These 16 Republican congressmembers helped Trump try to overturn the 2020 election

More than a dozen Republican members of Congress were directly involved in lobbying for and orchestrating what Jan. 6 committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has called “an attempted coup” to keep then-President Donald Trump in power, according to the panel’s findings and public accounts.

It’s one of the most alarming revelations to be drawn from the mountains of evidence compiled by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, which is scheduled to hold its seventh hearing Thursday evening. Far from being bystanders, congressional members including Reps. Scott Perry (R-Penn.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) were deeply involved in planning and coordinating efforts to keep Trump in office, the committee has said.

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The lawmakers allegedly collaborated in private meetings with Trump on strategies to stay in power despite losing the election. They variously helped plan and promote Trump’s Ellipse rally on the sixth, and some spoke at the event, according to the committee and news accounts. In public, they amplified bogus vote fraud concerns, while in private they attempted to orchestrate floor votes to deny certification to electors from several states and worked to present alternate slates of electors to Vice President Mike Pence, according to public accounts and committee findings.

According to the committee, at the center of those efforts were at least 11 current Republican members of Congress. Mostly purported members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, the members met in the White House on Dec. 21, 2020, to discuss overturning the results of the presidential election, the panel has reported. Following the meeting, Trump began public and private efforts to weaponize the Department of Justice in a last-ditch effort to stay in power, treating the lawmakers as close allies in his plan.

“Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen,” Trump instructed Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen and his top deputy, Richard Donoghue, in a Dec. 27, 2020, White House phone call intended to spur DOJ officials to paint state election results as tainted, according to testimony and contemporaneous notes.

In notes on a Dec. 27, 2020 meeting with Trump, former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue wrote: “just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.” — In notes on a Dec. 27, 2020, call with Donald Trump, Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue wrote: “just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.”

Ultimately, a total of 147 Republican members of Congress — 139 in the House and eight in the Senate — voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021. Many of them also signed on to an ill-fated Supreme Court challenge to Joe Biden’s victory, which the high court quickly tossed.

Here is a look at how different members of Congress, all Republican, helped the former president attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to the Jan. 6 committee and public reporting:

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.

Participated in early stages of White House Jan. 6 discussions: Perry was part of a group of four congressmembers and members-elect who advocated that Pence might have the power to decline to certify electoral votes, a role other than simply counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6, Cassidy Hutchinson, aide to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified.
Reportedly helped develop strategy for overturning the election results: Perry was reportedly one of two congressmembers who participated in a Nov. 9, 2020, meeting with White House and campaign officials at Trump campaign headquarters in which “the group settled on a strategy that would become a blueprint for Mr. Trump’s supporters in Congress: Hammer home the idea that the election was tainted, announce legal actions being taken by the campaign, and bolster the case with allegations of fraud,” the New York Times reported in December 2021.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Perry was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Introduced lawyer Jeffrey Clark to Trump: Perry was instrumental in efforts to install Clark, an environmental lawyer, as the acting U.S. attorney general in the waning days of the Trump presidency, according to the committee. On Dec. 22, 2020, Perry came to the White House with Clark, according to White House visitor records obtained by the committee and presented at its fifth hearing on June 23. “He wanted Mr. Clark, Mr. Jeff Clark, to take over the Department of Justice,” Hutchinson testified. Clark pleaded the Fifth when asked if he knew Perry in testimony before the committee.
Pressured Meadows to elevate Clark at DOJ: On Dec. 26, 2020, Perry texted Meadows: “Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to January 6th and 25 days to inauguration. We’ve got to get going,” according to text messages obtained by the committee. “Mark, you should call Jeff. I just got off the phone with him and he explained to me why the principal deputy won’t work, especially with the FBI. They will view it as not having the authority to enforce what needs to be done.” Perry followed up with a text message later on Dec. 26 indicating he had sent Meadows “an updated file” on the encrypted messaging app Signal. Two days later, he texted Meadows: “Did you call Jeff Clark?”
Pressured DOJ at Trump’s request: On Dec. 27, 2020, Perry called Donoghue, the acting deputy attorney general, at Trump’s request, Donoghue testified. “He gave me some background about, you know, why he in particular doesn’t trust the FBI and why the American people don’t necessarily trust the FBI,” Donoghue testified at the committee’s fifth hearing. “And then he went into some allegations specific to Pennsylvania, which included, amongst others, this allegation that the secretary of state had certified more votes than were actually cast.” During the same call, Donoghue said, Perry “said something to the effect of, ‘I think Jeff Clark is great, and I think he’s the kind of guy who could get in there and do something about this stuff.’”
Sent conspiracy theory video to White House: On Dec. 31, 2020, Perry texted Meadows a YouTube video that committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., described as “a completely baseless conspiracy theory that an Italian defense contractor uploaded software to a satellite that switched votes from Trump to Biden.” Meadows passed the email to DOJ leadership, and Donoghue was tasked with reviewing the video. “I emailed the acting attorney general, and I said ‘pure insanity,’ which was my impression of the video, which was patently absurd,” Donoghue testified.
Requested a pardon: Perry requested a pardon from the White House, Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony played on June 23.

