Want to Hire a January 6 Rioter? Now There’s a Website for That.

The investigation into the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, is one of the biggest in the history of the United States. Roughly 600 people have been charged for taking part in an attack that left 130 officers injured and seven people dead. Over 100 of those rioters have been specifically charged with assaulting law enforcement. They’re accused of domestic terrorism and conspiracy to “concoct a plan for an armed rebellion to shatter a bedrock of American democracy.”

Now, a former Trump campaign aide has launched a website to find these people jobs.

If you’re an employer with a job opening and you want to fill it with someone who’s been convicted of storming the Capitol, then the “Jobs for J6” website is for you.

The site has been created by Look Ahead America, a right-wing group and one of the leading voices advocating for the rights of those imprisoned for taking part in the Capitol riot, including organizing vigils and protests as well as launching the Political Prisoner podcast series.

“We decided to create a ‘Jobs for J6’ program to help connect these people to patriotic employers who are gonna give them a chance,” Matt Braynard, executive director of Look Ahead America, told VICE News.

Braynard, who worked on former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has sought to rewrite the history of the Capitol riot, falsely reframing it as a political rally rather than an insurrection, and claiming that the hundreds of people who have been charged with taking part in the attack are being politically persecuted for supporting Trump. 

Look Ahead America has also been very active in grassroots efforts to spread lies about widespread election fraud during the 2020 election, helping promote conspiracy theorists like Mark Finchem, who is currently running for secretary of state in Arizona.

Speaking to VICE News, Braynard compared the attack on the Capitol to “civil protests or civil disobedience” and said in the past people who took part in such protests had received help from those on the left, via job programs or retraining programs to help get them back in the workforce. However, much of the advocacy for giving those with a criminal record a second chance comes from non-political groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“There’s none of that being done on the right, so once again, Look Ahead America is stepping into the breach,” Braynard said.

The “Jobs for #J6” website will connect employers who have job openings with “anybody who lost their employment due to their participation in January 6 events.” Braynard estimates that up to 1,000 people have been impacted, including the spouses of jailed J6 rioters.

Look Ahead America has allocated $20,000 it has received in donations to promote the campaign.

“Most of our marketing budget is going to be geared toward potential employers and making sure they know that there’s an opportunity here if they have the courage to give these people a chance, we’ll do our best to connect them to some good new employees,” Braynard said. 

Braynard claimed that since the campaign officially launched on Monday, several dozen employers have already been in touch with job openings, with roles in hospitality, event management, IT, and health care.

And he claims the site has already made its first match, though he would not reveal the name of the employer or employee. None of the employers who signed up for the campaign responded to a request for comment from VICE News asking why they are taking part in the project. 

Braynard said his group would never reveal the names of employers because “reporters are real POS and I know what’s going to happen if we share the stories of the folks we’re working with or any of the employers who are stepping forward. They’re gonna get a nasty story written [about them].”

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