EXPLAIN YOURSELF

Mo Brooks Says He Wore Body Armor to Jan. 6 Rally After Getting Tip Off

Brooks said a tip off led him to sleep in his office the night before his speech the next day.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) has continuously denounced the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, even as he’s being sued by his colleagues over his role in inciting it. But while Brooks has said he didn’t believe the riot would turn violent, he told a Slate reporter Wednesday that he was actually tipped off about potential violence, prompting him to sleep in his office the day before the Ellipse speech and wear body armor to the rally. “When I gave my speech at the Ellipse, I was wearing body armor,” he said. Brooks wouldn’t say who tipped him off, what violence could occur, or whether he passed the tip on to relevant people. “That’s why I was wearing that nice little windbreaker,” he said. “To cover up the body armor.”

At the rally, Brooks marked Jan. 6 as “the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass!” He claimed he was just using bold words, but Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has sued him for potential incitement. He tried to claim he could not be sued as a federal employee, but the Department of Justice invalidated that claim Wednesday.