WalkAway campaign

U.S. Representative Don Bacon speaking at a WalkAway rally in Omaha, Nebraska, in October 2020

The campaign is set up as a foundation and a political action committee:

• The #WalkAway Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization defined as an Alliance/Advocacy Organizations within the Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other category. The IRS ruling year for tax exemption was 2019.[11] While no IRS annual return is on file for 2019, the 2018 filing shows contributions of $97,950 with officers reported as Brandon Straka, chairman; Maria Albanese, director, and Tracy Diaz, director.[12] As of October 28, 2020, the foundation was involved in an online fundraising campaign through classy.org which had raised nearly $125,000.[13]
• The PAC is set up as #Walkaway Campaign PAC and shows receipts of $29,000 through the 2020 cycle. The FEC registration is C00718197 and the treasurer of the PAC is indicated as Dan Backer.[14]

In the runup to the 2020 United States presidential election, the WalkAway campaign held rallies and marches in various cities, an effort to get people to vote for President Donald Trump. In August 2020, the WalkAway campaign held a rally in West Hollywood, California. Nearly 300 demonstrators attended, including YouTuber Joy Villa. Many held flags and signs supportive of Trump and critical of the Democratic Party.[19] On September 5, the campaign held a rally in Dallas, Texas, during which a Black Lives Matter counter-protester was arrested.[20] On October 3, 2020, Straka held a rally in Washington, D.C.[21]

Straka in the 2021 Capitol attack

January 6 United States Capitol attack
A gallows (top) and a crowd of attackers amid a cloud of tear gas (bottom) outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Timeline • Planning
Background
2020 presidential election and other causes 2020–21 presidential election protests 2021 Electoral College vote count (alternate electors) Attempts to overturn the election Democratic backsliding in the US QAnon Republican reactions to Donald Trump's claims of election fraud Social media use by Donald Trump Trumpism
Related groups and persons Ali Alexander Ray Epps Nick Fuentes Rudy Giuliani Jericho March Alex Jones Sedition Caucus Donald Trump Donald Trump Jr.
Participants
Notable people Ashli Babbitt Joe Biggs Jacob Chansley Derrick Evans Tim "Baked Alaska" Gionet Simone Gold Klete Keller Ethan Nordean Rick Saccone Jon Schaffer John Earle Sullivan
Organizations Boogaloo movement Groypers Oath Keepers Proud Boys Three Percenters
Law enforcement response Capitol Police Eugene Goodman Brian Sicknick Howard Liebengood Steven Sund Department of Defense Michael C. Stenger Paul D. Irving Christopher C. Miller Ryan D. McCarthy Walter E. Piatt Charles A. Flynn Daniel Hokanson William J. Walker DC National Guard DC Muriel Bowser Robert Contee Michael Fanone Jeffrey L. Smith Virginia Ralph Northam
Aftermath
Biden inauguration 2021 inauguration week protests Security preparations
Investigations and charges Justice Department investigation Criminal proceedings list January 6 commission House Select Committee public hearings Smith special counsel investigation federal prosecution of Donald Trump
Corporate actions List of companies that halted political contributions Social media suspensions of Donald Trump permanent suspension Suspensions of other social media accounts shutdown of Parler Facebook
Reactions Domestic Antifa culpability conspiracy theory International
Impeachment Second impeachment of Donald Trump trial

Straka attended the 2021 United States Capitol attack and spoke to crowds on January 5 where he referred to the audience as "patriots" and referred repeatedly to a "revolution." He also told the attendees to "fight back" and added, "We are sending a message to the Democrats, we are not going away, you've got a problem!"[22][23]

The next day, he urged protestors to take away a police officer's shield, shouting "Take it away from him" and "Take it! Take it!" Later, as others tried to charge through the entrance to the Capitol, he shouted, "Go! Go!"[23]

On January 8, Facebook closed the #WalkAway page, which had more than half a million followers at the time. The page was replaced with a message from Facebook saying the page had violated its terms of use.[10] The shutdown came in the wake of the Capitol attack, when Facebook and other social media platforms increased their enforcement of terms of service that ban the incitement of violence.[24] Facebook said the page violated a policy on content that was, "hateful, threatening, or obscene".[25]

On January 25, Straka was arrested in Nebraska by the FBI for "impeding law enforcement officers during civil disorder" and unlawful entry into a restricted building, as well as disorderly conduct in relation to his role in the violent disturbance.[23][26] He pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge in October 2021, which could be punishable by up to six months in prison, and agreed to provide private social media and other evidence to investigators.[27] Prosecutors postponed Straka's December 2021 sentencing for thirty days to evaluate evidence he had provided.[28] Straka was later sentenced to three years probation for his role in the Capitol riot.[29]

In 2018, David A. Love of CNN condemned the campaign as "pure propaganda [and] a psychological operation."[30] The website Hamilton 68, which tracks Russia's interference on U.S. elections, reported that #WalkAway was "connected to Kremlin-linked Russian bots to manipulate voters into thinking the movement was more popular and active than it actually was."[17]

That same year, Abby Ohlheiser wrote in The Washington Post, "There’s little actual evidence to suggest that #WalkAway represents a mass conversion of millions – or even thousands – of Democrats" and contrasted the broad appeal of true viral videos with the "Conservative Internet viral" nature of the WalkAway video.[31] ThinkProgress characterized the campaign as "a grifting operation," noting efforts by the organizers to sell dinner packages priced in the hundreds of dollars to march attendees.[32]

As well, Slate journalist Mark Joseph Stern accused Straka of presenting royalty-free stock images from Shutterstock and claiming they were of people who had left the Democratic Party,[33] though Straka has denied that any such material originated from the WalkAway campaign. Fact-checking website Snopes stated that it could not determine whether this use of stock images had originated from campaign organizers.[34]

In June 2022, the Associated Press reported that more than 1 million voters had moved from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the previous year, while 630,000 had switched in the opposite direction.[35]

• BLEXIT Foundation
• Astroturfing