In statements to local media, Perry acknowledged his involvement in conversations with Trump and Clark, but denied he sought a pardon. Perry’s office did not respond to a request for comment for this report.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio

Participated in early stages of White House Jan. 6 discussions: Jordan was part of a core group of four congressmembers or members-elect involved in raising the idea that Pence might have a role other than simply counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6, Hutchinson testified.
Amplified false election claims: “The ultimate date of significance is January six. This is how the process works. The ultimate arbiter here, the ultimate check and balance is the United States Congress. And when something is done in an unconstitutional fashion, which happened in several of these states, we have a duty to step forward and have this debate and have this vote on the 6th of January,” Jordan said in Jan. 3, 2021, public remarks shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23.
Reportedly helped develop strategy for overturning the election: Jordan was one of two congressmembers who participated in a Nov. 9 meeting with White House and campaign officials at Trump campaign headquarters in which “the group settled on a strategy that would become a blueprint for Trump’s supporters in Congress: Hammer home the idea that the election was tainted, announce legal actions being taken by the campaign, and bolster the case with allegations of fraud,” the New York Times reported in December 2021.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Jordan was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Texted spurious legal theory to Meadows on eve of electoral certification: “On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all — in accordance with guidance from founding father Alexander Hamilton and judicial precedence,” Jordan texted to Meadows at 11:27 p.m. on Jan. 5, according to messages obtained by CNN. Meadows texted back the next morning: “I have pushed for this. Not sure it is going to happen.”
Spoke with Trump repeatedly on Jan. 6: Trump called Jordan at 9:24 a.m. the day of the Capitol riot, according to records obtained by the Washington Post and CBS News, and the two spoke for 10 minutes. Jordan has said he spoke “a number of times that day” with Trump but has not shared what the two discussed.
Was in contact with White House during Capitol attack: When Meadows left his office to speak with Trump after rioters entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he told his aide, Hutchinson, “Let me know if Jim calls,” she testified. Shortly after 2 p.m., Jordan called Meadows’ cellphone, and Hutchinson handed it to him.
Discussed congressional pardons: “Mr. Jordan talked about congressional pardons, but he never asked me for one. It was more for an update on whether the White House was going to pardon members of Congress,” Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony played on June 23.

Jordan has confirmed that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 6, and his office confirmed that he texted with Meadows the day before. His office did not respond to a request for comment for this report.

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.

Amplified false election claims: “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” Brooks said in his speech before Trump’s Jan. 6 rally audience, shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23. Brooks broadcast a variety of “stolen” election allegations, including that Biden benefited from massive vote fraud by noncitizens.
Led push for lawmakers to vote against certifying election results: On Dec. 2, 2020, Brooks said he would vote against certification, the first member of Congress to make such an announcement. “I led the charge,” Brooks reportedly told Steve Bannon on Bannon’s podcast in September 2021.
Set up and attended the Dec. 21 White House meeting: The Jan. 6 committee obtained an email from Brooks to Meadows with the subject line “White House meeting December 21st regarding January 6,” in which Brooks discussed “the January 6th effort” and said “only citizens can exert the necessary influence on Senators and Congressmen to join this fight against massive voter fraud and election theft.”
Participated in planning briefings and conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 Trump rally in D.C. and others around the country said Brooks or an aide participated in planning discussions ahead of Jan. 6, Rolling Stone reported.

Brooks did not respond to a request for comment. In comments to local media in October 2021, Brooks denied having any involvement in planning the Jan. 6 rally but did not say whether or not his staff was involved.

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., sent an email to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows arranging a Dec. 21, 2020, White House meeting regarding Jan. 6 that was attended by at least 11 members of Congress, according to evidence presented by the Jan. 6 committee.

Spoke at Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally: Brooks was one of two congressmembers to speak at the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol. Brooks wore body armor and told the crowd: “Our ancestors sacrifice[d] their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes and sometimes their lives to give us, their descendants, an America that is the greatest nation in world history. So I have a question for you: Are you willing to do the same?”
Named by “Stop the Steal” organizer as Jan. 6 co-planner: Brooks is one of three congressmen named by “Stop the Steal” rally organizer Ali Alexander as helping plan Jan. 6, during a livestream that day.
Requested pardons for himself and others: Brooks requested a blanket pardon for all members of Congress involved in the Dec. 21 meeting as well as “a handful of other members that weren’t at the Dec. 21 meeting,” Hutchinson testified. Five days after the Jan. 6 attack, Brooks emailed a pardon request “for Representative Gaetz, himself, and unnamed others,” committee member Kinzinger said at the fifth hearing on June 23.

