people on the grounds, people on the Capitol, then I realize, oh, it wasn't just the
22 west side that had essentially collapsed, but the east side had collapsed. I wasn't aware
23 of that. Then it was, like, tell people to go to Lot 8 because it is the farthest point away
25 Q Did you ever file any other permits, and let's just cabin it between November
139
1 of 2020 and January of 2021, under the name One Nation Under God?
2 A I'm unaware.
3 Q So why do it now?
6 A We had political and spiritual considerations, that's first. And the second is
7 I did want to share the love there. There were other organizers. There was an
8 anti-CCP group, there was a Defend Medical Liberty group. And these people needed
9 people and bodies, and we possibly could not fit all of them. And we had lost a third or
10 a quarter of our schedule when we moved the event at the behest of the Ellipse rally.
11 Q So it's your testimony here today that you weren't trying to mask the
14 Q It doesn't have to be in a meaningful way, just in any way. Were you trying
15 to mask "stop the steal's" involvement when you filed this permit on December 21st?
17 consultant. And I do note there was an exchange between the officer and my
18 consultant in which we disclosed that "stop the steal" and Ali Alexander involved in One
21 BY-:
22 Q Wait.
23 Mr. Alexander, I need to you look at exhibit 34. And I need you to look at the
24 second page because there are ramifications to some of your answers today. And I
25 need you to read your text, "I will have the team make separate One Nation Under God
140
1 graphics in case the cops ask you for a copy of promo so you can being deny WildProtest
2 being totally affiliated or whatever." And we're going to ask you again, was it your
3 intent to put the permit under One Nation Under God to mask WildProtest being
5 A My intent was what I have stated, which was there is a political and spiritual
7 Q I'll make it even easier, because maybe there's some confusion. Did you
8 put the permit under One Nation Under God so that, if the cops ask for a copy, the person
9 receiving this text -- let me just make sure, Nathan -- could deny that Wild Protest was
11 A That was --
12 Mr. The group chat with Mr. Nathan Martin, Mr. Stephen Brown, and
13 yourself.
19 BY-:
20 Q There is like a tweet, and then it says, "I will have the team make separate
21 One Nation under God graphics in case the cops ask you for a copy of promo so you can
23 So I will make this as clear and simple as possible, did you put the permit under
24 One Nation Under God so that, if the cops asked for a copy of the promo, they could deny
1 A The text message does not deny a relationship between Wild Protest and
2 "stop the steal." WildProtest had outdated information on it that was no longer true
3 and we could not update in time because of the, you know, the moving the events. My
4 intention was to do the right thing with the expert advice of my consultant. I do not
6 through my consultant. And I could only approve recommendations that I was given.
7 And the last consideration that I'd ask you to make is that -- is that there are a lot
8 of isolated things and, you know, that could look damning. But it is my understanding
9 from what my consultant told me and then what I've later read in congressional
10 testimony, that even if it was -- if we said, "Oh, this is "stop the steal."' and we wanted to
11 keep out the Christian groups and the Jewish groups, or we wanted all the people, that
12 they couldn't deny it, they couldn't deny the permit. So I wasn't scared of getting
14 Q My question was about this text. But you actually raise a really good point
15 that it doesn't actually say affiliated with whom. It doesn't say affiliated with "stop the
16 steal." But the next two texts say: The application's under the name One Nation
17 Under God. I also included Nathan's name on it. I kept yours off so you're below
18 anybody's radar.
19 Was there concern that the affiliation with you would be a problem and so you
22
23 Q So, if I ask Mr. Stephen Brown whether you directed him to put Mr. Nathan
24 Martin's name on the application instead of yours, your testimony is that you did not
2 Q 1asked you, if I were to ask Mr. Stephen Brown whether you directed him to
3 put Mr. Nathan Martin on the application to keep your yours off of it, he would say no?
4 A I don't recall.
5 Q You do not recall giving Mr. Nathan or Mr. Stephen Brown any directions
8 Q I'm not talking about the text message. Is it your testimony that you do not
9 recall giving Mr. Stephen Brown any directions to put Mr. Nathan Martin's name on the
12 expert consultant on this matter, and he sends me a text about it. And I acknowledge it
13 right here.
14 Ms. So it's your testimony that your consultant told you to put the permit
17 feel like we've answered this question several times, several different ways.
21 were just clarifying what they were trying to mask. I really didn't think we were going to
23 mischaracterizing, because this one I thought was a softball of it says what it says. It's
24 pretty clear they are masking. We just wanted to get what is it that you're trying -- what
25 are you afraid of the affiliation will be if the cops ask. Maybe that's the best way to ask
143
1 it.
2 BY
3 Q What was the concern -- who were you afraid the cops would think that it
5 A That's a good question, because I can't imagine what the concern would be.
6 Q I think you can; your "stop the steal," you change it to One Nation Under
7 God.
8 A We did not change it. That did not happen. That's factually incorrect.
9 Q Your organization was called "stop the steal." At the time that the permit
10 was obtained, One Nation Under God I don't believe previously existed, and then it
12 A That's the event name, which is synonymous, and this is what I am telling
13 you. My consultant says -- and my own observation and experience tells me that this is
15 event, then in line one what they put is yadda, yadda, yadda. Now, I don't it even know
16 what the applications look like the permit applications look like, and it is a working
17 process until the day of. So it's not a permit. It's an application, and there are all kinds
18 of amendments or whatever. I'm not really concerned about that. There are some
19 things that you can't do, and then there are other things that are political considerations.
20 And I'm not worried about that because to me what I have heard from my consultant
21 based off his conversations was they were aware, based off of Trump's tweet, that
23 me that based off a conversation that he had with the U.S. Capitol Police.
24 So I'm not worried that we're disguising anything. And that we are following the
1 And that is a one time, one shot -- we weren't going to continue One Nation Under God
2 after that.
3 BY MR.
5 attendees. There is a text message on page 1 of the same exhibit 34 that we've been
6 talking about where you say, "What's your say 500 people." So whose decision was it to
8 A It was based off consultation. I don't know that I ever, you know -- I was
9 told that -- I was told that these lots are allotted 50 people. If more people show up and
10 it is not a problem, there is no disbursement order. If more people show up, there is
11 either a warning or for those people to disperse and that the event itself could continue.
16 A 1 didn't talk directly to them. But my understanding is that the advice that
17 they give to anyone who is applying to the permit is that if you say for -- this is what I
18 heard, okay? This is total hearsay. But it's like if you say, "Oh, I'm going have 200
19 people," then they say, "well, you can't apply for 200 people. You can apply for 50
20 people." So we made sure that we had under 50 speakers so that we could comply.
21 And I made sure that we had a camera man so that if we had no crowd and everybody is
22 at everybody's else's event, we would still have our speakers, our camera, and we would
25 layup here. Go back to page 4 of exhibit 35. Estimated number of participants, it says
145
4 Mr. 34. No, no, 36, 36. Sorry. 36, page 4, it is your application
9 BYMR.-:
12 A That's the guidance that the U.S. Capitol Police gave everyone that they
13 talked to is what my consultant and other people told me, and I was informed of it.
14 Q Is it advice, or is it that you only can hold an event with 50 or less people?
16 Q So, again, when you put 50 down on this application, it is not the U.S. Capitol
17 Police filing this application. It is a fake entity called One Nation Under God, instead of
18 "stop the steal." Why did you make the decision to put 50 on this application?
19 A I didn't make that -- I didn't -- I didn't fill out this application. I don't have
20 the expertise to fill out this application. I don't have originating information that would
21 enable me to fill out this information. And One Nation Under God is not a fictitious
22 entity, as I've described here before. It is an event name. And that is a norm that
24 Q You just said one One Nation Under God is not an entity; it is a name of an
25 event. So it's not an entity. And I want to ask you so we're clear on the record, is it
146
1 your testimony here today that you did not direct Mr. Stephen Brown to put 50 on this
5 Q All right. So, if we ask Mr. Stephen Brown, "Did Mr. Ali Alexander tell you
6 to put 50 on the application for the number of participants," your testimony here today is
9 The Witness. Yeah. Based off my recollection, I provided with -- with how I
10 understand in hindsight that number was come up with. I have no recollection of that
11 number, you know, previously except for to say that me and the consultant had
12 conversations or the consultant had conversations with other people, and I hadn't seen
14 - I'm sorry. That first part was word salad for me. I think we got to
15 go back. Can we reread question, and then just ask him to answer it?
18 It did not just register with me. I'm so sorry. I hate to ask you to
19 do that.
21 The Witness. I apologize for making the answer more complicated than it
23 Ms.
24
25 Q Do you recall discussing the number of attendees with Mr. Stephen Brown?
147
2 remain compliant.
3 Q Ways you can remain compliant by keeping the number of attendees under
4 50, because that's what the Capitol Police policy was at that time?
5 A I don't recall.
7 minutes, please?
9 [Recess.]
148
2 BYMR.
4 Going back to exhibit 34, Mr. Alexander. The second physical page. I just want
5 to make sure we're clear. You say, quote/unquote, "One Nation Under God graphics in
6 case the cops ask for a copy of promo so you can deny WildProtest being totally affiliated
7 or whatever." In this text, "you can deny" refers to Mr. Stephen Brown, correct?
9 Q "You can deny," the "you" in "you can deny" refers to Mr. Stephen Brown?
10 Correct?
11 A I believe so.
12 Q So that Mr. Stephen Brown can deny Wild Protest being affiliated with the
18 A He's more so affiliated with me. And I think that that's why, when you said,
20 Q Let's use our common sense in the ways of the world. You hired
22 A Yes.
23 Q And he's the one communicating with the Capitol Police about this
24 application. Right?
25 A Yes.
149
1 Q So he's the one fielding questions from the U.S. Capitol Police about the
3 A Yes.
5 affiliation because he is the one speaking to the U.S. Capitol Police. Isn't he?
6 A I don't know. I think -- I think it's like a leap and a jump. And I don't
8 Q Do you recall ever texting Mr. Stephen Brown for him to put, in quotes, 50
11 Q And, since Mr. Stephen Brown is talking to the U.S. Capitol Police, if we just
12 flow down to the next message so that he can deny to the Capitol Police WildProtest's
13 affiliation, he can also deny your affiliation by putting Nathan Martin's name on there.
15 A No. I don't want my name as any point of contact for any vendor, logistics,
16 anything like that, because people calling me would slow me down. I was concerned
17 about political remedies, legal remedies, and legislative remedies. So it was a question
18 of who handles what things and who -- I handle the political things. I had consultants to
19 handle other things. And I couldn't afford to be the point of contact for the JW Marriott
21 Q So, for this, you are saying that because if he would have put your name on
22 there, you would have been the point of contact for the Capitol Police? Is that what
23 you're saying?
24 A Yes. I would have had to be able to field questions. I didn't have time to
25 field questions from anyone. And I don't have the expertise to field those questions
150
2 Q Was it Mr. Nathan Martin's expertise to field questions about the Capitol
3 permit?
5 Q So is your testimony here today that you put him, Mr. Nathan Martin, on the
6 application so he could field questions from the Capitol Police about the permit?
7 A No. That is not my testimony, and that is not what this piece of evidence
8 says.
9 Q I mean, you just said, "I didn't want to put myself on there because I didn't
10 have time to field questions. It is not my expertise," but you put Mr. Nathan Martin on
11 the application to field questions. What is Mr. Nathan Martin fielding questions for?
14 A I know.
17 Q Why did you instruct Mr. Stephen Brown to put Mr. Nathan Martin on this
18 application?
