Courtney Holland, a Nevada-based political activist who does not appear to have entered the Capitol building herself and who has not been charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, was named Adam Laxalt’s first spokesperson in early July. Laxalt runs against Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and the race is considered a draw.
Holland traveled to Washington, D.C., for the January 6, 2021, ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, where she was listed as a speaker for a rally to be held near the Capitol following the then President’s speech. , Donald Trump, near the White House. This second gathering did not take place as planned. She previously spoke at a November event in Washington, DC, and was pictured with several “Stop the Steal” organizers who also spoke. The ‘Stop the Steal’ movement believes Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
There is no indication that Holland herself entered the Capitol. Photos posted by amateur sleuths last year tracking Capitol rioters
seem to show Holland in a restricted area in front of the Capitol. Holland later
downplayed several times the attack, retweeting false claims suggesting the riot was the work of far-left group Antifa and a
Tweeter calling the protest “the biggest civil rights protest in history”.
Holland told CNN in her statement Tuesday that she traveled to Washington hoping to attend a “peaceful rally.” She said she didn’t know of the Oath Keepers who led her to the second “Stop the Steal” event that was to take place near the Capitol. Holland said she was never subpoenaed, questioned or charged with wrongdoing and called the riot “an unfortunate day in the history of our country”.
“Like thousands of others, I attended the event, expecting a peaceful gathering. The event organizers asked me and many others to speak in an authorized area behind the capitol building and provided us with what we were told was event security, which we were unaware of, to reach the area. Upon reaching the authorized area, I became aware that the situation was deteriorating and I decided to leave the Capitol complex to return to my hotel. I had intended to speak at a peaceful rally, similar to a previous event held in November. it became clear what was going on, I left,” Holland said.
Guided by far-right militiamen
Videos on social networks and YouTube
To display Holland walking towards the Capitol with his hand on Harrelson’s shoulder. The group appears to be led at times by an unidentified man in a blue blazer wearing an Oath Keepers sweatshirt. The group marched in a “stack” formation that the Justice Department said oath keepers used to move through crowds on January 6, 2021.
The FBI explained the Oath Keepers’ use of stack formations in a criminal complaint against Harrelson, which does not refer to Holland or his group’s march to the Capitol. “A defining feature of this formation is that the members keep their hands on the back or the vests of the person in front of them to stay together when entering a room or weaving through a crowd,” they wrote in the complaint, which includes a photo of another group of Oathkeepers marching in this formation outside the Capitol Building. “The purpose of maintaining direct physical contact with each other is to communicate effectively with each other, especially in crowded or noisy areas.”
A video — from amateur sleuthing’s YouTube account “Hunting Insurrectionists,” which was verified by CNN’s KFile by viewing the original videos — tracking their group’s march to the Capitol shows Holland walking from behind with his hand on the shoulder of an Oathkeeper who appears to be Harrelson as someone shouts, “make a hole ladies and gentlemen”, for their group to pass. Strand can also be seen briefly talking to Gold. Another YouTube video shows Harrelson, Gold and Strand all walking together with Holland. Dolan also appears at the front of the group.
Harrelson was charged by the Justice Department with a number of actions related to the Capitol break-in, and later he was also charged with sedition. Dolan was also charged by the Justice Department with five counts related to the Capitol riot, but three of his charges were dropped as part of a plea deal to cooperate with the government. Dolan pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and one count of obstructing an official process.
Documents outlining the evidence against Dolan noted that the two oath keepers traveled to Washington together and were frequently together before and during the Capitol riot. He alleged that the two men brought weapons to the area they left in Virginia. Dolan’s indictment by the Justice Department refers to his walk from the event near the White House.
Many members of the Oathkeepers have been indicted for their role in breaking into the Capitol building. Last week, the Justice Department released new details alleging extensive planning by Oathkeepers to prepare for violence in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, including lessons in conducting “hasty ambushes.” , a “death list” of Georgia election officials and attempts to acquire homemade firearms.
Holland’s exact movements after arriving at the Capitol are unclear.
The group appears to have reached the east side of the Capitol, where the second rally was to take place.
A video,
published by the Department of Justice to news agencies in the case against Harrelson, shows cellphone video shot by the oath keeper on the east side of the Capitol with several members of the stack formation together, including what appears be Holland.
A video appears to show her on the northwest side of the capitol building with several members of her group, but not the Oath Keepers. A
video of a tweet deleted from the watch also on the east side of the Capitol, near where the video shot by Harrelson was taken.
After the riot and its aftermath, Holland said in since-deleted tweets that she would always defend Trump.
“Last time I checked the Constitution it said ‘We the people’ not ‘We the government’,” she said immediately after the attack, and added in another tweet, “I still don’t give up the fight for Trump.”
A year later, Holland claimed on Instagram that the riot was “not an insurrection”.
