Longtime Trump advisers connected to groups behind rally that led to

Three of the key advisers who helped engineer Donald Trump’s‘ rise to the presidency in 2016, and who fell from grace under the weight of federal criminal charges, resurfaced during Trump’s final days in office to help engineer his ill-fated attempt to cling to power.

Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn all participated in efforts to promote the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” event that ultimately devolved into a riotous and deadly melee at the United States Capitol, leaving five dead and causing Trump to become the only president to be impeached for a second time.

While none of them spoke at the actual rally, Stone whipped up a crowd of Trump supporters in Washington the night before, telling them the president’s enemies sought “nothing less than the heist of the 2020 election.”

“And we say, No way!” Stone said at the Jan. 5 rally.

Flynn promoted the so-called “Jericho March,” a rally of Christians to “pray, march, fast, and rally for election integrity,” according to the group’s website, that also took place on Jan. 6 in the shadow of the Capitol. In the weeks leading up to the event, Flynn told his supporters that they would “need to be fearless as Americans.”

Speaking at a Dec. 12 rally in Washington to promote the Trump effort to overturn the election, Flynn told supporters they had reached a “crucible moment” and “there has to be sacrifice.”

“We’re in a battle … for the heart and soul of the country,” Flynn said. “We will win.”

Bannon also played a significant role in promoting the Jan. 6 rally, which was co-organized by “March for Trump,” and he previously served as a prominent sponsor of the group’s cross-country December bus tour ahead of the rally. Shortly after Trump lost the 2020 election, Bannon’s “War Room” podcast was banned from YouTube for suggesting Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded.

“I’d put the heads on pikes. Right. I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats,” Bannon said. “You either get with the program or you are gone.”

Falls from grace

All three men played pivotal roles in Trump’s rise to power, only to see their reputations tainted by criminal investigation.

Stone was one of Trump’s earliest political advisers, working with the real estate mogul long before he ventured into campaign politics. After a brief period working directly for Trump’s presidential bid, Stone took on the role of outside adviser, even as he maintained regular contact with Trump.

Stone was later swept into the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, and faced allegations that he helped coordinate the release of hacked documents by WikiLeaks that were meant to damage Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton. In 2019,…