20 Q So it is your testimony here today that you did not instruct Mr. Stephen
22 A I don't have any recollection of that. And I haven't been presented with
24 Q It is a yes or no. Do you recall telling Mr. Nathan Martin -- Mr. Stephen
1 A I don't recall.
2 Q And, even though Mr. Stephen Brown says on here, "I also included Nathan's
3 name on it, I kept yours off so you are below anybody's radar," it is your testimony here
6 message to him.
9 different name on a permit. It's not a crime to necessarily keep your name off of a
10 permit. What is a crime is to sit here in front of us and lie about what happened, about
11 the facts of what happened. So, when we're looking at a text that says from you, "I will
12 have the team make separate One Nation Under God graphics in case the cops ask you
13 for a copy of promo so you can deny WildProtest being totally affiliated whatever," and I
14 ask you, did you put the permit under One Nation Under God so that you could deny
15 Wild Protest being affiliated, and your answer is "no" or "I don't recall," which we
16 cannot -- maybe put that one aside. Is your answer -- I just want a yes or no to that
17 question. Did you put the permit under One Nation Under God -- and I'm literally just
18 going to read this -- so that you could deny Wild Protest being affiliated with the event?
24 Ms. • No, no. I think he admitted that he sent the message. I asked him,
25 did he put the permit under -- did they, I will say "they," put the permit under One Nation
152
1 Under God so that they could deny WildProtest was affiliated? That seems like a very
2 straightforward --
3 Mr. Kamenar. But he's also testified why he called it One Nation Under God
7 God because he wanted to put the name of the event instead of the name of an
8 organization.
9 Mr. Kamenar. Right. And he also testified that that is common practice with
10 respect to filling out permit applications, which he did not fill out, but which his
12 BY
13 Q So I just want to confirm that. It's your testimony here today that putting
14 the event One Nation Under God the event name instead of the organization name was
15 told to you by Mr. Stephen Brown? Is that your testimony here today? Or was
16 consulted or advised or told or informed by Mr. Stephen Brown to put One Nation Under
17 God, the name of the event, instead of the name of the organization on the application?
18 A That's my recollection.
19 BYMS
21 changing names on permits. But what's not common is telling somebody, in the event
22 that you get asked by cops, you can deny an affiliation. So what I am asking you is, did
23 you put the One Nation Under God permit -- excuse me, did you put the permit under
24 One Nation Under God so -- I'm quoting from your text -- in case the cops ask, you can
25 deny WildProtest being affiliated? I'm literally just asking if you were telling the truth
153
1 when you put this text -- those are your words, aren't they?
3 Q I'm not asking if you recall. Are you sitting here today saying that is not
5 A The text says what it says. So what I'm telling you, you guys asked me to
6 give my complete answer based off of recollection, and I do not know that this text
7 represents a complete answer so that if I positively affirmed that, that that would be the
8 complete reason why the series of events happened with the permit. So that's why I'm
9 saying I do not recall. And I'm trying to be forthright. I am trying to -- maybe I add too
10 much stuff.
11 Q There's a lot of reasons why you might think it would be good for somebody
12 to be able to deny Wild Protest being affiliated. There could be a lot of reasons for that.
13 I honestly don't -- there's a myriad number of reasons. The why is separate from the
15 A Okay.
16 Q Which is, in this text, you say, "I'm having them make separate graphics,"
17 and the permit ends up under One Nation Under God. Everything is under One Nation
18 Under God, not your name, and not "stop the steal." And you say, "In case the cops ask
19 you, you can deny WildProtest being affiliated." And all I'm asking you is, was it your
20 intent to do that so this individual could deny an affiliation with WildProtest, whatever
23 Mr. Kamenar. Did we establish what WildProtest, that's in caps, is that the name
24 of a particular --
1 your WildProtest website and an event you were planning on January 6th?
2 Mr. Kamenar. Okay. I just wanted to make sure that was the name on the
3 website.
5 BYMR.-:
8 A Do I recall having a --
9 Q A phone call of some sort with Ms. Wren and Congressional Members on
10 January 3rd?
11 A If that was the -- if that was the planning call with all of the speakers, then I
12 recall that that call took place. A call with just Members and Ms. Wren, I do not recall
13 that happening.
14 Q So there was a call that happened on January 3rd with all the speakers, and
16 A Did it?
17 Q I'm asking you, did it include -- you just said, was it a call that included all the
18 speakers -- was there a call on January 3rd that included congressional speakers and Ms.
22 A I don't --- no, I recall the call taking place. I don't recall who was all in
23 attendance.
25 this call?
155
1 A I don't recall who was on the call, but myself and Caroline Wren who spoke.
2 Q Okay. Can you go to page 164 of exhibit 26? That's your text messages.
4 Q Yes. Ms. Wren says to you, "Who are the Members of Congress that were
5 on who can help lead the coalition to organize buses of their colleagues?" To clarify,
6 this is on January 3rd. And you respond, "Gosar, Lance Goodman, Lauren B, Marjorie,
7 and maybe Congressman Kelley at a minimum were on." It appears Mr. Wren loved it.
8 So I'll ask you again, do you recall Members of Congress being on a call with you
10 A I don't recall. And I think this text message, it's asking about -- it's not
12 Q So go then to page 163, the page right before it. The bottom with Ms.
13 Wren. Actually, we can start in the middle. The time of it is January 3rd around 5 p.m.
15 A Uh-huh.
17 A Uh-huh.
20 BY
21 Q Okay.
22 And then it looks like Ms. Wren says, "Great." And this is around 6:30. She
23 says: Great, everyone will be muted, but unmute yourself early. I'll credit you with
24 blah, blah, blah. Say don't bug her and say she's here to thank everyone for unity blah,
1 A Yeah.
2 Q And then, at 6:28, Ms. Wren says: Ha, ha, ha, okay, perfect.
4 At around 7:33, it appears this is after the call of some sort. I don't know if the
5 time is accurate. I don't know what the time here is. It looks like she says, "Who are
6 the Members of Congress that were on," referring or assuming the call, "who could help
7 lead the coalition," and that's when you respond, "Gosar, Lance Goodman, Lauren B,
9 A So I don't know that the call is over at this time. I do know that Caroline
10 Wren exited the call after her portion and she was at the front of that call. And I
12 Q So, as you sent the message "Gosar, Lance, Goodman," that's at 7:34. And
13 it looks likes, either 7:34, 7:35, Ms. Wren says, "Great call. Thanks." So, within a
14 minute of you saying it. So it looks like the call was over at this point.
15 A Her portion is most certainly over. I can't testify here today that I know
17 Q So let's not talk about whether her portion -- do you recall Congressmen
19 A No, I don't.
20 Q So is your testimony here today that, on January 3rd in a call, it appears with
21 Ms. Caroline Wren, that you were not on a call with Members of Congress --
23 BY
24 Q Okay. Were you on a call with Members of Congress on January 3rd with
25 Caroline Wren?
157
1 A We invited Members of Congress and/or their staffs. I don't know who was
2 in attendance, because I don't believe that there was a roll call. So I don't recall because
4 Q How did you know to send her the names of those Congressional Members?
7 BYMR.-
8 Q Mr. Alexander, I apologize; I was gone. I think your opening statement says
10 A Yes.
11 Q Okay. And so, as part of that, I imagine your effort was to try to recall the
13 A I mean, that gets into, you know, what I talked about with my attorneys.
14 Q I didn't ask about your attorneys. It is just about the fact that you were
15 trying to recall the events and the day of January 6th and the days leading up.
16 A We've done a lot of documenting. And I've tried to do some recalling, but
17 it was, you know, it's a lot of little details that people expect me to remember that I can't
19 Q And is it part of your normal course to talk with speakers before an event, I
20 imagine?
21 A Yes.
22 Q So it would be in the usual course that you would at least a day or two
23 before the event set up a call to talk about expectations for the event with the speakers?
25 Q Fair enough. But the point is they need to know what the event is going to
158
2 A Or their point person will transport them and tell them 5 minutes before
4 Q So, given that you had invited people to speak on January 6th at Lot 8, you
5 would at least acknowledge that it would have been part of your practice to set up a call
7 A Yes.
8 Q So this text message at least looks like that's what that call was, whether you
11 Q It was.
12 A Okay.
13 Q And so, when you say you don't recall who was on the call, you at least
18 understand it, and had details that I did not have about VIP this or that.
19 Q Details about what event that you did not have, because your event was Lot
20 8. Right?
21 A The Ellipse event and the Lot 8 event, so it is the day's events.
25 covered it, but were these people invited for the Ellipse, Lot 8, or both?
159
2 else is talking to a com ms director or a chief of staff or a Member, then they couldn't
6 Mr.
11 Q Okay. And that's because of the timing of the event being that it was going
13 A Yes.
14 Q Okay. So, if it -- as of January 3rd, you believed you were still organizing
16 A I was -- yeah. I was still -- I was still participating in all of that organizing,
20 A I don't recall nearly anyone else who was on this call other than me, and
21 Caroline Wren, because it was a large call. I believe that I invited all the speakers.
22 There were a lot of speakers so I wouldn't be able to do a roll call with you on who
24 Q Of the people in the text message at least, the Members who are there, who
25 are the ones who you had a connect with directly to either them or their staff? And you
160
1 can look at a text, whether you remember them or not, but go through the names. So
2 start with Paul Gosar. I think you talked about that -- him. Is that right?
3 A Yes.
4 Q So that would have been through his chief of staff Tom Van Flein?
5 A Yes.
7 A No.
8 Q Okay?
11 A Right.
12 Q And I don't see -- I mean, you've been through your texts. You don't see
16 A I don't know him personally. I don't know that we've ever spoken
17 personally.
18 Q Who within your orbit would have -- you would expect would have reached
19 out?
20 A He has a consultant.
25 A Yeah, or it might have been another party like Brushwitz (ph) to his comms
161
5 BYMR.-
6 Q All right. So then Lauren B within the text message, I read that as
8 A I think so. And I don't remember if that was a contact with Alexander or
11 A No. I don't think I've ever exchanged two words with her.
13 A Yes.
14 Q Who is that?
15 A Congresswoman Greene.
17 A I don't believe so. I know that we've, you know -- I think we've, you know,
21 Q That's fair. But you refer to her in the first name as just shorthand?
22 A Yeah.
23 Q Did you have any contact with any staffer of hers or campaign?
25 Q Understood. And then Congressman Kelly. Did you have any direct
162
4 I think that's --
8 BYMR
9 Q Were any representations made by Ms. Wren about the expectation for the
10 events from the White House or campaign perspective that you remember?
2 [3:51 p.m.]
3 BYMR.-:
4 Q What did you, at the time, understand to be the expectations for the
7 not set things in stone but to communicate because there were a lot of moving parts.
8 remember Wren talking about where the VIP entrance would be, and I don't know if she
10 BY
11 Q Okay. So moving to January 4th, right. So it's January 3rd, and now it's
12 January 4th. Do you recall speakers being changed, or being notified that speakers were
13 changed from your original list for the January 6th Ellipse rally?
14 A I don't recall.
15 Q You don't recall being told by Ms. Wren on the evening of January 4th or the
16 morning of January 5th that there was a new group of speakers that would be speaking
17 on January 6th? I'm not referring to the text messages. I'm just asking if you
18 remember.
22 4th or 5th?
23 A Caroline Wren.
24 Q And what was her -- and what was her reaction, or her mood as she was
2 Q Was she telling you someone that was making these decisions about the
4 A I can't recall.
5 Q You can't recall if it was the White House making these changes?
6 A Yeah, I can't -- I -- there were changes every day. And I can't recall a
7 specific change.
