Former Proud Boy Matthew Greene said the group appeared ready to use violence to reverse the 2020 election results.
A former member of the organization Proud Boys testified against the former leader of the right-wing group and other members, telling a court in Washington, DC that members are expecting a “civil war” before riots on January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol.
Matthew Greene, a New York resident and veteran of the US Army National Guard, said his interactions with other members of the group gave him the impression that the agency was prepared to use force to keep former Republican President Donald Trump in office after he lost the 2020 election. . . .
“I wouldn’t say they were encouraged but they weren’t offended, and when it happened it was celebrated,” Greene said of the Proud Boys’ use of violence.
Greene’s testimony Tuesday was a key moment in the trial of former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four other members of the organization — Dominic Pezzola, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl — who are charged with multiple counts including treason. conspiracy.
Greene said Pezzola was praised following the violence at the December 2020 rally in Washington, DC. Pezzola bragged that he responded to an assault by a member of the Proud Boys by hitting the assailant in the head with a motorcycle helmet, Greene said.
Prosecutors say Pezzola was one of the first attackers to break into the Capitol after breaking a window with a stolen police shield.
Lawyers for the defendants said there was no plan to destroy the Capitol and that the Proud Boys leadership had instructed members at previous meetings to only respond to left-wing protesters in order to protect themselves.
Greene admitted that he did not know many of the accused and that he had not been told about the use of force by members of the Proud Boys leadership ahead of the riot at the Capitol. Greene also said he was not aware of any plans to destroy the building.
He described “a lot of anger” in the crowd as the leaders of the Proud Boys led the group in a chant outside the Capitol.
The rioters then broke through police lines and entered the building, forcing lawmakers to flee and delaying the 2020 elections.
Greene pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstructing law enforcement in December 2021 for his role in the conspiracy. He agreed to cooperate with United States prosecutors.
