OAN said it was not Trump who led rioters to the Capitol but Pierre L'Enfant, DC's 18th-century architect

• The pro-Trump One America Network made bizarre argument to distance Trump from the Capitol riot.
• It suggested that Washington’s 230-year-old road plan was what led rioters to the Capitol.
• The argument comes as the president fights his second impeachment in the Senate.
• Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

The pro-Trump One America News Network made a bizarre argument involving the 18th-century architect of Washington, DC, to argue that former president did not lead rioters to the Capitol on January 6.

OAN made the suggestion on Thursday in response to the arguments presented on the second day of Trump’s impeachment trial, at which he is accused of being responsible for the insurrection.

Democratic Rep. Stacey Plaskett, in her role of a House impeachment manager, argued that over a period of months of encouraging his supporters, Trump had “made sure” his fans would march from the Ellipse — the site of the “Save America” rally where he delivered an address — to the Capitol.

OAN apparently misread those remarks, noting in its segment: “There’s no evidence to suggest that President Trump coordinated with city officials to create some sort of route for protesters to go from the White House to the US Capitol.”

“Furthermore, it was, in fact, Pierre L’Enfant, the architect of Washington, DC, around 200 years prior to the event of January 6, who designed the city to ensure that all roads led to to the beacon of democracy he placed at the center of the city — Capitol Hill.”

Plaskett had not at any point suggested any coordination or the creation of a special route from the Ellipse to the Capitol.

Watch the segment here:

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L’Enfant, a French engineer, produced the first road plan for Washington, DC, on which the current layout is based, in 1791. It includes a direct route from the Ellipse to Capitol Hill.

People were quick to mock OAN’s segment on social media.

“The real fascist insurrection was the urban planning we made along the way,” tweeted Ingrid Burrington, an author.

“The French played the long game with this one,” wrote Andrew Nazdin, another user.

OAN did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for clarification. 

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