9 program that you're helping Ms. Wren with, it makes common sense that you'd want to
10 know why the changes were being made. So what was your understanding at this point
12 A That's an easy mistake to make. But it's not -- the Trump campaign is a
13 bigger fish than me. So it actually would not be common sense for me to give a rebuttal
16 A She was there as a representative of Trump World, and I was there to keep
18 Q You weren't aware if Ms. Katrina Pierson was making changes to the speaker
19 list?
21 because of Ms. Pierson's previous relationship with Women for America First and her
22 advocacy for them and things that had happened in prior events that got disrupted, that
23 there was interference going on in Trump World and that Katrina Pierson was likely a
25 Q So when you say interference going on in the Trump world, are you referring
165
1 to the Trump campaign like you say with Ms. Wren? Is that what Trump world is?
3 Q So Trump world, your testimony here today, can include the Trump
5 A Yeah, I think I'm using it in the same way that the press uses it. So it could
6 be RNC. It could be the Trump White House, it could be the Trump campaign. And it
7 could be joint fund raising committees that they have any influence over.
10 A They don't like several of us. In November, we had a call with Ms. Katrina
11 Pierson, me, and Kylie Kremer before our D.C. rally, I think November 14th, in which she
12 had tried to -- would seem like misrepresent a position in the White House. That stuck
14 Q What was she trying to misrepresent to you about the position of the White
15 House?
16 A That -- that they didn't want the term "Stop the Steal" to be used. Instead,
17 they wanted -- there was another coalition going on and they wanted -- they wanted the
19 Q So I saw text messages of that with Ms. Kylie Kremer where she was telling
20 you to stop using the term "Stop the Steal." Why was it your understanding that this
22 A Because Katrina does not work at the White House. And then when I
23 immediately confronted her that one of the President's children had recently just
24 tweeted that, and that a either -- yeah, I think an RNC official had just tweeted that, that
25 that couldn't possibly be true, that if I was kind of the last to find out, then these other
166
1 people, in a closer orbit of the President would surely be in the know. And shortly after
3 So it was strange. It was obviously untrue. When I confronted her, then she
4 said, "Oh, well, I just walked out after meeting with chairman -- Chairwoman Ronna
5 McDaniel."
6 And I don't like Ms. McDaniel. So I wouldn't follow that advice, even if the
8 Q But in this text message, it appeared like you were alluding that you knew
9 from directly from the White House that they liked the message Stop the Steal. So who
10 in the White House was telling you that they liked the term "Stop the Steal," or were you
13 Q You don't recall anyone from the White House calling you about Stop the
14 Steal in November?
15 A No. I -- what I recall is that there's RNC officials and people with the last
16 name Trump tweeting #shopthesteal, and that the President's longtime advisor, Roger
17 Stone, had come up with the term to kind of save an RNC delegate fight. So I just knew
18 it could not be true. And I've got a good read on the President usually. And, you
19 know, sometimes I'm wrong. But I've done a lot of commentary and analysis on his
21 Q So what is your view today on December 9th of 2021 of why certain speakers
22 that you were advocating for didn't end up speaking at The Ellipse on January 6th?
24 Q Just tell us what your view is. Why did your speakers not speak on
25 January 6th?
167
1 A I'm unsure, and I'm still investigating that, because it's something that
3 BY
4 Q Did Ms. Pierson call you directly at some point and tell you that you wouldn't
6 A No.
7 Q Did she ever contact you directly to tell you that your associates wouldn't be
9 A Certainly not.
11 know, the morning you walked in on January 6th was that at The Ellipse was that you
12 would be speaking.
13 A Yes, and that's why I wore suits. It was only one of four times I wore a suit
14 during the whole 60-plus day thing. It's why I showed up early. It's why I worked my
15 ass off.
16 BY MR
17 Q Do you recall recording a video where you said you were the person who
18 came up with January 6th, the January 6th idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman
23 A I think that was a synthesis based off of interactions that I've given this
24 committee that includes the Brooks staff call about the Dear Colleague Letter, Andy Biggs
25 and me talking in December, and, you know, generally me having a good relationship with
168
1 Dr. Paul Gosar, and him being very supportive of an effort that involved peacefully
2 protesting outside.
3 Q So just to continue part of that statement, you say we four schemed it up.
4 And just to make sure we're clear here: You all, the four of you never sat down or got
6 A I can definitively say that the four of us did not get on a conference call
7 together.
8 Q Okay.
10 Mr.~ Just so I -- what was the January 6th scheme? When you say that,
12 The Witness. I meant that instead of -- the general tenor was that December
13 was the last time people were going to travel to D.C., and that people were then going to
14 protest on January 6th at their State capitals, and that seemed like a wasted opportunity.
15 So when I ran the idea by Congressman Gosar and he's, like, you know, Yeah, that would
16 be a good idea, then I felt that it was a really good idea. And we wanted to primary bad
18 Mr. - You said it sounds like --you said that sounds like a good idea.
20 The Witness. Probably when I was in Arizona. We both spoke at that rally
21 on -- on -- that you pointed out in Arizona. So I don't know if it was before then or if it
23
24 The Witness. No, I don't -- I don't know if it was in person or on the phone.
25 BYMR.
169
1 Q Okay. So you're saying you talked to Dr. Gosar and said to the effect of we
5 A Yes.
6 Q Was anyone else, do you recall, a part of that conversation you had with
7 Mr. Gosar?
8 A I don't recall.
9 Q Did you ever have a conversation with Mr. Van Flein along the same lines
11 A Yes.
12 Q And he agreed it was a good idea for people to come to D.C. to protest that
13 day?
17 Q Sure. And when you talked to Mr. Gosar about this -- or Dr. Gosar,
18 apologies -- what was the plan that you talked about in terms of how the protest would
21 D.C. and that -- and it could have been that we had talked about the Capitol Grounds, but
23 And what we talked about was that there were some soft Republicans that were
24 leaning towards voting the same way that the House Freedom Caucus was voting, the
25 majority of them, and that having that many people who are your door knockers and
170
1 phone bankers and small donors, that some of those Republicans would come to our side,
3 But we'd lose, but we'd lose doing the right thing. We'd lose doing the legislative
4 remedy and that -- and that 2022 would be kind of like a Tea Party year where we primary
5 bad Republicans.
6 And I've said as much in those same speeches where I characterize coming up with
8 Q And did Mr. Gosar help you in anyway, or Dr. Gosar, with planning for your
10 A I don't know.
12 A It seems overly broad. And I don't want to, like, misstate, you know.
19 The Witness. No, I -- I -- you said -- you're asking two -- you're mixing up two
20 different things in your questions. I can attest to his support because I'm a primary
21 source to him telling me he supported it. And then I'm saying what he -- and then, you
22 know, counsel asked what did he do to potentially help? That's different, you know.
23 And I said, well, I do recall that he tweeted about it. If he did anything else, I don't
24 recall.
25 BY
171
1 Q Would he have worked with anyone else in your orbit, other than you, to
2 provide help?
3 A That would probably be a question for him because I don't recall and
4 because, like, for example, The Ellipse was a coalition event. If he was talking to
5 someone else additional, then I don't have any recollection of hearing that third-hand.
7 connection with the events of January 6th to help organize, or otherwise put that
8 together?
11 Mr. Brooks.
12 Mr -- I know if we can just hone in. So you think that was when that
14 The Witness. I remember talking to his staff around the time of the Dear
15 Colleague Letter. And then, you know, in an exchange with the committee, I provided a
16 copy of something that was either sent by Mo Brooks or his staff, or secretary. And the
17 text of that is in here, and we've said that I'm going to work with my counsel to provide a
20 received that.
22 Mr So when Mr. Brooks says he's never met you or never met or spoke
24 The Witness. I think that we met in 2010, you know, at the Tea Party years.
6 The Witness. No, this was -- the message that I sent to Ed Martin was,
7 again -- and I don't know if it was sent by him or someone, a representative of his, and
8 who had the authority to talk, you know, because of the conversation I had with his staff.
10
11 Q And then Mr. Biggs, again, can you put a finer point on that just so I
12 understand? When would that conversation about January 6th have taken place the
13 first time?
15 In fact, I don't think that we talked about the date, you know. I don't think so. And I
16 don't think you were here. But I talked about we had the Jericho march which is a
17 Judea-Christian event that Stop the Steal did in which, again, kind of like, you know, it
18 wasn't a Stop the Steal event. It was a Jericho march event that Stop the Steal was a
20 And the day after that, there was another opportunity to speak. And I found
21 myself backstage with Congressman Biggs. And he had said that he had talked to U.S.
22 Senators and conveyed, that he conveyed his optimism about whatever. And he
1 A Yes. And this Arizona event, he was supposed to appear at it. And then I
2 think he was stuck in D.C. or something like that. And I got a hold of a video, and I
4 Q But that -- but that's it in terms of when you say that you schemed together.
6 A Yeah, because, again, when I'm publicly taking credit for it, what I'm trying to
7 do is contrast the disinformation campaign from, you know, people who consider
9 And I'm synthesizing that Paul Gosar and I are thinking about the mechanics of it.
10 Andy Biggs is saying that there's juice with some soft Senators. And Mo Brooks is doing
11 this Dear Colleague Letter. The synthesis of that is that we are seeking a peaceful
12 legislative remedy that would occur on January 6th, that could legally allow the vote for
13 the certification of the electoral college, or the protest thereof, to occur at a later date, or
14 later that date or lose, and our objections are in the record.
15 Q Right. And so, you could understand, though, how someone could
16 interpret your statement that you schemed up January 6th with Representative Biggs,
18 conversation together with the three of them, and the four of you together came up with
19 the idea?
20 A I can absolutely understand that. And the first time that I -- it was
21 almost -- it was the first political, you know, nightmare scenario that I was dealing with
22 post 6th. So it's very fresh in my memory, because what happened is initially, you know,
23 very liberal Democrats took a video of mine right as I was being deplatformed, chopped
24 it, and then misreported the date, because I'm talking. You can watch the video. I'm
25 almost also talking in a past tense, and it's before January 6th.
174
1 And so to them, they think I'm confessing to admitting that me and three
3 understand that that much disinformation coming allowed a lot of people to put a lot of
5 Q Okay. So put aside the violence that happens, the words you use to say
6 that you schemed it up with the three of them would convey, to a reasonable person
7 listening, I would think, that you, together, the four of you, worked out the details, not
9 A I wouldn't say so in politics. I'd say it was a -- it's a synthesis. It's the
10 same reason why we adopt -- in our, you know, congressional body, we allow cosponsors
12 Q Sure. And cosponsors get the decision to say they sign off on that and they
15 electioneering, there's a lot of things that that go on like, Oh, I'm going to do the repeal
16 pledge or I'm going to do this type of repeal pledge or this is the Drill Here, Drill Now
17 pledge.
18 And a lot of people like to -- because I'm not an elected Member of Congress,
19 when I'm saying, Hey, if -- it would be easier for me to say we four schemed this up than
20 me saying, Well, I went to this Congressman and he said this. I went to the second one,
21 and he said this. I went to the third one. He said this. And then I came up with this
23 It's easier to say I want credit alongside these other three guys than, you know,
24 this idea took form over thought, prayer, and individualized conversations with different
25 aspects.
