Deadly Capitol Hill Riots Were an ‘Inside Job,’ Michael Moore Says

Deadly Capitol Hill Riots Were an ‘Inside Job,’ Michael Moore Says

Filmmaker Michael Moore claimed Friday that last week’s deadly riots by Trump supporters inside the Capitol building were an “inside job.”

Speaking to MSNBC’s Brian Williams, Moore referenced news reports and videos that have led some to believe that the rioters were aided by some Capitol police officers. Additionally, a few members of Congress have speculated that their Republican colleagues had a hand in giving tours to individuals to get them acquainted with the layout of the building prior to the raid.

Moore began by noting how the protests at and entry into the Michigan state house last spring by armed right-wing groups upset over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders helped encourage last week’s Capitol riots since there was relatively little push back from authorities.

“As soon as you allow any of these people to get away with this, what was the message in April?” Moore asked. “‘Wow, that was easy! You know, what else could we do?’ I see this as the first wrong step that we took.”


Moore then mentioned how on Jan. 6, the U.S. Capitol Police did not boost their numbers in anticipation of the anti-government mob forming on its doorstep, which had been planned for several weeks.

“This is an inside job, I’m sorry,” Moore said. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I’m barely a theorist, but I have to tell you, if you’re just a common sense person, something isn’t right here.”

“The only way to do it is if you had help from a Republican member or two or five, Republican staffers or Capitol police,” he claimed.

Moore pointed out the concerning number of individuals with military or law enforcement backgrounds who allegedly participated in the illegal acts, adding that the increased presence of law enforcement in the capital region for the inauguration of Joe Biden is worrisome.

“The fact, they’re reporting now, [that] we have police coming on Wednesday from New York and Houston and New Orleans and all over — who is supposed to feel good about that?”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.

William Vaillancourt

William Vaillancourt is a writer and editor from New Hampshire whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Progressive, Slate and Areo Magazine, among other places. He holds a BA in Political Science and History from Boston University.

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