Proud Boys Reportedly Planned on Occupying Capitol Hill, Supreme Court on Jan. 6

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The far-right group Proud Boys reportedly planned to occupy Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court on Jan. 6.

The New York Times reported on Monday about a nine-page “1776 Returns” document that had a multifaceted plan – Infiltrate, Execution, Distract, Occupy and Sit-In – for Jan. 6, when the U.S. Capitol was attacked as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s presidential electoral victory. The plan, according to the Times, citing sources familiar with it, sought to have “at least 50 people” take over “six House and Senate office buildings and the Supreme Court.”

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was arrested earlier this month in connection with Jan. 6.

According to the Times:

Prosecutors have not accused Mr. Tarrio of using the document to guide the actions of the Proud Boys who played a central role in the Capitol attack. Nor do the charges against him offer any evidence that he shared the document with his five co-defendants: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Charles Donohoeand Dominic Pezzola.

But the document could help explain why prosecutors chose to charge Mr. Tarrio with conspiracy, even though he was not at the Capitol during the attack. And it appears to be the first time that prosecutors have sought to use evidence of a specific written plan to storm and occupy government buildings in their wide-ranging investigation into the attack and what led up to it.