175
1 Q Okay.
5 Ms. • No.
8 promotion of this. How did you build awareness and excitement for the event on
9 January 6th?
10 A I don't think we had to, because the President's tweet. I don't think that
11 there's anything that I could have done to top that, or contribute to that. There's no
12 person who said, I saw an Ali tweet. I saw the Trump tweet. I'm not going. I saw the
14 Q So did you use your social media at all to promote the events on
15 January 6th?
16 A Yes.
17 Q Which social media platforms did you use to promote the events on
18 January 6th?
19 A Primarily Twitter.
20 Q Primarily Twitter?
21 A Yes.
22 Q And approximately how many followers at this time did have you on
23 Twitter?
25 Q You don't -- can you give us a ballpark -- recall how many you had around
176
1 January 6th?
4 January 6th?
6 wouldn't know.
8 A I don't recall using Parler. And if I did, it would have been a copy and paste
9 of some post on Twitter. I certainly didn't have time to put all my tweets on Parler.
10 And I didn't trust anyone with my -- well, I think there was one person with my password.
11 But, you know, I -- so, I certainly didn't have time. So if anything, it's there's some
12 copying and pasting going on but nothing unique or exclusive to Parler. Parler doesn't
13 have any direct messaging feature, I don't believe. So it really was kind of lame.
14 Q Did you utilize influencers on the social media to get the word out on
15 January 6th?
17 Q Okay. So who are these influencers that you -- that made up the Stop the
18 Steal Coalition?
20 C.J. Pearson, Alexander Bruesewitz, Rose Tennent, you know, we all had -- well, not all of
21 us that I mentioned. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned some of this, but we had large
24 A You know, if you have, like, more than -- more than 50,000 followers, you
1 Q Were you all advertising or publicizing the January 5th event in Freedom
3 A Not always. And I do know there was a graphic that mentioned the 5th and
5 Q So there were times where you were advertising the events on the 5th and
7 A Yes.
8 Q Were you asked by Women for America First to promote the event at The
9 Ellipse?
10 A No. I think I ceased contact with them in November. And -- and though
13 A It's difficult to say. The permit is under their name. It's, you know, under
15 part of it. Either we weren't a part of it and we were led to believe we were, or the
16 morning of we show up and we're disbarred. And so that's why I tried to be accurate in
17 this migrating timeline of people who either exercised decision-making power, or exerted
21 A I believe so.
22 Q Such as [Link]? Did you advertise for the events on January 5th
24 A I'm not sure, but normally what we would do with a large event is put a
2 A Not at all.
6 A Initially that was going to be our sole event, you know, for a morning event
7 that would go until whenever the voting was done. And we advertised the speakers, the
8 location. And we may -- I think we may have even done the website prior to getting the
9 permit. That's how fast things were moving. And, so, it was kind of like a precursor
13 A I don't recall. I don't recall making a unique site. I vaguely recall getting
15 Q Okay. And then what about March to Save America? Was that a website
17 A Yes, that was a website that I maintained. And, you know, I got the name
18 from Caroline Wren who said, you know, this was the branding that they were going for.
19 And then, you know, it kind of migrated. It kind of was called several things, you know.
20 But, and you guys can see based off of this and even the MOU agreement that I gave you
21 guys about the event of the 5th, you can see, I was talking with my counsel earlier today.
1 But just to say how things were moving is that that contract is either signed on 1-2
3 And like -- and I think part of the reason I'm here testifying today instead of taking
4 the stance that several other, you know, I think well-meaning people are is because I
5 want y'all to understand the timeline, because none of these other press pieces have
7 BY
8 Q Why is Ms. Wren going to you to make the website
9 [Link]?
10 A No, I got the -- we got the name from her of what we were going to call The
11 Ellipse. And we made the website, and because we were trying to figure out who makes
12 the website. I'm a guy of action. I'm, like, let's just make a website. Whether we
13 control it, whether we hand it over, whether we delete it, I need the website done.
14 Q And the March to Save America website included directions to start at The
16 A I don't recall any of the contents of that website. I know that we went, like,
17 for a different color scheme. But that's the extent to [Link], what I
18 recall of it.
19 Q Why didn't you just fold in everything that you wanted to advertise in the
20 [Link] website?
23 A It's my understanding that that's Women for America First and their
25 Q And if you all were working together on this, how come you-all didn't make a
180
1 website together?
4 BY
5 Q Wren told to you make [Link]. Did she give you money
6 to create that?
7 A She didn't tell me to make the website. She gave me the name, because I
8 know they were making a decision outside of my -- I know I gave, at some point, some
10 Q Oh, I'm sorry. A minute ago you said, "I said we should just create a
11 website," and you said, "Caroline Wren gave me the name March to Save America. Got
12 it."
13 A And I don't mean the domain name. I mean the literal phrase.
17 A Me.
18 Q How?
20 but Stop the Steal is just me. So that's what that was.
21 Q And for, I think you said Stop the Steal U.S., Wild Protest, Fight for Trump,
22 and March to Save America, did I get all your websites right?
23 A I believe so.
24 Q Okay. Because I excluded Trump March after you said that wasn't you.
25 Were all of those post-creation Stop the Steal -- remember our conversation earlier when
181
1 you said, "Oh, after Stop the Steal, I was using Donorbox"? Were you using Donorbox
3 A I believe so.
4 Q Okay.
6 Q Well, I hadn't -- from what I remember you saying, you had said after you
7 created Stop the Steal, I want to say two thousand -- when was that, November --
9 Q That's what I had in my notes. I thought you had said, after you created
12 Q Oh, okay. So, let's actually clarify that, because that's really important.
13 When we were talking about the time earlier, I thought you had said, I was using personal
14 stuff, PayPal, et cetera, to my person; and then when Stop the Steal was created, I moved
15 to Donorbox.
16 A Uh-huh.
17 Q I thought you had said Stop the Steal was created in November 2018. So I
18 thought that's when you were using Donorbox. But let's clarify. When did you stop
21 When Stop the Steal 2020 became a more organized effort that I knew was going to
22 involve other people, accountability, you know, all that other crap, that was -- we got off
23 my person as soon as we could. And so, that requires first doing an LLC, then setting up
24 something or applying for something. I think you have to get a Stripe account, connect
25 it to your Donorbox account. So there's several moving technical parts, some of which
182
1 I'm aware of and others which, you know, I may not be aware of.
2 And then as soon as we could, you know, because it's a volunteer effort, we make
3 [Link]' button, donate button, not go to my personal site where people can
4 support me or any of my friends, but instead support a broader thing where, you know,
7 So prior to Stop the Steal 2020 creation was when you were using the personal
11 A Yes.
12 Q Okay.
13 A Stop the Steal, Stop the Steal as a hashtag, Stop the Steal as an Ali Alexander
14 effort that harkened back to the themes of 2018, that was personal. That was personal.
15 When Stop the Steal got an LLC -- and I believe and we've submitted that paperwork -- we
16 began the process of moving that all over so that an organization could have that.
17 Q And I thought you said earlier all your tweets, et cetera, like, when you
18 would fundraise prior to November 2020, that was also all personal, either PayPal or
21 Q Righ
23 Q I mean just prior to 2020. You were doing fundraising, I'm assuming,
24 prior --
25 A For what?
183
1 Q Well, for your activism, with your tweets, I mean -- oh, here. Let me ask it
3 A When I have one-off projects, I fundraise it. I'm sorry. I fundraised, and it
4 really depends on what that project is. I've had a variety of clients. And then if I'm
5 doing a project under my own name, then I'll say, I'll ask people to contribute to me.
7 for that. I don't know if that was through the entity that published the documentary or
8 through my persons.
9 Q Okay. So --
10 A But there was no -- and I've seen this in this binder. I'll just leave it there.
11 Q No. I think I understand what you're saying. For these websites that I'm
12 assuming Stop the Steal U.S., Wild Protest, Fight for Trump, March to Save America, what
15 Q Right. Donorbox?
17 from 2018, then it was probably dormant. And those other sites are all in particular,
18 like, January 6th focused. So I couldn't have owned them before December 16th.
19 Q No, I know. I'm saying after you created them, what was the fund raising
21 A Donorbox.
1 fundraising. At any point did the fund raising mechanism for these websites change
5 Q And I don't think I asked you, but do you remember when that was, the
6 deplatforming?
9 A Well, January 6th is the fallout. So I would just say from January 6th to a
12 A I was eviscerated.
14 Mr. We'll go on recess now for 5 minutes. We'll come back at 4:30.
15 [Recess.]
17 BY
18 Q So. Mr. Alexander, you said before you weren't working with the Kremers
19 to plan January 6th at any point. That's correct, right? You were planning your own
20 event at -- you were planning your own event for January 6th Stop the Steal, correct?
21 A Yeah, I wasn't directly working with them. I was working with Caroline.
22 Q Okay. So then we see Caroline. When did Caroline come into the picture
24 A I'm not sure. I think the text messages reflect when she first reached out to
25 me, and then we had a subsequent phone call. And she talked about a unifying effort,
185
1 and she was very nervous because she had had poor interactions with other people. We
2 had a positive interaction. I'm a political professional. I'm not going to say no to, you
4 Q And so what people was she bringing in that she told you she was going to
6 A The Kremers -- she -- I do remember explicitly saying that, you know, like,
7 they want to bring in anybody who had been supportive and they needed help identifying
8 some of those people. And then some of the people she had already spoken to, to the
9 best of my recollection, were obviously the Kremers, Cindy Chafian. And, you know,
10 then she tossed around some other names as prospects, you know, likes Alex Jones and
12 Q Was the plan when she brought you in -- and I'll -- I'm just going to say
14 A Yes.
15 Q Coalition partners?
16 A That's fair.
17 Q When she brought in the coalition partners, was the plan to have one big
19 A When we initially talked about it, she needed my expertise on that. And
20 my advice was to do multiple events and --you know, when the decision came down, it
22 Q Why did you want to have -- why was it your advice to give -- to have
23 multiple events?
25 and other people who know D.C. better than me and all this other stuff is that it seems
186
1 logistically improbable to have an event near the Capitol with the President of the United
3 And so if we were to have an event -- and I should say in that first conversation
4 there was the possibility of the President's participation. And that's why -- I think that's
5 what kept everybody in line was, you know, if he can participate, then we better do
7 BY
8 Q Let me just stop.
9 A Yeah.
10 Q Just she was -- Ms. Wren was saying that? She was saying there was the
13 Q Okay. And what did she explain about that and why he was interested in
15 A I can't recall. I just remember that being the significant, exciting detail.
19 A No. I think I loosely heard her name because I, again, spent some time in
20 Alabama politics years ago. And -- and then I know I looked her up real quick.
22 A I don't recall.
23 Q Had she talked to Mr. Stone before she talked to you? Do you know?
24 A I don't recall.
25 Q Do you know whether she had talked to Mr. Jones, Alex Jones?
187
1 A Before me?
2 Q Yes.
6 Q Okay. But you knew who she was when you got the message.
9 A No.
11 A Yes.
12 BYMR.
13 Q Were you expecting a text from Ms. Caroline Wren at this time?
15 Q Uh-huh.
17 Q So no one had given you a heads-up that a random person in Trump world
19 A It's possible.
21 A It's possible, but I don't recall anybody giving me the heads-up on that. But
22 it's possible that I would have heard rumblings. But I don't -- I don't -- specifically
24 Q Do you recall the President tweeting you, and then Arthur Schwartz getting
25 Dan or someone else the POTUS access to un-retweet you? Do you recall that?
188
1 A I recall the President's account retweeting me, and I recall that tweet
2 disappearing.
5 not sure how you would characterize his services. And he did a lot of work with Don, Jr.,
7 Q And in that, "Dan" would refer I assume to Mr. Dan Scavino in the text? So
8 the text, to be clear, is in exhibit 26 at page 102 is where you say this.
