“Ropes, folks, more ropes,” said one user who claimed to be at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The person indicated in a subsequent post that they were on their way to Hutchinson’s home.
The attacks on Hutchinson are part of a larger pattern of violent threats on fringe social networks directed at witnesses trying in front of Congress about the Capitol Uprising. Since the committee began hosting prime-time hearings in June, the nonprofit Advance Democracy has identified a flood of vitriol targeting key witnesses and prominent January 6 commission lawmakers on online forums with a reputation for promoting extremism and right-wing opinions. They include Gab, the .win forums, and Truth Social, former President Donald Trump’s social media company.
Since January 6, the pro-Trump Internet has gone into infighting for money and followers
Some of these social networks and their branches also harbored violent threats against election officials and lawmakers in the weeks leading up to the January 6 attack.