Brooks did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas

Amplified false election claims: “And so there’s widespread evidence of fraud ‘cause people haven’t done their jobs. Durham and Barr will deserve a big notation in history when it’s written of the rise and fall of the United States. If they don’t clean up this mess, clean up the fraud, do your jobs and save this little experiment in self- government,” Gohmert said in Dec. 3, 2020, public remarks shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23.
Sued Pence to reject electors: Gohmert was the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against Pence on Dec. 27, 2020, in an effort to compel the vice president to interfere with the counting of Electoral College votes.
Appeared to call for violence to overthrow election results: On Jan. 2, Gohmert went on Newsmax and appeared to call for violence, while declaring that letting the election results stand would “mean the end of our republic, the end of the experiment in self-government.” The rhetoric was worrisome enough for Capitol Police to prepare an intelligence assessment on Gohmert’s comments. He later said he was not calling for violence.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Gohmert was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Participated in planning conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Gohmert or an aide participated in planning discussions, Rolling Stone reported.
Requested a pardon: Gohmert requested a pardon from the White House, Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony played on June 23.

Gohmert did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

Participated in early stages of White House Jan. 6 discussions: Greene, while still congresswoman-elect, was part of a core group of four congressmembers or members-elect involved in raising the idea that Pence might have a role other than simply counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6, Hutchinson testified.
Attended and helped organize the Dec. 21 White House meeting: Greene testified that she was central to planning the Dec. 21 meeting with lawmakers at the White House about overturning the election. “I called President Trump on [Dec. 19, 2020,] and — and said we’ve got to have a meeting. There’s many of us that feel like this election has been stolen,” Greene testified.
Spoke repeatedly with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Greene participated in several “planning briefings” ahead of Jan. 6, Rolling Stone reported.
Texted with Meadows about organizing for Jan. 6: “Good morning Mark, I’m here in DC. We have to get organized for the 6th,” Greene reportedly texted Meadows on Dec. 31, 2020. “I would like to meet with Rudy Giuliani again. We didn’t get to speak with him long. Also anyone who can help. We are getting a lot of members on board. And we need to lay out the best case for each state. I’ll be over at CPI this afternoon.”
Texted false claims to Meadows: “Last night Sen Graham told me that if I found 100 names of dead voters in GA that he would object. I have 100 dead voters names!! … Tell President Trump!” Greene wrote to Meadows on Jan. 5, according to text messages obtained by CNN.
Texted Meadows asking Trump to urge calm during Capitol riot: In other text messages reportedly sent during the Capitol attack, Greene urged peace, asking Meadows to “tell the President to calm people This isn’t the way to solve anything.”
After Jan. 6 efforts failed, suggested Trump impose martial law: “In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall [sic] law. I don’t know on those things,” Greene reportedly texted Meadows on Jan. 17. “I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!”
Requested a pardon: Greene “asked White House Counsel’s Office for a pardon,” Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony played at the fifth hearing on June 23.

Greene did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Amplified false election claims: “Again, I join my colleagues in calling on Attorney General Bill Barr to immediately let us know what he’s doing,” Biggs said in Dec. 3, 2020, public remarks shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Biggs was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Pressured Arizona legislature to decertify electors: Biggs called Republican Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers on the morning of Jan. 6 and “asked if I would sign on both to a letter that had been sent from my state and/or that I would support the decertification of the electors,” Bowers testified in the committee’s fourth hearing.
Participated in planning conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Biggs or an aide participated in planning discussions, Rolling Stone reported.
Named by “Stop the Steal” rally organizer as Jan. 6 co-planner: Biggs is one of three congressmen named by “Stop the Steal” rally organizer Alexander as helping plan Jan. 6, during a livestream that day.
Requested a pardon: Biggs requested a pardon from the White House, Hutchinson said in videotaped testimony played on June 23.

Biggs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

Amplified false election claims: “We’re already working on and challenging the certified electors. And then what about the courts? How pathetic are the courts?” Gosar said in Dec. 19, 2020, public remarks shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Gosar was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Participated in planning conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Gosar or an aide participated in planning discussions, Rolling Stone reported.
Named by “Stop the Steal” rally organizer as Jan. 6 co-planner: Gosar is one of three congressmen named by “Stop the Steal” rally organizer Alexander as helping plan Jan. 6, during a livestream that day.