9 A In 102?
10 Q Yes. I'm just want to make sure that when it says Arthur Schwartz got Dan,
13 Q Yes.
14 A This sounds like it's me speculating on who the possible -- because, you
15 know, it's been widely reported that Trump has access to his Twitter account and Dan has
16 access to his Twitter account. So I relied on public reporting for that. And I -- and I
17 actually I've seen Dan use Trump's account for it. So I --1 was trying to figure out who
18 lobbied and who did it, or if that was the same person. And I know that Arthur Schwartz
19 hated my guts.
22 A When?
1 Q Okay.
2 A I don't believe I went to the White House at all during Stop the Steal.
4 Q When planning for January 6th with Ms. Wren, when you were talking to
5 her, was the coalition partners responsible for fund raising on their own?
6 A No. Not for -- no -- let me clarify. Not for The Ellipse events.
8 A I have no idea.
9 Q How did the fund raising for the Wild Protest event?
13 Q Approximately how much money did you raise for the Wild Protest event?
14 A I don't recall. I have seen an image floating around on the internet, and
15 what I can't figure out is if that figure is for everything that we raised for the website on
16 Stop the Steal, or during a period or for just that cause, because I don't have access to be
18 Q Did you receive funds for any of your -- did Stop the Steal receive funds from
20 A I'll think about that, so that I can try to drum up something if there is
21 something.
22 BYMR-
23 Q Why did you go out of your way to stay away from the White House during
25 A I was doing something very unconventional, and I didn't want to play White
190
1 House politics. And I thought it would be a weird or bad look if I disagreed -- there are
2 several times when I publicly disagreed with the White House. And when you do that, I
3 think you want to distance and you want your independence. You don't want someone
4 to be able to call you and tell what you to do, and conversely you also don't want to be
6 And so I -- they weren't paying me. So whenever I'm talking to a State legislator
7 or someone, and saying this is the political fallout, I don't want anyone to think President
8 Trump told this kid to come up and threaten me. I didn't want that to be perceived.
9 So I made sure I didn't go to the White House Christmas party, you know, or anything like
10 that.
12 A No. But what happens is the White House throws several White House
13 Christmas parties, and it's the last one. So if I wanted an invite, I could have got one.
14 Q You referred to Dan Scavino as Dan, by his first name. Do you know him?
16 publicly and privately, and then publicly, I've disagreed with some of his techniques.
17 Q When what are the private interactions you've had with him?
18 A It's documented I went to the White House and I believe it's 2019 for a social
19 media summit, and I was in a room with a lot of people. And Dan was there, and I
20 walked in late. And he said, Hey, Ali. And it was very positive. And there was a
21 gentleman who had been blocked, I guess accidentally, by the President's account. And
23 Q Okay. But did you ever have any other interaction with Dan Scavino other
25 A I think the other ones just, you know, remain public, you know.
191
2 A I forgot. He -- Trump or the White House or Dan did something that ticked
3 a lot of people off in my community. And, again, this isn't, I don't think, pertinent to
4 January 6th at all. But this was years ago. And he -- so we started a campaign to block
6 Q Okay.
8 Q So the last time you've actually spoken to Dan Scavino was in 2019.
9 A I believe so.
16 Q So when you say you went out of your way to stay away from the White
17 House, did you have anyone in the White House who could have invited you in to come
18 by at that time?
19 A Anyone of any influence can get a ticket at the -- for a White House
20 Christmas party.
21 Q Okay.
23 Q But no one in particular that you had a connection with in the White House.
25 Q Was it your perception that President Trump knew who you were?
192
1 A President Trump, when we, the few times that we've seen each other, you
2 know, on campaign rallies and I'll be in a VIP backstage thing or something, you know, we
3 exchange pleasantries, because we had our first positive interaction back in 2014.
4 Q All right. So is that a yes? It's your impression he knows who you are?
6 Q And, in fact, I think you've told many people publicly that he referred to you
8 A Frequently.
12 Ms. - He -- okay.
14 Ms.
15
16 Q When's the last time you saw him and interacted with him in that way in
17 person?
18 A I can't recall. I can't recall the date. I think it was a rally in Minneapolis.
19 Q Preelection?
20 A Yeah, certainly.
24 A Yeah.
1 A No, I don't know that it was. I mean, it's clearly after he was in the White
3 Q All right.
5 Q And did Ms. Wren in that first phone call -- she's saying the President's going
6 to speak on the 6th. Did she say who she was working with from Trump world on the
7 event?
8 A No, she -- I just for clarification, she didn't say that Trump was --
9 Q Possibility.
10 A Yeah, possibility.
11 Q Yes.
12 A And, no, I -- you know, again, you know, I saw her and introduced her on
13 that conference call that we all talked about earlier as like the -- with Caroline Wren with
15 Q Did she -- okay. Did she ever relay to you at any point between that first
16 call and January 6th who, if anyone, she was working with within Trump world on
18 A She mentioned passing, you know, she mentioned passing conversations like
19 with Kimberly Guilfoyle and, you know, Oh, I'm talking to Charlie Kirk, and stuff like that.
21 Q Did she ever convey to you that she had spoken to President Trump about
22 the events?
24 Q Did she ever convey to you that she talked to Don, Jr., the President's son,
2 BY
3 Q Going back to receiving funds, did Stop the Steal organize buses in various
7 A I think it was my understanding that it was ran through Turning Point USA.
8 That was my understanding. And they needed more bodies, and Stop the Stea l's just a
9 very popular brand. And, so, if Stop the Steal said, Hey, you know, there's a bus
10 available, it's easier than one of these groups that look more established.
11 Q Who --
13 Ms- No,no.
14 BY
15 Q Who put you in contact with Turning Point USA to organize the buses?
16 A Caroline Wren.
17 Q And who did she put you in contact with at Turning Point USA?
18 A Well, she just mentioned -- I know Charlie and I know Tyler. And so, you
19 know, she had mentioned this stuff needs to run through Tyler, and I believe I partnered
20 Nathan with Tyler and said I have no time for this. I'm focused on the Georgia run-off.
21 You guys do this. And where I could, I helped. And where I could, I amplified appeared
22 tweeted and tweeted out bus routes and stuff like that.
24 A I think Bower.
25 Q Bower.
195
1 And so it seems like it was Mr. Martin largely running this bus operation for Stop
3 A I would say that we acted as an endorser and an amplifier. And it was hard
4 to call it, you know, Stop the Steal's bus effort. But we definitely wanted to natively
5 market it that way to our audience so that they would feel comfortable participating.
6 Q Did Stop the Steal pay for the bus fees up front, or did Turning Point USA pay
7 for them?
8 A I don't think we paid for the bus fees up front. I think -- and I don't know.
9 We may have even got one independent bus, but I'm not sure that that ever went
11 Q So you're not aware of Mr. Martin maybe being reimbursed by Turning Point
13 A Yeah, I'm not sure how that all logistically finally finalized.
15 BY-:
16 Q No. I just -- it sounds like you're saying that to the extent that buses were
17 paid for with the exception of one possible one that you may have had for Stop the Steal,
18 your involvement in the buses was basically to advertise Turning Point's offering of the
19 bus.
20 A Yes. And that included -- we made our own landing page on Stop the Steal.
21 And we tried to rally, sometimes very unsuccessfully, tried to rally interest in some cities
22 that didn't materialize. But if there was a city that materialized, that would get handed
24 Q And I guess you kind of just said it. But in terms of the mechanics of, if you
25 were signing people up in interest for the buses, was it like a list that you then passed on
196
1 to Turning Point for them to organize the bus? Like what was the -- I mean, let me
2 rephrase. What was kind of the mechanism for getting people to sign up and then
5 Q Okay.
6 A And then there being an error in a form and me trying to involve myself in it,
7 getting frustrated, and saying this is stupid. I don't want to be involved and saying you
8 guys fix it. So there's, like, a web form problem. I don't know if the list got exported
9 and sent to them, or if we emailed them and said go to this location at this time. I don't
11 Q When you say you tweet or you emailed somebody "you guys fix it," are you
15 A Volunteers.
16 Q Okay.
17 BY
18 Q You said earlier that when you started planning your event on January 6th,
19 you were not working with the Kremers. Did you do an event with the Kremers in
21 A Yes.
22 Q Can you -- so were you all cosponsors? What was the relationship like in
24 A I believe so.
1 A Well, it wasn't supposed to be -- it's not -- it's tough, man. I don't think it's
2 called that.
3 Q Okay.
4 A Okay. My understanding is that it's called the Stop the Steal rally.
5 Q Okay.
6 A Now what happened is -- and my text messages reflect this -- is they lobbied
7 me to say let's take Stop the Steal to Washington, D.C. I was very skeptical that we
8 could pull off something like that. We have no funding, no nothing, no nothing. And
9 I'm telling people to go to D.C. in it was either a week's notice or two weeks' notice.
11 And Amy said, Ali, we've been through the permit process. Have you?
13 And they said, Okay. Well, we'll handle it for you. It will be you event. You
15 What happened is that they, I think, I think amended an existing permit that they
16 had for January. I guess they were going to, like, protest -- participate in the
17 inauguration that they had preelection day. And they amended it for whatever. There
18 was -- I don't know what was going on and the event slowly got hijacked to the point
21 plugged the broader coalition, which had a retweet agreement and an agreement that we
22 not put our own independent logos on things, that we would be kicked off an event that
23 was ours. And so, the crowd's understanding was that it was a Stop the Steal event.
24 It's advertised, and its permit probably says Trump March or something silly.
25 Q So the speakers that spoke at that event were Stop the Steal speakers?
198
1 A Not all of them. I got some of my guys in, and a majority of it was theirs.
2 And then at the Supreme Court they had an event. So they marched over to the
3 Supreme Court and then did a -- an event. And I think, you know, maybe one of those
4 people is affiliated with Stop the Steal and the rest were them.
5 Q So when you say they did an event, did Women for America First have an
7 A Yes.
8 Q -- or did Stop -- okay. So Stop The Steal did not have the event at the
9 Supreme Court?
11 Q Did you all coordinate the November 14th event with anyone from the
12 Trump campaign?
14 Q And did you all coordinate the event with -- I think you've been using the
15 term together but I want to make sure -- with the White House? Did anyone from the
22 A Not at all.
23 Q And you said that you didn't have any money or the two weeks' notice.
24 How did you all raise money for the event on November 14th?
25 A Tweeting.
199
1 Q And how did the money actually come in though? How it was donated to
2 you?
3 A Through Donorbox.
5 A Yeah, I believe so, unless that aligns with my, you know, personal website.
6 But I think we were trying to get away from that as soon as possible, yeah, so.
7 Q Did you and Women for America First have an agreement that they would
9 A No. Because they, after I let them -- after I had authorized them to get a
10 permit on behalf of Stop the Steal, they started ghosting us, claimed that someone had
11 died in the family, proceeded to get into fights. And then it was a big question of, well,
12 how is everything getting paid for if you're not asking me to raise the money or transfer
14 So what I should clarify and say is Stop the Steal funds for November 14th were
15 mainly used for travel expenses. We didn't pay for the staging. We didn't pay for any
16 of that other stuff, Porta Potties. And, you know, so we didn't have an agreement.
18 BY-:
19 Q Real quick. I wanted to go back because it sounds like you said if it wasn't
20 my personal website. Did you -- you had a personal website for fund raising, or maybe I
21 misunderstood.
