Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) claims in a new court filing that he was asked by a White House official to speak at former president Donald Trump's infamous "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The Alabama Republican was given Trump's endorsement for the U.S. Senate after making the speech, which a lawsuit alleges helped incite the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, but Brooks' attorneys responded by insisting he only took part because the former president wanted him there.
"Brooks only gave the Ellipse Speech because the White House asked him to, in his capacity as a United States Congressman," the new court filing says. "But for the White House request, Brooks would not have appeared at the Ellipse Rally."
The response also claims Brooks coordinated the contents of his speech with White House officials, who asked him to take part the day before the rally, and he justified his actions by baselessly arguing that Trump lost the election through fraud.
"The evidence is overwhelming that the Nov. 3, 2020, elections were the subject of voter fraud and election theft on a scale never seen before in America and that, if only lawful votes cast by eligible American citizens were counted, Donald Trump should be serving his second term as President of the United States," the filing states.
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