Stanislaus GOP removes ‘Stop the Steal’ items from site days after mob stormed U.S. Capitol
The Republican Party of Stanislaus County removed “Stop the Steal” Trump merchandise from its website five days after a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden as the nation’s next president.
The merchandise, which included hats and flags, was still on the local Republican’s website Monday morning. But it was taken off shortly after a Bee reporter asked why the items were being sold after last Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that left five people, including a police officer, dead.
The local party’s Modesto office referred questions to its chairman, Joe Day. In a phone interview, Day first said the merchandise probably would stay on the local Republicans’ website because of its value as a collector’s item. But when a reporter checked the website during the interview, the “Stop the Steal” merchandise was no longer available.
Day said he assumed the person responsible for the merchandise removed it. He said he believes his organization started selling the merchandise in December. He could not say how many items were sold. The website still was selling other Trump merchandise, including Trump hats, face masks, bumper stickers and yard signs, on Monday.
The Bee asked the local Republicans about the merchandise after receiving a tweet. “Even after the Trump organized ‘Stop the Steal’ rally became an assault on our Legislative branch and the VP, our Local GOP is still selling and promoting the stolen election lie. Dangerous. Anyone asking them why?” the tweet said.
But Day questioned whether Trump really is responsible for the mob that invaded the Capitol and whether the perpetrators really were Trump supporters and not antifa members in disguise. And he said the vast majority of members of the crowd that gathered in Washington that day was peaceful.
“We still have to determine what that really was,” he said about the storming of the Capitol. “I know they were trying to blame it on Trump. ... I’m not willing to jump to conclusions.”
Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed the Nov. 3 presidential election was stolen from him, and he and his supporters have advanced allegations that judges and state election officials have not found credible.
AP reports pro-Trump crowd attacked Capitol
The Associated Press reported Monday that the “insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters.”
The AP story includes the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office stating “that investigators had seen ‘no indication’ antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters in Wednesday’s riot.”
The AP reported in a previous story that “Trump had delivered a speech to his supporters in which he repeatedly said the election was being stolen and urged them to ‘fight’ before they rushed the Capitol as lawmakers were in the process of certifying Biden’s” Electoral College victory.
In the popular vote, Biden received nearly 81.3 million votes — or 51.4 percent — versus Trump’s 74.2 million — or 46.9 percent — nationwide. The election was much closer in Stanislaus County. Biden received 105,841 votes or 49.24 percent here, while Trump received 104,145 votes or 48.45 percent.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 9:09 AM.
