Allegations insurrectionists had help from representatives

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An ethics watchdog organization is alleging that two Republican members of Congress gave "explicit support" to at least one organizer behind the rally that later led to a riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6.

In an investigation request addressed to the House Office of Congressional Ethics on Friday, the Campaign for Accountability requested a probe to determine whether the alleged actions of Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona were in violation of federal law. The complaint also mentioned Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who was similarly accused of actions that the organization wrote "may have violated laws prohibiting sedition and insurrection."

Biggs' deputy chief of staff, Daniel Stefanski, denied Biggs' involvement in the events that led to the riots in a statement shared with Newsweek. Newsweek contacted Gosar's and Cawthorn's offices for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.

Ali Alexander, one of the activists behind the Capitol rally, previously credited Biggs and Gosar with helping him plan a pressure campaign to halt the certification of Electoral College results, according to The Washington Post. Alexander "received explicit support from Representatives Gosar and Biggs," the Campaign for Accountability said in a Friday news release.

The release went on to specify what their alleged assistance to Alexander entailed. The details included a video Biggs allegedly created that Alexander used at an event held on behalf of Trump last month, which the organization said encouraged supporters to "take action to prevent certification." Meanwhile, Gosar tweeted a message that read, "Who is joining me?" on January 5 to accompany an advertisement for the "Save America" rally. The flyer featured Gosar's name in the bottom left corner and read, "The time is now. Hold the line," along with the date of the rally and the hashtag "#FightforTrump."

Cawthorn, who spoke at the rally before protesters descended on the Capitol, later told Smoky Mountain News that he was armed inside the Capitol as protesters were breaking in. The Campaign for Accountability said it asked the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia to investigate Cawthorn for potential firearms violations following his admission about carrying a weapon inside the chamber.

"Representatives Gosar, Biggs and Cawthorn deliberately misled Trump supporters and actively encouraged them to believe they could stop the certification of the election results," Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith of the Campaign for Accountability said in the organization's release. "Their words helped light the match, resulting in death and destruction at the U.S. Capitol."

Members of Biggs' family have said Biggs is "at least partially to blame" for the January 6 riots and called for his removal, according to The Arizona Republic. Gosar also has family members who have called for his removal, and protesters in North Carolina called for Cawthorn to resign earlier this week, according to WXII-TV.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that she is concerned about threats against members of Congress and suggested that the "enemy is within the House of Representatives."

When asked to expand on what she meant by "the enemy is within" she responded: "We have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress."

Her comments come after Republicans have tried, in recent days, to bring their guns on the House floor, despite the addition of a metal detector at the chamber door. Some Republicans are bypassing the metal detector altogether