Before the deadly pro-Trump riots in Washington, D.C., several Republican Party organizations used Facebook to post a flyer that called for “Operation Occupy the Capitol” and promoted the hashtag “1776Rebel.” Facebook has been a cesspool of pro-Trump insurrectionist activity.
NBC’s Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny previously reported on an “Operation Occupy the Capitol” flyer appearing “on Instagram and Facebook in December” and wrote that “that call to arms is just one of the many warning signs on extremist sites and mainstream social media platforms that extremism experts say were easy to spot but ultimately disregarded by law enforcement in the runup to Wednesday's riot at the Capitol.”
The flyer is connected to a group called MAGA Drag The Interstate, which has organized pro-Trump events across the country.
Media Matters previously reported that several Republican Party organizations -- including the Texas state GOP and county parties in California, Oklahoma, and Texas -- promoted a QAnon-themed flyer connected to that group in September. QAnon supporter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) promoted the MAGA Drag The Interstate website on October 23.
Media Matters found that several Republican Party organizations promoted the pro-insurrectionist flyer -- which encouraged people to head to Washington, D.C., or their local state capitol -- on Facebook.
The Benton County Central Committee in Oregon:
