Far-right, vehemently pro-Donald Trump church leaders who were in Washington, D.C., during the deadly January 6 insurrection reacted in real-time to the riot by declaring the GOP dead under the force of "Make America Great Again" supporters.
Documentary footage released by Insider.com Monday shows several Tennessee- and Texas-based evangelical Christian pastors hyping up D.C. "stop the steal" protesters on the eve of the Capitol riot. Pastors Joshua Feuerstein and Ken Peters are shown expressing a mixture of sadness and anger after learning Vice President Mike Pence would not overturn Joe Biden's victory over Trump. The two pumped up protesters in speeches the day before the rally by declaring "war" against "leftists" and anybody else who opposed Trump's failed attempt to reverse the November presidential election.
The documentary-style video reveals both were flown out to Washington for the "stop the steal" protests in a private jet owned by fanatical pro-Trump supporter and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
"Wow. I'm so upset, I'm heartbroken. [Pence] stabbed Trump in the back," Peters said in his D.C. hotel room as he, Feuerstein and other church leaders watched video of the increasingly violent January 6 riots. Insider's video shows that Peters encountered the man who gained national attention for sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk outside his hotel on the morning of the insurrection.
"I can promise you this. There is no longer a Republican Party. It's MAGA versus everybody, it's patriots versus everybody. We are not voting Republican any longer. It is our party now, period," said Feuerstein, watching the riots
Feuerstein promotes himself on his social media accounts as a far-right evangelical pastor who is vehemently opposed to any and all COVID restrictions, gun control measures and what he views as America's obsession with arguments about race.
The day before the January 6 insurrection, Peters and Feuerstein gave speeches in the D.C. Freedom Plaza where they vowed to "unite behind the 'stop the steal' banner'" and fight for Trump.
"This is the kingdom of darkness versus the kingdom of light. Do you feel that? We will rise up, and like Paul Revere, we'll say, 'the leftists are coming, the leftists are coming, the leftists are coming!" Peters told raucous rallygoers on January 5.
The narrator of the Insider documentary notes that it was not "leftists," but rather an overwhelmingly far-right crowd that ultimately stormed the Capitol in search of Pence and any other Democratic or Republican lawmakers who were seeking to uphold Biden's victory.
Immediately after Peters' remarks, Feuerstein also spoke to the largely pro-Trump crowd. "It is time for war. Let us stop the steal!" he bellowed onstage.
Newsweek reached out to Peters' Patriot Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, as well as representatives for Feuerstein Tuesday afternoon for additional remarks.
