Candidate in Utah 2nd district election funded flights to Jan. 6th rally

Oct 25, 2023, 3:53 PM | Updated: Oct 26, 2023, 6:15 am

FILE - Protestors loyal to then-President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Brad Greene, a candidate in the race for Utah's 2nd Congressional District funded flights for some of his friends to go to the capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press)

(Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press)

BY LINDSAY AERTS

Former Anchor/Producer/Reporter

SALT LAKE CITY — A candidate in the race for the Utah 2nd Congressional District funded flights for some of his friends to go to the capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021.

Brad Green is running as a Libertarian. He first revealed to KSL NewsRadio that he funded the flights in an interview getting to know each of the candidates running to be Utah’s newest member of Congress.

In a follow up interview Wednesday, Green said that, initially, he wanted to go to support then-President Donald Trump at what he thought would be a rally demanding transparency and questioning the election outcome.

“January 6th, I had no idea what it was going to go turn into, I just knew that a bunch of people were going to stand around and they were going to question, they were going to say ‘hey look we want more accountability more transparency.'” Green said.

Utah 2nd District candidate originally wanted to attend Jan. 6 rally

When he couldn’t go, Green said he used American Express credit card points to send “a couple” of his friends.

“So even knowing what I know now, it’s even more valuable for me to have had someone on the ground that I trust that could give me an eyewitness account because [Jan. 6th has been] blown up to be this huge thing,” Green said.

Green admitted his friends were later questioned by the FBI, with agents showing up to question them in Utah, but he said that charges were dropped because they were not involved in any trespassing or violence.

Green said the people he sent were on the complete other side of the capitol when the riot happened. He said they weren’t aware anyone was killed until they got back to Utah the next day.

“So if I didn’t have an eyewitness there reporting to me that that was also going on at the same time, maybe all I would know is what the news was saying. That it ended up being this violent riot or violent protest and trespass(ing),” Green said.

It wasn’t an insurrection or riot, Green said

Greene does not view Jan. 6th, 2021, as an insurrection or riot, but rather as a “protest” with some people who “wanted to throw a fit.”

He said he did not agree with the strategy of the rioters, those who he said were acting out to get arrested and make a statement.

Green said he still questions the results of 2020. He said he does believe there is widespread voter fraud, but he doesn’t know if it would have changed the 2020 outcome. He said he supports the government being accountable and transparent and he would like to have seen more transparency in that election.

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