If Washington DC had been a place of “peace and calm” on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump ally Peter Navarro would have executed a “perfect plan,” he says – and that has had some accusing him of having tried to thwart the election.
In an interview with the Daily Beast, published on Monday, Navarro said he had “100 congressmen, including some senators” ready to protest the certification of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump continues to claim was rigged in President Joe Biden’s favor, though there has been no official proof of the widespread fraud to which he’s referred.
Lawmakers and Trump supporters Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Representative Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) did “exactly what was expected of them” on January 6 by bringing forth objections to the certification of Arizona’s ballots, he said.
“It was a perfect plan. And it was all predicated on peace and calm on Capitol Hill. We didn’t even need any protesters, because we had over 100 congressmen committed to it,” he said.
According to The Beast, Navarro acknowledged his plan did not have concrete legal standing, but the intention was to push the clock as long as possible to increase pressure on then-Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the certification.
The goal of this plan, called the Green Bay Sweep, was to televise addresses by congressmen repeatedly pointing out alleged flaws in the election, leading to 24-hour coverage.
Navarro’s strategy has prompted outrage from Trump critics, with many presenting his comments as proof of allegations that the former president helped coordinate what became the Capitol riot. The House committee is currently investigating the claims, with many of their subpoenas being protested or ignored by Trump allies, including by Navarro.
“They’re saying what the January 6 plan was out loud,” pundit Amanda Carpenter tweeted.
Former MSNBC host and outspoken Trump critic Keith Olbermann similarly claimed Navarro’s statements were further proof “it is no longer a question of their testimony.”
Navarro has spoken about this plan in the past, saying it was a strategy put together with fellow former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Polling suggests a significant proportion of Trump supporters are of the view that the last election was illegitimate. Results of a University of Massachusetts Amherst poll published on Tuesday showed a third of respondents believe it was fraudulent, and that number jumps to 71% among Republicans. Similar numbers believe Pence should have prevented the certification of the election results, with 62% of Republicans saying he should have challenged Biden’s victory, and 37% of respondents overall agreeing with that statement.