Trump was not responsible for Jan 6 violence, ex-campaign aide tells Kathimerini

On January 5, a day before rioters stormed Capitol Hill, George Papadopoulos, the Greek-American former campaign aide to the US president, was at a rally in a Washington, DC square. It was a bitterly cold day, but outgoing President Donald Trump's supporters patiently waited to listen to him and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn speak.

"Who won the election on the 3rd?" Flynn shouted. "Trump!" the crowd roared back. Papadopoulos took the stand, relaxed at first but soon riled up. "There are but two parties right now: traitors and patriots. And both are exposing themselves right now. You should not forget their names," he shouted to the cheering crowd.

"What was the rally about and who organized it?" I asked him a week later on Skype. "I can't remember. It was something like the 'Stop the Steal' organization. I don't know what the name of the event was...

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