22 A That we've talked about before. So [Link]. The first part is Stop
23 the Steal where it's basically, I'm a one-man show, recruiting people into it. And my
24 existing customers and my existing donors are mainly donating to me, but then some
25 people who see my tweets, and some of my friends are recommending that people
200
1 donate to me so I can pay for their flights. That's that first part of November, and I don't
4 you're -- when you were talking about prior to Stop the Steal is my personal fundraising,
6 A Yes.
8 A Yeah, there's a PayPal -- I think there's a PayPal's and a couple other links.
9 But PayPal's the one -- I think I know that there was a link to PayPal.
10 Q Okay. And other than PayPal, do you remember any of the other links on
11 there or --
12 A No.
14 A I -- I wouldn't be certain. I just know that there was -- there was -- this site
15 was mainly a content locker for my customers. There are people who can't afford my
17 And so some people like to pay over the top. So that's why all that information
18 had already been listed for, you know, a year or 2 years. And so when everyone's, like,
19 Ali needs to start Stop the Steal, my donors and my customers are, like, start Stop the
20 Steal. We'll give you money to buy flights and stuff for people. I'm, like, okay.
21 So, like, I'm the first donor to Stop the Steal. My customers are the second
22 donors to Stop the Steal. My friends who want to participate, their audiences are the
23 nexus for donating to Stop the Steal. And that's when I said, okay. Well if my friends
24 are recommending their readers to me that don't follow me, this even we need to
2 personal stuff prior to Stop the Steal in November 2020. Then you create the entity.
3 At that point you start the Donorbox. Everything fund raised in November under Stop
6 at 1:00 p.m. Immediately start pointing people to my personal site. It isn't until
8 Q Oh, okay. You create Stop the Steal, and for that brief period of time from
9 the 4th to the 7th you're still putting people to [Link] for fundraising because
11 A Right.
12 Q Then on the 7th, you get the LLC. You set up Donorbox, Stripe, et cetera,
2 [4:54 p.m.]
5 At that point, you set up the Donorbox, Stripe, et cetera, and now it's going
7 The Witness. Yes. And I don't know how many days that process takes,
10
11 Q At this rally in November, the November the 14th rally, did you engage with
15 A They -- I'm trying to think who recommended them to me. I don't know if
16 it was Tracy Beanz, B-e-a-n-z, or -- and Tracy with a y -- or if it was someone else.
17 And someone said, "Do we have security?" So speakers started asking about
18 security. I'm thinking, again, how can we raise this money? You know, I was like,
19 we're buying people's flights. We're buying hotels. I don't want to stay at the Willard.
20 Everyone's staying at the Willard. This is, okay, you guys are going to have to, like, you
22 And so then we started worrying about security. And so I think it was -- it was
23 either Tracy who recommended them, or someone said that Tracy had used them in the
24 past.
25 Anyway, I was like, okay. And I don't know who set up a call or how I reached
203
1 out, but they just said it was their vision to protect the First Amendment. A lot of them
2 are ex-Special Forces or a pay grade above, like, the regular dudes. And so then they
3 were involved.
8 A For the Stop the Steal Coalition, not Women for America First, who had
9 basically taken the position that they were going to occupy my permit.
10 Q So did you coordinate with Mr. Robert Patrick Lewis for the security?
11 A I actually think what happened is I tasked Nathan with coordinating with Rob
13 Q Okay. And what services or expertise did you think that the First
16 circles is just moving you through a large crowd. So it's you with supporters, but to be
17 prepared, if somebody comes and assaults you, to exit you from that situation.
18 Q So why did you use the Oath Keepers in January, but use the First
20 A I stopped using 1AP, is what they're short for, in -- shortly, I think -- I think
22 Q And that's around the time Mr. Rhodes reached out to you, correct, with
1 A I think that they became -- it was weird. I think that there was some
2 logistical conflict or whatever, because the agreement with them was, if you tweet out
3 their link, you don't have to pay them. And so we tweeted out their link, but then I
4 heard through the grapevine that they weren't happy with me. And I'm like, "Tell me
6 And so some conflict happened somewhere down the chain of command between
7 my folks and their folks. When I reached out to try to figure out what it was, I got
9 And so then, like, for example, I went to Lansing, Michigan, because the
10 Republican electors were meeting, and we wanted to support them, or something like
12 So then I either called or had someone else call Stewart Rhodes and said, "Do you
13 have a guy up there?" And then there was a veteran who met us at the Lansing site.
14 Q And so it sounds like you didn't pay the First Amendment Praetorians for the
16 A Yeah. I don't know if we made a donation or not. It's very possible that
17 we made a donation on top of tweeting out their links, but the agreement was tweet out
22 Q Do you recall a conversation where you told Ms. Amy Kremer that
23 Congressman Mike Kelly is taken care of, they don't want to be annoyed with multiple
24 points of contact? And I'm assuming that's because you were the point of contact?
1 Q Gotcha. Okay.
2 A -- who was part of Stop the Steal Coalition, and she was not a fan of the
3 Kremers.
4 Q Okay.
6 BY
7 Q Did you go up to the Supreme Court after the event at Freedom Plaza?
8 A I did walk, or march, whatever, over from Freedom Plaza to the Supreme
9 Court after the series of Stop the Steal speeches were done.
10 Q And you talked about earlier this morning what the security posture around
11 the Capitol looked like on that day, in November. Do you remember just generally --
12 A In November?
13 Q Yeah. In November --
15 Q Yeah. As you walked past. Because you contrasted the 6th, if you
16 remember earlier, about where the barricades were further out, I think, compared to the
17 times in November --
18 A Oh, no. I'm sorry. I was talking about the city's barricades.
19 Q Oh.
22 A Yeah.
24 Any reason particular reason that you know of that people organized at the
1 A It's a popular place to organize. The second fact is that you don't -- there is
3 And it's something that they had done before. And so the Kremers had done
4 something, you know, for Justice Barrett, and their last, you know, little rah-rah was at
5 the Supreme Court. So I think that they wanted to kind of relive some of that.
6 A lot of people love that shot. I've never -- I had never previously, you know,
8 Q And is the upshot of November that that's it for you working with the
9 Kremers?
10 A Yes.
11 Q All right.
12 BY-:
14 It sounds like you said there was some problem with the First Amendment
15 Praetorians where -- but did you ever figure out or have conversations like, "What
16 happened there?"
17 A No. And still to this day I'm wondering why two -- who -- where did the
19 And they were extremely professional. They were extremely on point. And I
20 was trying to figure out how they were just giving all these services, I don't want to say
21 for free, because we were very popular people tweeting out their link, so we raised them
23 Q How did you know that you raised them a lot of money? Did you have
2 A Not at all?
3 Q Was it GiveSendGo?
5 Q RallyPay?
8 A Yeah.
9 Q If it --
10 A I'm sorry.
12 And you said you might have made a donation to the First Amendment
13 Praetorians. Would you have done that, or would Nathan have done that?
14 A I don't recall.
16 A With my money?
18 A No.
23 trying to be supportive or whatever, that that is something I have frequently done with
25 Q If you had done that, would you have personally done that, or would Stop
208
2 A My guess is that I personally would have done that. That's my guess, and
4 Q And, sorry, just to tie a bow on that, you went to working with the Oath
5 Keepers because you never got -- you never heard back from First Amendment
6 Praetorians?
8 with them.
10 hired my own security. When I went back to Atlanta, I don't know who we used. In
13 promise that they could provide people everywhere, but, really, that just kind of fell
14 short. And I only have secondhand knowledge of that, because, again, those are other
15 details.
16 It's like, if Ali is going somewhere, somebody around me would say, "Go find him
17 security," and we stopped using 1AP. Oath Keepers sometimes was unresponsive or
19 BYMR.-:
23 A Yes, I do.
25 A I had never invited him to an event, I believe, and -- but he -- you know, we
209
2 You know, a lot of people run into each other. I do know Atlanta, for example,
3 one of the days -- one of the smaller days -- I gave him a shout-out. He was standing -- I
4 saw him standing on the sidelines, and I could tell he wanted a shout-out. If I didn't give
5 him a shout-out, then, you know, there might be, "Oh, Ali is being a megalomaniac" or
6 something, and I didn't want that. So I gave him a shout-out, and -- yeah.
7 Q Okay. So you never -- it's your testimony that you never, like, reached out
8 to the Proud Boys for them to provide event or personal security for you?
10 December where I was walking, and the Proud Boys asked if I wanted an escort. And I
12 Q Okay.
13 Ms. - How do you find these security teams? Like, you said you go to a
14 city, you're looking for them. I think you mentioned you found someone in Chicago.
16 The Witness. Just google security firms, and a lot of police officers don't make
17 enough money at their day job, so they will moonlight as security officers or bouncers.
18 And the good thing about professional security is they don't ask you your politics.
19 You don't know if they agree with you or not. And so I know that I've had several, you
20 know, security members where I don't know their political beliefs, and I don't know that
23 The Witness. No. I've described how I best recollect finding 1AP.
24 Ms. Oh, okay. I apologize. That's just my bad memory if that was on
25 the record.
210
1 BYMR.
2 Q So I believe you said the upshot of the November 14th event was you were
4 A That's correct.
5 Q So on the December 12th rally -- I believe this was the Jericho March, right?
6 A Yes.
7 Q Who were you -- who did this event? Who did Stop the Steal do this event
8 with?
10 America First was still doing something elsewhere, and we did -- and that was with the
12 Q Okay. And who was in charge of the Jericho March Christian-based group
14 A A gentleman named Rob -- and I can't remember his last name -- and a lovely
15 woman named Arina. And I think her last name starts with a G. It might be Arina --
16 Q Is it Grossu?
18 Q Okay. And for the December 12th rally, the Jericho March, did you help
20 A Yes.
21 Q Okay. Did you have more creative control over the speaker list for that
22 march?
23 A Yes.
24 Q Did you coordinate the speakers through, like, the Trump campaign at all?
25 A No.
211
1 Q And did you talk to the White House about any of the speakers for the
2 Jericho March?
4 Q Did you coordinate with Members of Congress to be speakers for the Jericho
5 March?
6 A I think we would have definitely reached out. And in talking with you right
7 now, I can't recall anyone who was on stage that was a Member -- that was an elected
8 Member. And I --
10 A Oh, I definitely would have reached out to Congressman Gosar. You know,
11 I've tweeted that he's my spirit animal -- or he was the movement's spirit animal. But I
12 think he was out of town, so I don't think he -- so I don't recall any Members -- elected
13 Members. And it was broadcasted nationally, so I don't think it would be hard to figure
14 out who the speakers were. But I don't remember any Members of Congress speaking.
15 Q And did you, for this march -- it was on The National Mall. Did you all
17 A I don't believe so. The term Jericho March is a Biblical term, and it deals
18 with the whole religious thing that -- event that happened that was a literal march.
19 So I understand that early, early in the morning, they had marched around the
20 Supreme Court, I believe, and that was way too early for my participation. But the event
21 didn't break up and then walk somewhere or march somewhere or anything like that.
24 Q But you weren't at the Supreme Court or the Capitol the night of
25 December --
212
1 A I don't believe so. I might have walked over to Supreme Court, but I don't
4 A My guess is that there could have been one, you know, because there's all
7 A No.
8 Q Okay.
9 A Not to -- no.
10 Q How did you and the Jericho March, how did you all fund raise for the
12 A That was weird. Again, it was like Stop the Steal needed to fundraise
13 money for travel for our people, hotels for our people, expenses for our people.
14 And then we also helped Jericho March fund raise. And they had a link on their
16 fundraise by making -- because they -- again, Stop the Steal is a popular brand, and not a
18 Q When you say "our people," do you mean the speakers that you coordinated
20 A I mean the influencers that associate themselves with the Stop the Steal
21 movement.
