State Rep. Justin Price (R-Richmond) is facing calls to resign after he traveled to Washington, D.C., for events preceding the storming of the U.S. Capitol and falsely assigned responsibility for the insurrection to antifa.
In an interview with The Public’s Radio on Friday, Price said, “Antifa went in there, did some, you know, bad stuff, raised the flag for Trump and blamed it on Trump. It’s confirmed.”
In fact, while some conservatives have claimed antifa was involved, the FBI, mainstream news sources and fact-checking sites say there is no basis for that claim.
The Public’s Radio did not initially report Price’s account of being in Washington since it was not factual. On Saturday, after he criticized the station in a tweet for not sharing his views, Price faced calls to resign from at least two elected officials. More Democratic lawmakers joined that call over the weekend..
Price, 56, who is a commercial fisherman and carpenter, and a Marine Corps veteran, according to his legislative biography, was elected in November to his fourth term in the House. He is a member of House committees on Finance and Veterans Affairs.
Price said he attended President Trump’s address on Wednesday, marched to the Capitol and “something was already happening up there” by the time he arrived.
He objected to the use of the word “mob” to describe the people who stormed into the Capitol, temporarily stopping the certification of the vote of the Electoral College. “Some of the patriots got involved with it, because they got wrapped up in the false flag,” he said, referring to a conspiracy theory for hiding actual responsibility for events, but members of the anti-fascist collective antifa posing as Trump supporters were mostly responsible, Price asserted.
Asked for evidence of antifa involvement, Price pointed to a figure known as the QAnon “shaman” who was later arrested and charged by law enforcement.
State Rep. Brandon Potter, a freshman Democrat from Cranston, was the first to issue a statement calling on Price to resign.
“In light of Rep. Justin Price’s admission to being present at the U.S. Capitol and his public comments regarding the attack, it is clear he is unfit for office,” Potter said in a statement. “I call for his immediate resignation from the Rhode Island House of Representatives and I ask my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to join me in demanding accountability and demonstrating responsible, bipartisan leadership at the time when we need it most.”
Other representatives also called for Price to resign, including Reps. David Morales and Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, both Providence Democrats.
On Saturday, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner called on Price to resign.
“At a time when American democracy is under siege from conspiracy theorists and white supremacists determined to overturn the free and fair Presidential election, Representative Justin Price has abused his platform by amplifying false conspiracy theories surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol,” Magaziner said in a statement. “His behavior risks inflaming an already charged situation by encouraging those seeking to overturn the election.”
Without naming Price, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said the House would take action only if any of its members were involved in committing crimes last Wednesday.
“The acts of domestic terrorism in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday, aimed at overturning the Presidential election, were treasonous, illegal, and despicable,” Shekarchi said in a statement Sunday. “The U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island has vowed to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who traveled from Rhode Island to commit federal crimes at our nation’s Capitol. If any state representative committed such crimes, the House of Representatives will act swiftly and decisively to the fullest extent possible under Article VI, Section 7 of the Rhode Island Constitution. Let’s not forget that five Americans died on that tragic day.”
In a tweet, House GOP Leader Blake Filippi defended Price: “House members are expelled for bad acts, not bad thoughts. There are no allegations that Rep. Price did anything other than attend what he believed to be a lawful protest, and to express his opinion about what happened that sad day – and this is where a House inquiry ends.”
Price said he went to DC for the event because “it was a historical event. The patriots from around the world, around the United States, wanted to make a presence to let the Congress, let everyone know, that they’re behind President Trump and make it clear through the Congress whether there was election fraud or not.”
Price was one of two Republican representatives placed by House leadership in a separate room during the open session Tuesday because they would not wear masks.
This story has been updated.