On Thursday, former Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio was convicted on seditious conspiracy charges for helping orchestrate an attack on our nation’s Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The Proud Boys’ ties to the Republican Party are not a secret. The GOP has courted far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and enjoyed the support of militia groups and white supremacist groups. This makes sense, since the Republican Party and white supremacist groups share a similar base.*
Tarrio’s three-month trial included the very real possibility that top Republican figures such as twice-impeached former President Donald Trump might end up being compelled to testify. And while Trump never did testify in Tarrio’s or other Proud Boys’ sedition trials, the public at large chose Tarrio’s conviction as a time to celebrate some justice while reminding everyone who was supporting these Proud Boys over the past few years.
*At least according to former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke.
RELATED STORY: Ex-Proud Boys leader Tarrio guilty of Jan. 6 sedition plot