KEY POINTS
- Riggleman said Trump will 'endanger' the American public if he secures a second term
- The former Representative was among those who unraveled details of the Jan. 6 text messages
- Ex-GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger has also joined the Reps for Harris movement
Republican former House Rep. Denver Riggleman of Virginia has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after the launch of the Republicans for Harris campaign, which aims to reach GOP voters who are against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump retaking the White House.
Riggleman announced Sunday night that he has joined the Republicans for Harris movement after reviewing data from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that killed five people. "Trump and his minions are dangerous. The same folks who pushed J6 push Project 2025," he wrote on X.
Project 2025 is a series of conservative policy proposals that many of Trump's closest advisers are involved in.
"A 2nd Trump term would endanger U.S. citizens – and create global chaos. Sanity should be the baseline. Criminals should be discounted," Riggleman concluded, attaching a photo of the Reps for Harris launch announcement.
According to the announcement, other "Republican voices from across the country" have provided endorsements for the group, including former White House officials Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye. Grisham was a former aide to ex-First Lady Melania Trump, while Troye was a former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to the Trump administration's Vice President Mike Pence.
In 2022, Riggleman revealed to CNN how his "amusement turned to horror quickly" after reviewing and helping decode the text messages of people in the lead-up to the tragic Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. He said the messages were a "roadmap," adding that what he saw were "sitting and former members of Congress" discussing QAnon conspiracy theories.
Among the other influential people who have expressed support for Republicans for Harris were "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill, former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Meanwhile, a new poll revealed that Harris continues to gain traction as the world's largest economy moves closer to the elections. A CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday showed that Harris now has a one percent lead over Trump nationwide. By comparison, Trump had a five-point lead over outgoing President Joe Biden before the latter decided to withdraw and endorse Harris.