Donald Trump campaign manager shared posts in 2021 saying Trump’s lies caused the violence on January 6

(CNN) — In the immediate aftermath of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, a number of conservatives and Republicans broke ranks with then-President Donald Trump and blamed him for the violence that day. Among them was Trump’s current campaign manager, Chris LaCivita.

In a series of reposts on X – formerly Twitter – LaCivita shared comments calling January 6 an “insurrection” that was fueled by Trump’s baseless election lies. Some of those posts have since been deleted from LaCivita’s feed, but CNN was able to review them on the Internet Archive WayBack Machine, which archives internet webpages.

On January 6, 2021, LaCivita reposted several posts that harshly condemned Trump, suggesting that even some of his closest allies once viewed the deadly outcome as a direct result of Trump’s lies.

In a statement to CNN, Lacivita said his likes and retweets on January 6 were not supportive statements.

“Retweets and likes are not endorsements. I’m focused on winning the election two weeks from now, and not distractions from CNN,” he said.

LaCivita’s shared posts included a statement on January 6 from former President George W. Bush, who expressed “disbelief and dismay” at the violent assault on the Capitol, calling it “a sickening and heartbreaking sight.”

“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement,” read the statement by Bush that LaCivita shared. “The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.”

The post, which was shared on the evening of January 6, was later deleted from LaCivita’s feed.

CNN also reviewed a video showing a screen recording of posts that LaCivita liked on January 6, including one from Republican former Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, who called for Trump’s Cabinet to remove him from office via the 25th Amendment.

“Twitter locked @realDonaldTrump for 12 hours. Now the Cabinet needs to lock him down for the next 14 days. #25thAmendmentNow,” Comstock wrote on the evening of January 6.

Although X has since removed the ability to view likes, a user whose tweet was liked by LaCivita confirmed to CNN that his post had indeed been liked by Trump’s campaign manager on January 6.

The 25th Amendment allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president unfit for office, temporarily transferring power to the vice president.

Another post shared by LaCivita was a stark message from a Republican Senate aide, which John McCormack, then a reporter for the conservative magazine National Review, shared on X.

“Text message from a GOP Senate aide: ‘This is a disgusting tragedy. Someone literally lost their life because of a lie that Trump told, Cruz/Hawley capitalized on, and fringe media echoed. This is in no way shape or form sustainable.’”

Another since-removed post from LaCivita’s feed included a comment calling those who stormed the Capitol “thugs.” The comment from a GOP political staffer linked to a CNN tweet reading, “Pro-Trump protesters have stormed the US Capitol, where members of Congress were meeting to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win.”

“They are not protestors. They are thugs,” the post read.

The shared comments by LaCivita, the top staffer for Trump’s quest to retake the White House this November, are notable as the former president in the closing weeks of the campaign has sought to recast the events that day.

On social media, Trump has shared unfounded conspiracies suggesting the riot was an inside job perpetrated by the federal government. He has also called the rally and events preceding it as a day of “love and peace,” and suggested that if he regains the White House, he will pardon January 6 rioters convicted of violent acts that day.

During a Univision town hall last week, Trump defended his supporters’ actions, claiming they stormed the Capitol because they believed the election was “rigged.” He continued to mischaracterize the day’s events, stating, “That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions.”

Last week, on Truth Social, Trump also shared a post calling January 6 “the day the government staged a riot.”

The unfounded conspiracy theory that the federal government staged the January 6 attack has been widely debunked as baseless.

LaCivita, a longtime Republican political strategist with a career working on high-profile campaigns throughout Virginia and nationally, has served in the role of co-campaign manager for Donald Trump’s third presidential bid with fellow seasoned political operative Susie Wiles since 2023.

He first gained national recognition during the 2004 presidential election for his role in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, the group that sought to undermine and attack Democratic nominee John Kerry’s military record.

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