For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Patriotic Millionaires: January 6^th was the Inevitable Consequence of Unrestricted Billionaire Power 

“January 6^th was a clear and flagrant assault on American democracy, but it was only possible because of decades of groundwork laid by anti-democratic right-wing billionaires and lawmakers.”

Washington, DC – Tonight, the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol will begin public hearings in prime-time.

In response, Morris Pearl, the Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and a former managing director at BlackRock, Inc., released the following statement:

“We welcome the public hearings from the January 6^th Committee beginning tonight in prime-time. Thanks to months of painstaking research and investigation on the part of true public servants in the House, the American people will finally have the chance to learn the truth behind one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

Trump’s election lies and explicit calls to violence will undoubtedly take center stage at the hearings as direct causes of the tragic events that unfolded at the Capitol on January 6^th. However, we also hope that the Committee takes care to highlight the indirect but equally important role that billionaires and dark money groups have played in undermining our democracy.

January 6^th was a clear and flagrant assault on American democracy, but it was only possible because of decades of groundwork laid by anti-democratic right-wing billionaires and lawmakers. They have spent years moving the United States closer and closer to an oligarchy by bankrolling campaigns and events just like the White House Ellipse rally that immediately precipitated the Capitol riot, and in the process undermined the most basic building blocks of our democracy. January 6^th was a tragic day, but it was an inevitable consequence of the right-wing campaign to amass power whatever the costs.

In this spirit, we hope that tonight’s hearings underscore the urgent need to combat election misinformation and hate speech in America but also the equally critical need to dilute the power and influence of big money that enables it. The right-wing campaign to undermine our democracy extends beyond January 6^th, and we need to treat it like the ongoing threat that it is.”

For additional information or interview requests, please contact Sam Quigley at sam@patrioticmillionaires.org.