Gosar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Amplified false election claims: “January 6th, I’m joining with the fighters in the Congress. And we are going to object to electors from states that did run clean elections. … Democracy is left undefended if we accept the result of a stolen election without fighting with every bit of vigor we can muster,” Gaetz said in Dec. 20, 2020, public remarks shown by the committee in its fifth hearing on June 23.
Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Gaetz was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.
Requested a blanket pardon: Gaetz, along with Brooks, requested a blanket pardon for all members of Congress involved in the Dec. 21 meeting as well as “a handful of other members that weren’t at the December 21st meeting,” Hutchinson testified. Former White House Presidential Personnel Office director Johnny McEntee testified that Gaetz “had hinted at a blanket pardon for the January 6th thing for anybody.” Former White House attorney Eric Herschmann testified that the pardon Gaetz was discussing requesting “was as broad as you can describe, from beginning — I remember he’s — from the beginning of time up until today for any and all things.” In April, before Gaetz’s alleged pardon request was discussed by the committee, Trump issued a statement denying Gaetz asked him for a pardon in response to a New York Times report regarding non-election-related allegations about Gaetz.

Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Participated in early stages of White House Jan. 6 discussions: Boebert, while still congresswoman-elect, was among the core group of four congressmembers or members-elect involved in raising the idea that Pence might have a role other than simply counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6, Hutchinson testified.
Participated in planning conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Boebert or an aide participated in planning discussions, Rolling Stone reported.
Tweeted “Today is 1776″: At 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, Boebert tweeted: “Today is 1776,” a rally cry repeated by the mob as it broke into the Capitol later that day.

Boebert did not respond to a request for comment. She condemned the violence on Jan. 6 in a statement on Jan. 11, 2021.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.

Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Harris was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.

Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas

Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Babin was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results, according to testimony and White House visitor logs obtained by the committee.

Babin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga.

Attended Dec. 21 White House meeting: Hice was among at least 11 lawmakers who met at the White House to help orchestrate efforts to overturn the election results.
Reportedly posted that Jan. 6 was “our 1776 moment.” On the day of the insurrection, Hice posted a picture to Instagram with the caption, “This is our 1776 moment.” He later deleted the post, and his spokesperson explained he did not want it misconstrued as an endorsement of violence.

A Hice spokesperson confirmed to Grid that he “was at the White House on 12/21.”

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C.

Participated in planning conversations with Jan. 6 rally organizers: Two organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. and others around the country said Cawthorn or an aide participated in planning discussions, Rolling Stone reported.
Spoke at Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally: Just days after he was sworn into office as the youngest member of Congress, Cawthorn spoke at the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol. “We are doing this for the Constitution,” Cawthorn told the crowd. “Our Constitution was violated.”

Cawthorn has said he does not regret speaking at the Jan. 6 rally. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Called Georgia election officials seeking “a more favorable outcome” for Trump: Graham made at least two phone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the weeks following the Nov. 3, 2020, election in which he “questioned Secretary Raffensperger and his staff about reexamining certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia in order to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome” for Trump, according to a subpoena issued by a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating potential criminal interference in the 2020 election. The subpoena, which refers to Graham as a “material witness,” was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Graham did not respond to a request for comment. In a July 6 statement on the subpoena, Graham’s lawyers said he “is neither a subject nor target of the investigation, simply a witness,” adding: “This is all politics.”

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

Wanted to hand-deliver fake electors to Pence, according to staffer: Johnson wished to hand-deliver to Pence the fake electors’ votes from Michigan and Wisconsin, according to text messages shared by the committee that were exchanged between a Johnson staffer and a member of Pence’s staff just minutes before the beginning of the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning said the electors were sent to Johnson’s office from the office of Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., in coordination with Mike Roman, Trump’s 2020 director of Election Day operations. “The senator had no involvement in the creation of an alternate slate of electors and had no foreknowledge that it was going to be delivered to our office,” she said in a written statement. “This was a staff to staff exchange. His new Chief of Staff contacted the Vice President’s office. The Vice President’s office said not to give it to him and we did not. There was no further action taken.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah

Helped orchestrate a meeting between Trump and lawyer Sidney Powell: On Nov. 7, 2020, Lee texted Meadows: “Sydney Powell is saying that she needs to get in to see the president, but she’s being kept away from him. Apparently she has a strategy to keep things alive and put several states back in play. Can you help get her in?” Lee then sent Powell’s contact information to Meadows and described her as a “straight shooter,” according to text messages obtained by the committee and by CNN. Powell subsequently became one of Trump’s closest advisers in the effort to overturn the election and played a key role in spreading falsehoods about the election and filing unsuccessful lawsuits nationwide.

Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an earlier statement to CNN regarding the text messages, a Lee spokesman noted that Lee ultimately voted to certify Biden’s victory.