'Bachelorette' Alum James Taylor Confirms He Attended Pro-Trump Riots at Capitol

James Taylor, who appeared on Season 12 of The Bachelorette, confirmed that he attended the U.S. Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6. Taylor confirmed via Twitter that he attended the riot. He also issued his gratitude to his Bachelor "family" for supporting him and claimed that ABC "had his back" when he went to the rally. The network has since denied this claim.

On Monday, Taylor tweeted, "Big thanks to #TheBachelor family for supporting me during this time... from top to bottom." He then added how he "legally supported" President Donald Trump by attending this gathering. In a subsequent tweet, the former Bachelorette contestant claimed that the ABC network, including the production team behind the Bachelor franchise, supported him during this time. However, he did not express exactly how ABC or those working on the Bachelor franchise supposedly supported him amidst this situation. According to E! News, a source close to ABC calls Taylor's claims "unequivocally false."

Taylor previously shared his intent to gather in Washington D.C. in order to contest the results of the presidential election, which Joe Biden won despite Trump's baseless claims regarding widespread voter fraud. He tweeted on Jan. 5, "DC tomorrow. #MarchForTrump Take a bus. Drive. MSG me if you need a plane ticket... just don't make an excuse not to fight for a man who's been fighting for you for 4 years..." A day after he tweeted this message, a mob of Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, which is where Congress was in the midst of certifying the results of the election. Taylor's exact involvement in this riot is unclear.

The president's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, causing the building to go under lockdown. Amidst the chaos, Trump released a video on Twitter (which was quickly pulled from the service as it violated its Civic Integrity policy) in which he told his supporters to "go home." Although, he also doubled-down on his baseless claims that the election was "stolen" from him and his supporters. The president even told those individuals who were storming the Capitol that he loved them and that they're "special." Trump's account was temporarily suspended following this incident. While he was able to get his account back for a short span of time, Twitter ultimately decided to permanently suspend the president from the site, stating that they were doing so "due to the risk of further incitement of violence."