Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • PolitiFact California
  • State Government
  •  

High-Ranking California Republican Lawmaker Pushes Misinformation About Storming of U.S. Capitol

  •  Chris Nichols 
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 | Sacramento, CA
AP Photo/John Minchillo

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington.

AP Photo/John Minchillo

If Your Time Is Short: 

  • California Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove falsely claimed antifa was to blame for the riots at the U.S. Capitol. 
  • Video and photographs from the scene show people wearing and waving Trump-branded paraphernalia and flags. 
  • Reporters covering the events described the crowd as Trump supporters. The crowd also included supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to reporters present.
  • Grove deleted the tweet shortly after posting it.

One of California’s highest-ranking Republican leaders baselessly pinned Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol on antifa, despite overwhelming video evidence showing it was supporters of President Trump who broke into the building in Washington, D.C.

“Patriots don’t act like this !!! This was Antifa,” Sen. Shannon Grove wrote in a Tweet, which has since been deleted. 

Grove is from Bakersfield and is the state Senate Republican Leader.

 

Grove’s post, which was live on Twitter for only a few moments approximately, cited a separate tweet and photo from attorney and Trump supporter Lin Wood. He claimed two men in the photo are affiliated with antifa, a loosely affiliated group of far-left anti-fascism activists.

The problem? One of the men was quickly identified by journalists who track far-right extremism as a neo-Nazi.

Similar groundless claims about antifa appeared on Facebook and in pro-Trump media, including from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) who tweeted "ANTIFA fascists in backwards MAGA hats," suggesting that some members of the violent mob were not supporters of the president.

But video and photographs from the scene show people wearing and waving Trump-branded paraphernalia and flags. Reporters covering the events described the crowd as Trump supporters. The crowd also included supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to reporters present.

Trump spoke to a rally of supporters in Washington hours before the violence erupted, and he urged them to come to the city on Jan. 6 and back his efforts to overturn the election. 

Grove’s spokesperson declined an interview request and cited a follow-up tweet by the senator, which reads: “This is unacceptable. America guarantees the freedom of speech and to protest, but this is not the way to settle differences. Enough.” 

We rated Grove’s tweet about antifa Pants On Fire. 

PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.

Source List

Image of deleted tweet by Sen. Shannon Grove, Jan. 6, 2021

PolitiFact, A day of crisis at the US Capitol, fact-checked, Jan. 6, 2021

PBS News, WATCH LIVE: Protesters breach U.S. Capitol building during Congress count of Electoral College votes, Jan. 6, 2021

Associated Press, images from U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021

Will Sommer, Daily Beast reporter, tweet, Jan. 6, 2021

Igor Bobic, HuffPost reporter, tweet, Jan. 6, 2021

Robert Evans, investigative journalist, tweet, Jan. 6, 2021

Anna Merlan, senior staff writer at Vice, tweet, Jan. 6, 2021


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    More about Election 2020

  • Election 2020: Latest Results And Updates

    See all of CapRadio's coverage of the 2020 Election, including our guide to voting, explainers for all 12 statewide ballot measures and fact-checks on election misinformation.

 Election 2020Trump Insurrection

Chris Nichols

PolitiFact California Reporter

For the past dozen years, Chris Nichols has worked as a government and politics reporter at newspapers across California.  Read Full Bio 

 @christhejourno Email Chris Nichols

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

One dead, 4 injured in Downtown Sacramento shooting

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

One dead, 4 injured in Downtown Sacramento shooting

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.