On Monday, NBC News' Dasha Burns revealed new photographs that purportedly show Pennsylvania Senate candidate Kathy Barnette marching with members of the Proud Boys toward the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Some of those members of the Proud Boys were later charged with breaking into the Capitol and assaulting police officers.
The Proud Boys are a self-described "Western Chauvinist" group known for their violent brawling tactics.
There is no evidence that Barnette herself breached the Capitol, and her campaign denies she did so, saying, "any assertion that [Barnette] participated in or supported the destruction of property is intentionally false. She has no connection whatsoever to the Proud Boys."
Her campaign's response:
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) May 16, 2022
“Kathy was in DC to support President Trump and demand election accountability.
Any assertion that she participated in or supported the destruction of property is intentionally false.
She has no connection whatsoever to the proud boys." 2/4
To be clear -- we have not yet found evidence that Barnette herself was involved in the breach of the Capitol.
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) May 16, 2022
More on this all day across @NBCNews @MSNBC @NBCNewsNow 4/4
Barnette, a right-wing talk show host, has surged in polls recently, despite former President Donald Trump backing daytime television celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz for the Senate race and explicitly warning his supporters that Barnette is not electable.
She has drawn controversy for her extreme beliefs, including calling for the abolition of Islam in the United States and claiming that transgender people are "deformed."
She is not the only high-profile Pennsylvania Republican candidate linked to the events of January 6. Doug Mastriano, a Trump-endorsed far-right candidate for governor, paid for buses to bring people to the Capitol on January 6 and was present at the complex during the attack, but claims he did not participate himself.