23 A Yes.
24 Q Okay.
25 Ms Real quick. That was December 12th, after you had created Stop the
213
1 Steal. So to the extent that you were fundraising for that, would it have gone through
4 Ms. Okay.
6 BY
7 Q Were you aware -- or you remember President Trump flying over the
9 A I do.
10 Q Did you have any advance notice that that was going to happen?
11 A I think it's weird. It's like I'm trying to figure out how I would have heard
12 that, or if someone heard it and then told me, because then I started telling everybody.
13 And so, yeah, I definitely was spreading the word around and backstage prior to
16 A Yes.
18 A Yes.
19 Q Do you recall around what time you became aware that President Trump
20 was going to fly over in Marine One? Was it morning? Early afternoon? Do you
21 know when?
25 remember being super excited. I remember General Mike Flynn was speaking on our
214
1 stage. And so I think I found out contemporaneously during his long speech.
2 Q Okay.
3 BYMR.
4 Q Were you a witness personally to any of the what I'll call the drama between
5 the Kremers and Alex Jones around December, just yes or no?
11 Q Okay.
13 Mr.- Yeah.
15 Ms- Uh-huh.
18 Mr.- Yeah. I was just going to -- just to square it off -- you tell me if
20 BYMR.-
21 Q Did we -- we saw I think a tweet around December 16th where you said Stop
23 Does that timing sound about right, before the President said the "wild" protest?
24 A Yes.
25 Q Okay. And the Kremers, also that same day, said they were coming back to
215
3 Q No.
5 Q So when the President released or did the wild protest, did you have any
7 A No.
8 Q Okay. And, afterwards, did you ever hear from someone whether -- when
9 he tweeted on the 19th for the wild protest -- whether he was referring to Stop the Steal
11 A I assumed just until this moment that it could only be Stop the Steal,
12 because I was -- literally everyone was going to capitals, and I had had a conversation -- a
13 direct conversation with, you know, Paul Gosar. And so I just figured the President had
15 Q And that's the coalition broadly, or you in particular and the people you
16 were with?
17 A The Stop the Steal Coalition and the influencers that I mentioned that, you
19 Q Okay. And then, you know, understand how Ms. Wren comes onto the
20 scene. She texted you, and you had that conversation. And just in brief, it sounds like
21 it was just a continuing conversation trying to work out how the coalition will work
22 together for all of these events on the 5th and 6th. Is that fair?
24 Q All right. And in terms of the working dynamic, again, just so I know, you
25 weren't communicating with the Kremers. You were going through Caroline Wren.
216
1 A Yes.
2 Q And that's a reflection of what had happened back in November at that first
3 event?
4 A Yes.
5 Q And the plan -- we talked about right when we started the deposition about
6 how you walked, marched, whatever you want to call it, from the Ellipse to the Capitol,
7 and that when it actually happened you were with Alex Jones and Owen Shroyer. Am I
8 right?
9 A [Nonverbal response.]
10 Q When did you come to know that you were going to make that movement,
11 walk with them, those two particular men? Was it just the morning of January 6th, or
12 had that always been the plan, that the three of you together would walk up there?
14 Q Okay.
15 A I don't know when there was a plan. I wouldn't even call it a plan. The
16 idea that Roger Stone, myself, and Alex Jones would go at the end of Trump's speech and
17 position ourselves at the front of the overflow crowd and figuring out how logistically that
18 worked so we didn't have to go out the same exit as everybody was something that
19 Caroline Wren first proposed to me -- don't know when -- and I thought, okay, cool idea.
22 Q Okay. And did you ever talk with Mr. Jones about this before the morning
23 of the 6th, this plan to march or walk, whatever you call it?
1 A It's possible.
2 Q Is Mr. Jones someone you would speak to on the phone, only in person, or
4 A Yeah, I would speak on the phone. I appeared on his show a few times.
5 could call a security guard if I couldn't get ahold of his head of security. I could call if I
10 And so what do you remember before January 6th about Mr. Jones telling you, if
11 you do remember anything, about walking from the Ellipse to the Capitol? Do you
13 A No.
14 Q All right. So you've never heard it from his lips to you that he spoke with
15 someone in the White House or Trump about him walking from the Ellipse to the Capitol?
17 Q Okay. Now, are you aware that he said publicly that that happened, that
18 he had -- that he was told by Trump to walk from the Capitol -- from the Ellipse to the
19 Capitol?
20 A I'm not aware of that. Alex is prone to exaggeration and/or could have
23 publicly that he was told, whether by Trump or the White House, that he was going to
24 lead or be a part of leading the walk from the Ellipse to the Capitol. Are you aware that
1 A I believe so.
2 Q All right. Did he ever talk to you about that before January 6th, what his
3 thoughts or what his beliefs were about what was going to happen in terms of that
4 march?
6 Q So whether anybody -- whether Trump or the White House told him that he
8 A Again, I think this was an idea, as best that I understood it, that originated
9 with Caroline, pinged off me, I said okay, and then was given to Alex and Roger, if it was
10 given to them at all. I could have given -- I could have talked to them about it.
14 A Yeah. And I don't know what the play by play of all of that was.
15 Q Was it your understanding that Mr. Jones, from what you observed, that on
16 the morning of January 6th thought that he was going to be speaking that day?
17 A Yes.
219
2 BYMS.
4 A Yes.
5 Q And did you have any conversations with her about the events on
8 Q When you say, like, main organizer, what do you mean? Like, how would
10 A You know, she -- she took care of all the vendors. And I, again, provided
11 the committee with documentation showing an agreement between Stop the Steal; her
12 group, 80 Percent Coalition; and a pastoral group called, I think, called Peaceably
13 Assemble, and we divided the stage times up, but essentially, Cindy was the head honcho.
14 You know, the permit was under her name. And -- and then I believe the Trump
15 campaign was represented for all of our blocks by Katrina Pierson and some other people
18 A Well, I know we had to pay our own bill, so the Stop the Steal portion of -- of
19 our -- of our -- of our thing, we paid for. And, you know, Cindy made reference to a
20 donor, a client. Maybe she said client and not donor. I'm not -- I'm not really sure,
21 but -- but -- and then Alex had teamed up with her to make sure that Alex would have
22 speaking time.
23 This is separate from any conversations about -- brokering a deal about the Ellipse,
24 because I've read press reports that people were given the 5th as a consolation prize.
1 Q So just to make sure. Did you produce records regarding your payments
3 A I believe so.
4 Q -- paid for? Okay. I'm just asking, because I haven't seen it.
5 And it's your understanding that Cindy had a donor or a client, but do you know
7 A I -- I -- I don't know definitively who it is. I have seen press reports recently
8 of who it may be, but I did not know at the time, and I did not ask.
9 Q Okay. And it's your understanding that Alex Jones also paid for events on
10 the 5th?
11 A Yes. And -- yeah. That -- that was what he said, actually, is what I should
15 Q You don't know her. Were you -- was her name mentioned to you by
16 anyone?
17 A If -- I don't believe so. I don't believe so, but, if it was, it would have been
18 in passing. I know that I, you know, didn't probe, haven't done a call to my knowledge
19 with her. I haven't done a call with someone where I -- where she may have secretly
20 been on the phone call that I'm aware of. I've stayed away from all of that.
21 We did small-dollar fundraising on Twitter using DonorBox, and I paid for my crap,
23 Ms- Okay.
1 [Recess.]
3 BYMS. •
4 Q If we can turn really quickly to Exhibit 26, and if we could turn to page 113.
5 I think it's the big text string. There is a text in the middle of the page to Ed Martin, and
6 it looks like -- I believe this is Mr. Alexander. You say, can you check to see if we had a
8 A His group, the Eagle Forum, was acting as a sponsor for collecting Stop the
9 Steal funds that could be appropriated for that use, and so, all of that money, you know,
13 Q Okay.
17 Earlier, when we were talking about the deplatforming, I want to be clear there,
18 what I'm talking about isn't Twitter or social media. I'm talking about when we were
19 talking about, like, the payment processors. I think you said donations couldn't be
20 processed.
23 on line, I didn't read most of the emails that were coming in. I've watched these type of
24 campaigns go on before, and, you know, they're partisan, so some organizations will send
25 you an email, and then others won't. And some will make it up in their terms of service,
222
1 and then some will create a new policy and then implement it.
2 Q But you believe there may have been emails from the platforms to you
4 A Some of them.
5 Q Okay.
6 A Like, I know, for example, I believe that YouTube did. You know, what
7 you'll do is you'll get -- I went from zero strikes to three strikes in an hour, and it was a
10 A No.
11 Q -- content?
13 Q No. I'm sorry. What I mean is if you were de platformed from content,
14 from posting -- I'm asking about, like, the fundraising deplatform. So were you
17 Q Okay.
19 Q Did you ever have any conversations verbally -- I -- not emails, with any of
21 A I don't remember.
23 January 6th?
24 A Yes.
1 A It was a Christian -- it was a Christian site. DonorBox had cut us off, but
2 Stripe had not, and so my -- your Stripe -- you know what Stripe is? Yeah. Okay. So I
4 Q And did you ever have any issues with GiveSendGo in terms of them
5 deplatforming you?
7 they've -- they've either come up with a secondary process that I haven't used, or they
9 Q Okay. So, when you lost your Stripe account, you couldn't raise funds, but
10 you could still stay on there and get, like, the prayers and, like, the --
11 A Yep.
17 Q Were you using -- so was there a time period where you were on
20 Q During that time, were the funds from Stripe going to you personally, or just
22 A I think I -- I think I lost two Stripe accounts, one for Stop the Steal, and one
23 for myself.
24 Q Okay. At some point -- and I'm not sure when -- let me check -- you started
1 There was a ways to donate, and I actually don't -- this may have been as
2 of -- sometime right after January 6th. I think you said that the payment processors had
3 cut you off from receiving money, and you would only be able to accept cryptocurrency?
6 Q There was a -- I think a ways to donate link that included Bitcoin, Litecoin,
7 Ether, Money Button, PayPal, Cash App, and an Amazon Wish List.
12 locker was, where, if my existing customers and people who liked my content wanted to
15 A Yeah.
18 Did you -- would you have been the person to process these -- the -- your personal
19 donations to the [Link] website, or did anybody else process the funds that
20 were donated?
21 A I don't know. I'm actually really horrible with -- with all of that stuff. My
22 intention was to just provide optionality for people. Most of the time, they don't use it.
23 Q Did you ever collect any funds raised from the cryptocurrency?
25 Q Uh-huh.
225
2 Q Did you ever end up using any exchanges at all for -- related to
3 cryptocurrency?
5 Q So that would have been just like personal financial activity to the extent
10 Q Do you have any idea how much money Stop the Steal has raised since it was
13 didn't even discover that our bank account at SunTrust was shut down. So I found that
14 out a few weeks -- well, 4 or 5 weeks ago. And I was told that it was shut down
16 And so, you know, it survived the FBI investigation and didn't survive this
17 committee's investigation.
18 Q Do you have any -- do you have any cold storage wallets, paper wallets, or
20 A I don't know. I know that I, like, have, like, really outdated, like, ledger USB
21 things, and -- and I've never used it. I may have had like a friend set it up for me. But,
22 you know, I can't -- I can't recall past that. I buy a lot of little gadgets, you know.
23 think I bought this thing called Everykey once that John McAfee came up with, and
25 Q When you say these "sit and collect dust," so you're not using them?
226
1 A Certainly not actively. And, if I would have used it, then I wouldn't have
2 recalled using it. It's -- seems like a risky endeavor, like -- and I'm scared to screw it up.
