Ford Fischer: What's the Untold Story Behind 'Stop the Steal'?

Reason Podcasts

Who's most to blame for the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021? How much does it matter for the election in November 2024? We all remember the events of January 6, which resulted in unforgettable images, an evacuation of the Capitol, several deaths, $2.7 billion in costs, more than 1,200 criminal charges, an impeachment, and decades in prison for many involved. Today's guest was there during the lead-up to January 6—not as a participant, but as a chronicler. Ford Fischer is a documentary filmmaker and editor in chief of News2Share, which is on the scene for seemingly every major act of political unrest. Ford was also once upon a time an intern at Reason. Most recently, he was a co-writer and cinematographer on a new documentary about January 6 called Fight Like Hell, directed by Jon Long, which is now available for free on YouTube. There are several documentaries about this event out there, but this one contains some footage that Fischer captured in the months and days leading up to the capitol riot, helping the viewer better understand the mechanics of the movement. We focus largely on Fischer's firsthand experience of covering months of "Steal the Steal" protests. Text and links to sources available here: https://reason.com/podcasts/just-asking-questions/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:31 The broad context of the "Stop the Steal" movement 05:08 Who is Ali Alexander? 15:04 Why were some leaders prosecuted and others not? 19:46 Insurrection, riot, or something else? 26:53 How was even more violence avoided? 38:56 Were the police welcoming people inside the Capitol? 41:27 Trump's speech: Incitement? 51:29 January 5th and the turn against police 57:59 Massie: What was the role of federal informants? 1:10:54 Will this sort of thing happen again after this upcoming election? 1:15:15 The media should present more information and less narrative