GOP Rep. Mo Brooks 'proudly' touts his involvement in Jan. 6 insurrection in campaign ad

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) released a Senate campaign ad on Thursday in which he “proudly” highlights his speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the violent and deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“On Jan. 6, I proudly stood with President Trump in the fight against voter fraud,” Brooks says in the ad. “I’m running for the Senate because I’m tired of debt junkie, weak-kneed, open border RINOs who sell out our conservative values. That’s why President Trump endorses me and why Mitch McConnell opposes us.”

Brooks featured a clip of his speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally in which he said, “America does not need any more weakling, cowering, wimpy Republican congressmen and senators.”

Brooks was one of the main leaders behind the GOP plot to object to President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory in an attempt to stop the peaceful transition of power and install Donald Trump as president for a second term — despite the fact that he lost.

On the day of the Electoral College certification, Brooks spoke at the rally and told the gathered crowd of Trump supporters that they were “American patriots” and should “start taking down names and kicking ass.” After the rally, an angry mob of Trump supporters violently forced its way into the Capitol, beating law enforcement officers guarding the building with flag poles and fence stakes and using bear spray to try to incapacitate the officers and force their way in.

Those rioters were riled up by false claims of voter fraud, which Brooks continues to push despite the fact that even some of Trump’s own former aides admit Trump lost and that fraud did not lead to that defeat.

The ad comes the day after news reports surfaced that Trump — who endorsed Brooks’ bid for the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Richard Shelby — is rethinking his endorsement after polling showed Brooks is not dominating the Republican primary field in the race.

“Mo Brooks is disappointing,” Trump told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “I’m determining right now, has Mo Brooks — has he changed?”

Brooks, for his part, has made Trump’s endorsement the cornerstone of his campaign.

His Twitter name is “Mo Brooks – Endorsed by President Trump,” followed by an American flag emoji. And the pinned tweet on the page reads, “PRESIDENT TRUMP ENDORSED MY CAMPAIGN” and includes a photo of Brooks standing next to a seated Trump in the Oval Office. Even Brooks’ campaign logo includes the words “Endorsed by Trump.”

This is not Brooks’ first Senate bid. In 2017, Brooks ran in a special election to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who had vacated the seat to become Trump’s attorney general. Brooks came in third in that primary.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.