3 And so, you know, sometimes -- you know, it's like something I want to sit down and take
5 Q Well, I guess let me ask: To the extent that any of the funds were raised
6 when you were using these links for crypto, where did that go, or who was administering
9 January 6th, or anything like that raised crypto. I know that -- again, after I'm
10 deplatformed and you read that message that, you know, I guess is from me, that's not
11 Stop the Steal-related. I'm not raising money for election integrity or politics, I was
13 Q So, after the events on January 6th, are you raising money for Stop the Steal,
14 LLC?
15 A After January 6th? I believe that we tried to or attempted to, but we've
16 run into problems with SMS sending or email sending, and I'm not sure. I don't want to
17 speak out churn. We could have gone through multiple credit card processors. I'm
18 not sure. And so, you know, it -- it's all kind of like a blurry line. Yeah, it's all kind
20 Q When you were deplatformed from the payment processors, what made you
21 turn to cryptocurrency?
22 A Well, I -- like I said, personally, I, you know, have been a big fan of crypto
23 for -- for years, and -- and so, you know, if you can't -- if you can't process in, you know,
24 cash or credit card or whatever, then all you have is, you know, crypto.
25 And there are a lot of people around the country who were concerned about my
227
1 safety. I was concerned about my safety, and I obviously wasn't working, and so, you
2 know -- you know, people say, Oh, you know, do you have this? Do you have that?
3 And a lot of times the people who say that don't do anything for you. They're like, you
4 better have a -- like I hate Ethereum, and everybody was like, you better have a, you
5 know, Ether Wallet, and I'm just like, you know, what am I going to do with it?
6 Q Did you ever have any crypto other than Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ether?
9 A Related to Stop the Steal, no. I don't believe so. Not at all.
10 Q Personally?
11 A Personally? I may have, but most of that list would have to be a no.
12 Q I think earlier you said that Stop the Steal was at SunTrust, and they shut you
13 down in October. Was that the only bank that you ever used for Stop the Steal funds?
17 Q Okay. Who was responsible for tracking the accounting for Stop the Steal,
18 LLC?
20 M r . - No.
21 The Witness. Unfortunately, like, no, we were moving too fast, so it's something
22 that falls under -- under my purview, and -- but oftentimes, like, if Stop the Steal couldn't
23 do something, then I would say, Okay, well, I'll loan the money, or I'll pay for this,
24 and -- and, you know, like small things, like, you know, posters or an Uber ride or
1 And so -- because we didn't have like multiple cards floating around. It was more
2 like, you know, like just get flights, get hotels, get signs, keep moving, you know, faster
3 than we could.
4 BY
5 Q And I apologize. I have not seen your production, but did you produce the
8 like that. I don't have access to any -- I never got mailed a statement -- a monthly
10 with SunTrust, which is -- which was the piece of paper that I had, and yeah.
11 Q Am I -- you didn't have access to the SunTrust bank account for Stop the
16 Q But you had access before October, right? You were on the account?
20 opened it up, and there -- you know, there is not a SunTrust in Texas, so that's why I
21 didn't have immediate access. I didn't have an online login, and why I was in the dark.
22 BYMR.
24 apologies if you talked about this, but I don't think so. Have you had interactions with
1 A The only interactions that I've had with the FBI in relation to January 6 has
3 Q So -- okay. But I'm just asking the question -- not privileged. Just have
8 The Witness. No, I've -- I have not been interviewed by the FBI in connection to
10 BY MR.
12 A No.
13 Q No. Have you provided any information about January 6th to law
16 counsel to, you know, give or not give the FBI, but I myself have never --
17 Q And the reason I'm asking is you brought it up. Is it your understanding
18 that the FBI requested certain things from you, or did they execute a search warrant?
20 harassed or targeted by the FBI, and I was also placed on a -- not the no-fly list, but the
21 SSSS list, so the secondary selective screening, something. It's mandatory selective
22 screening.
23 And I'm trying to think what else. And then I'm aware of -- you know, because of
24 reporting of threat tags that have been assigned to people like me and the FBl's, you
1 Q So whatever your counsel has done with law enforcement has been in the
2 context of these -- it sounds like restrictions placed on you, or tags on you. Is that what
4 A No. I mean, additionally, you know, my counsel had -- the counsel who is
5 not here --
6 Q Yeah.
10 Mr. Kamenar. I'm going to have to object to that, because that calls for
11 speculation and --
12 Mr. Just what's been told. Not speculation. Whether they -- and it's
13 common practice, or can be for DOJ to say whether someone is a target, to convey it to
15 Mr. Kamenar. Well, again, I think he's talking about conversations with his
16 counsel who is not here, but, you know, target's a specific term --
17 Mr. It is.
22 The Witness. I'd really not -- I'd like not to speculate on it.
23
1 statement, targeted in the Ali term. But what you guys are talking about is why I defer
2 to counsel and let counsel talk to the FBI, because that's above my pay grade.
3 Q All right. Okay. I think we're clear. Just the point is, to your knowledge,
4 you haven't been told that you're being charged by the government or they're looking to
5 charge you?
6 A Correct.
9 BY-:
11
12 A Uh-huh.
14 A Yes.
16 A And that's a personal non-Stop the Steal, non- election integrity, non-Jan
18 Q So what do you take donations for for that? When you say GiveSendGo has
19 disabled my ability to take donations for the time being, you're hoping to get it restored,
20 Bitcoin, Money Button, I'm out of options, Christ is king, what are those donations for?
22 I said, when I, like, made a documentary on a Member of Congress, and -- and then, you
23 know, people just like love me as a public figure. This goes back 10 years -- 10-plus
24 years. People, you know, all across the country just, you know, like me and want, you
1 It's not -- it predates Stop the Steal. It's not related to Stop the Steal. Money
2 Button was not created after Stop the Steal. And they ultimately shut down my account
5 A Bit Burner?
6 Q Uh-huh.
7 A Nope.
10 Q Okay.
11 A I play with a lot of products and stuff, and, you know, test a lot of things, but
14 BYMR.
16 this morning, you claimed that you demand nonviolence at your events, didn't you,
18 A I do.
19 Q And, during that opening statement, you also claimed that you demand
21 A That is correct.
22 Q And you also -- I think the third thing you claimed was that you demand
24 A I -- yes.
1 you said, We've got to punch the left -- and I quote -- "We've got to punch the left in the
3 How does this statement -- explain how this statement does not encourage
4 violence?
6 Periscope account to authenticate this. It actually sounds like a play on words from
7 Representative Maxine Waters, or Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that I'm playing with.
8 Q And, on December 19th -- you talked about the rally in Arizona earlier today.
9 You said to that crowd, We don't throw bricks. Not yet. Oh, yes, not yet.
10 So, again, is it still your testimony here today that you don't advocate for
11 nonviolence?
13 right there.
14 Q Okay. And, at this same rally, you said, We will not go quietly. We will
16 A Yes.
17 Q So saying we will shut this country down if we have to is not advocating for
18 violence?
20 parting away from the system. This is a phrase that I actually borrowed from
21 like -- there is groups out there on the left, like, by any means necessary or stuff like that,
22 and so it's just a tool of rhetoric, and it's talking about economic activity.
24 earlier -- you tweeted 1776, right? So, for you, the election had been stolen, so it was
25 time for the people to respond. And, in 1776, being the year that our country declared
234
3 War rather than to a peaceful movement, such as the civil rights movement.
4 So, Mr. Alexander, I want to go back to the text that we talked about earlier from
5 Ms. Wren. It was at 12:59 on January 6, where she said, I think you should leave.
7 She didn't say us. She didn't say the movement. She didn't say Stop the Steal
8 or Women for America First. She said you. After receiving that text, show me where
9 you responded back asking why this attack on the Capitol would come back on you hard.
13 A She was a friend who was concerned about me in a direct text to me.
14 Q And, in fact, after she sent you that text, you left the Capitol complex, didn't
15 you, afterwards?
17 Q And you made the [Link] web page blank, didn't you?
19 between our peaceful demonstration and the peaceful Lot 8 with anything that was going
23 A I believe so, for the same reason that we didn't want to be confused with the
24 violent actors.
25 Q And so that brings us back to the point, right? Why didn't you push back
235
1 on Ms. Wren's assertion that this would come down on you hard?
3 Q It's because you knew she was right, right? You knew that --
4 A No.
5 Q -- some portion of this attack on the Capitol would come back to you,
6 because, for the previous 3 months and leading up to January 6, you had advocated for a
7 revolutionary war? You had tweeted 1776, and that message came to fruition on
9 A No.
10
11
12
14 M r - Fine. Good.
16 Ms.-No.
19 With that, we will go into a recess at -- the time being 5:49 p.m. eastern time.
21 M r . - Thank you.
1 Certificate of Deponent/Interviewee
4 I have read the foregoing _ _ pages, which contain the correct transcript of the
10 Witness Name
11
12
13
14 Date
15
Coordination involved various communications and adjustments among participants leading up to January 6th. This included significant changes to speaker lists, logistical details from contacts like Caroline Wren, and ongoing adjustments based on expectations from the White House and other influential figures in Trump world. The final arrangements were fluid, influenced by many dynamic factors and constant updates .
Permits for 'Stop the Steal' events posed challenges such as naming conventions and transparency. The use of an event name like 'One Nation Under God' instead of an organizational name was directed by a consultant and deemed standard practice. However, this practice faced scrutiny, with questions arising about whether this was done to obscure affiliations with WildProtest .
Stephen Brown served as a consultant who advised on and handled the practical aspects of organizing 'Stop the Steal' events, including permit applications. He suggested naming conventions such as using 'One Nation Under God' as an event name and played a pivotal role in ensuring these administrative processes adhered to perceived norms despite controversial interpretations of their purpose .
Initially using personal platforms like alialexander.org and PayPal for fundraising posed implications of personal accountability and transparency. This informal approach required transitioning to formal platforms like Donorbox for accountability as 'Stop the Steal' expanded. It marked a shift from personal activism to an organized effort requiring a structure that could support more rigorous operational and financial scrutiny .
Discussions of potential high-profile speakers, including the possibility of President Trump's participation, significantly impacted event planning. These prospects influenced decisions, fostered anticipation, and structured operational plans, although they remained uncertain until the event. The strategic communication of such possibilities played a pivotal role in framing the event’s significance and managing expectations of participants .
Initially, fundraising for 'Stop the Steal' was conducted personally via alialexander.org, utilizing existing customers through platforms like PayPal. As the movement organized, it transitioned to using Donorbox to formalize financial operations, allowing for broader accountability and the involvement of several people .
Previous interactions with the Oath Keepers, deemed professional in limited experiences, did not lead to their sole reliance for security on January 6th. The preference for bonded and layered security emphasized professional standards and highlighted complexities like absent expected roles. The actual participation of such groups was minimal and not crucial to the event's security strategy .
The individual distinguished between peaceful protesters, who were on the grass and peacefully assembled, and those who committed acts of vandalism and violence. They emphasized the importance of fair legal treatment, asserting it was unfair to lump all participants together as violent criminals, advocating for each person to have their day in court .
The individual expressed concerns about being unfairly associated with violent actors through media reporting, comparing the phenomenon to political strategies used against public figures like Barack Obama and Donald Trump. These concerns were coupled with fears of being involved in a so-called 'denouncement game' which could be manipulated by media narratives .
The Oath Keepers were mentioned as potential security personnel for the January 6th event. Although described as professional in previous experiences, they were not trusted solely for security due to the multi-layered security approach and preference for bonded services. Furthermore, logistical issues such as the absence of a rope line on Capitol grounds meant their role as a limiting force in certain areas was not fulfilled as planned .