House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told his GOP members Monday on a call to stop telling lies about antifa rioting at the Capitol last Wednesday.
“McCarthy told all members on the call that he has been receiving FBI briefings and it is clear that antifa was not behind this,” one source familiar with the call said. “That it was in fact right-wing extremists and QAnon adherents, and he urged members to stop spreading false information to the contrary.”
The FBI said on Friday that no members of antifa were involved in the storming of the Capitol.
McCarthy also told his caucus that Trump said he takes some responsibility for inciting the riots last week.
It was the first time the entire caucus had met since the rioting, and multiple members expressed frustration and concern over security at the Capitol in the future.
Per multiple sources familiar with Monday’s call, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) got into a heated exchange with first-year Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), raising concerns that Boebert risked lawmakers’ safety by tweeting their location during the lockdown.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) also raised concerns about Boebert’s tweets.
Sources on the call said that McCarthy urged his members not to bash one another on TV.