North Dakota rep sends incendiary QAnon video to lawmakers ‘for information purposes’

The 3-minute long video has been credited by some on social media with helping to incite the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, according to Newsweek. The video is a compilation of President Donald Trump’s previous speeches and images of pro-Trump rallies. Clipped messages from Trump’s speeches are spliced throughout the video, saying there will be “a great awakening” in the U.S. and that Trump supporters will be “a warrior for the truth” and a “warrior for our country.”

The video was shared on Parler, a social media site that was often used by far-right supporters and conservatives, Newsweek reported. Parler was shut down last week after Amazon stated it would no longer host the website because the platform’s members used it to help organize the Jan. 6 riot.

Jones sent the video to all state lawmakers early Saturday morning in an email with no corresponding message. Jones said he cannot verify any of the information in the video, but he wanted senators and representatives to come to their own conclusions about the information.

“I sent it to legislators for information purposes and we get information from all kinds of different sources at at all times, and we try to stay as informed as we can so we can properly represent our districts and the people that we are working for,” Jones told Forum News Service in a Saturday phone call.

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Jones said he has been appalled at what he says is the censorship that media companies are participating in, and he wanted to make sure lawmakers had everything they needed to understand what is going on in the country.

The video, entitled “America Reborn” references Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 and the QAnon abbreviation “WWG1WGA,” which is the group’s rallying cry — “Where we go one, we go all,” according to CBS News.

Although Newsweek reported that people said the video attributed to the insurrection on Jan. 6, Jones said that the video does not reference any violence and is not a call for action.

“There was no ill intent in any way,” Jones said. “No attempt to pick sides with any opinions or thoughts. It was just so (lawmakers) would have that in their toolbox of information to serve their constituents.”

Readers can reach Forum News Service reporter Michelle Griffith, a Report for America corps member, at mgriffith@forumcomm.com.