Former U.S. Representative Denver Riggleman (R-VA) lost his bid for reelection in 2020 to MAGA supporter Bob Good, who later voted against certifying the election of President Joe Biden and became a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus.
After Riggleman left Congress, he was hired as a senior staffer on the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was chaired by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). After eight months on the job, Riggleman left the position and wrote about his experience with the Committee in the book, The Breach.
Last weekend, the former Republican congressman Riggleman spoke at a Democratic convention hosted by the North Dakota Democratic Party, which he called “historic.”
I spoke as a former GOP congressman at a Democratic convention on Saturday @nddemnpl
Historic.
The biggest threat to democracy is metastatic conspiracies & ignorance pushed from Trump on down.
We need a pro-reality Army composed of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. pic.twitter.com/Gffb6lvzGZ
— Denver Riggleman (@RepRiggleman) April 10, 2024
Riggleman, a former Army intelligence officer, told the crowd that the biggest threat to democracy is “metastatic conspiracies and ignorance pushed from Trump on down.” He suggested building a “pro-reality army of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.”
“Our pro-reality army are the only ones who can kick the pro-fantasy’s ass. That’s really what it comes down to.” Riggleman voiced his optimism by saying, “The fact that you would invite me, a former Republican, someone who still doesn’t have a D behind my name, someone who proudly says ‘I’m independent,’ you all gave me your time today and for that I’m humbled. I’m sort of overwhelmed that you would do this.”