Some Texans didn’t need to furiously refresh their Twitter feeds or switch on the news to experience the riotous chaos of the violent and deadly January 6 Insurrection, which took place three years ago today.
Over 80 Texans have been arrested for taking part in the terrorist attack — but we know the Texas-sized influence on January 6 goes beyond those facing criminal consequences.
A slew of Texas politicians and public figures incited the violence by questioning the validity of 2020’s free and fair election (Paxton, Abbott, and beyond), filing undemocratic lawsuits to overturn the election results (Paxton again), saying we should “throw out” all votes in battleground states (Abbott), refusing to certify the election (Cruz), or they were in Washington D.C. that day — either at the pro-Trump rally that preceded the attack or at the Capitol during the riot itself.
Here’s who they are:
- Julie Pickren, Texas State Board of Education Member – Boasted on social media about singing ‘God Bless America’ as rioters forced their way into the Capitol building
- Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General – Filed a lawsuit to overturn the election, spoke at the Pro-Trump rally on the National Mall right before the Capitol insurrection, defied a court order to release communication records from Jan. 6
- Angela Paxton, Texas Senator – Joined husband Ken Paxton at the Pro-Trump rally preceding the deadly riot
- Greg Abbott, Texas Governor – Supported Paxton’s lawsuit, saying all votes in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia should be thrown out
- Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator – Refused to certify the election results in Arizona and conspired with fellow GOP members to overturn the results through various legal maneuvers
- Louie Gohmert, former U.S. Representative from East Texas – strategized with fellow GOP members to overturn the election results, told Newsmax viewers to “go to the streets and be as violent as Antifa,” and asked President Trump for a pardon following Jan. 6
- Stephen Balch, advisory panelist for recent Texas schools social studies adoption – co-wrote an essay with Trump’s lawyer John Eastman pushing conspiracy theories and called Biden’s win a “literal coup”
Except for Rep. Gohmert, everyone named above still holds their positions of power representing Texas following January 6. Pickren, who was serving as a local school board trustee in Alvin ISD at the time, has been given statewide control over what Texas kids learn — and more importantly, what they don’t — as a State Board of Education Member. Ken Paxton has survived a scandalous impeachment. Angela Paxton co-authored a bill just this year that seeks to ban lifesaving gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. Governor Abbott is attempting to defy federal law by enforcing an unconstitutional immigration policy.
We voted, and just because they didn’t like our choice, they made every attempt to strip us of our power and subject the American people to authoritarian rule.
Texas Freedom Network has been defending democracy before and after January 6. Our fight has never been more vital as we head into the 2024 election year.
We deserve leaders who believe in freedom and democracy, respect the will of the people, and work to expand our rights instead of chipping away at them. Use your voting power in 2024. Make sure you’re registered and get all of the information you need to be a voter at tfn.org/vote!
