Proud Boys Say They've Had a Member 'at the White House For Four Years'

The Proud Boys further fanned outcry after their leader appeared to suggest he had been invited to the White House over the weekend by claiming that there has been a member of the far-right group at the official residence of the president for the last four years.

The Trump administration was forced to deny that Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio had been officially invited to the White House ahead of a large MAGA rally taking place at the capitol on Saturday.

Posting on social media site Parler, Tarrio uploaded a photograph of himself inside the White House gates adding he had a "last-minute invite to an undisclosed location."

"He was on a public White House Christmas tour," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. "He did not have a meeting with the president, nor did the White House invite him."

Also writing on their official Parler account, the Proud Boys—who also claim their threats on violence are jokes and not to be taken seriously by the media—questioned why there was outrage over the suggestion that Tarrio was at the White House officially.

"There's been a Proud Boy at the White House for 4 years and everyone's shocked about the pic from today," the extremist group wrote.

The message appears to be a thinly-veiled reference to Donald Trump, who was heavily criticized in September after he failed to denounce the group during the televised presidential debate and instead told them to "stand back and stand by."

The Proud Boys were buoyed by the comments, adopting the words as a new slogan, including having it appear on merchandise, and considering it permission from the president to cause further violence against antifa and other left-wing protesters.

Trump eventually condemned the Proud Boys as well as "all white supremacists" during an interview with Fox News in October.

"I condemn the Proud Boys. I don't know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that," he said before suggesting President-elect Joe Biden should also condemn antifa.

The White House has been contacted for further comment.

Violence broke out in Washington on Saturday after thousands of people attended the rally showing support for Trump's unsubstantiated and unproven claims that he lost the election due to widespread voter fraud.

The Proud Boys were seen fighting on the streets of the capital with antifa counter-protesters, and four of their supporters receiving non-life threatening injuries after they were stabbed during an altercation outside a bar.

Proud Boys supporters were also seen ripping off a Black Lives Matter sign displayed outside the Asbury United Methodist Church and setting fire to it.

The church's senior pastor, Rev. Dr. Ianther M. Mills, described the act as "reminiscent of cross burnings."