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In deleted tweet, Pete Sessions says he told pro-Trump group to ‘keep fighting’ before Capitol riot

The longtime congressman, who now represents a Central Texas district, wrote that he had met with members of Stop the Steal on Jan. 3.

Three days before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Rep. Pete Sessions tweeted that he had met with one of the groups that organized the rally and told them to “keep fighting.”

Sessions, a Waco Republican, deleted the tweet the day after the deadly riot, according to the site Politiwoops, which keeps track of deleted tweets by public officials.

“Had a great meeting today with folks from ‘Stop the Steal’ at our nation’s Capitol. I encouraged them to keep fighting and assured them I look forward to doing MY duty on January 6th,” the Jan. 3 tweet said. Sessions also used the hashtags #StopTheSteal and #legalvotescount.

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Sessions changed his tone the afternoon of the riots, calling for unity across the country.

“Today, there was an illegal and unprecedented charge on the U.S. Capitol. It should not have occurred and should not be tolerated,” he tweeted.

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Sessions’ office did not respond to a request for comment from The Dallas Morning News about the deleted tweet.

Five people died in the Jan. 6 riot, including one Capitol Police officer. After the violence, more than 15,000 members of the National Guard were activated in Washington and other steps have been taken to increase security ahead of Inauguration Day next week.

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Sessions objected to the Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania when Congress resumed certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The first attempt was interrupted by the insurrection.

Sessions, who previously represented northeastern Dallas County in the U.S. House, was ousted from his District 32 seat in 2018 by Democrat Colin Allred after serving 22 years in Congress. He moved to Waco, his childhood home, and won the District 17 seat in the November election.