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Denver Riggleman

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Denver Riggleman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 5th district
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byTom Garrett
Succeeded byBob Good
Personal details
Born
Denver Lee Riggleman III

(1970-03-17) March 17, 1970 (age 54)
Manassas, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (2022–present)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Republican (until 2022)
Spouse
Christine Blair
​
(m. 1989)​
Children3
EducationRowan College, Burlington (AA)
Air University (AAS)
University of Virginia (BA)
Villanova University (GradCert)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service1992–2007
Unit366th Fighter Wing
34th Bomb Squadron
National Security Agency

Denver Lee Riggleman III (born March 17, 1970) is an American businessman and former politician from Virginia who served one term as the United States representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district. A former Air Force officer and National Security Agency contractor, Riggleman opened a craft distillery in Virginia in 2014. As a Republican, he ran for his party's nomination in the 2017 gubernatorial election, but withdrew from the race. Riggleman was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2018. Riggleman was defeated in his bid for reelection in 2020, losing to Republican primary challenger Bob Good in a drive-through party convention. Riggleman co-authored a book with Hunter Walker titled The Breach, which was published in October 2022.[2] The book detailed his work on the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[3]

Early life and education

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Riggleman was born and raised in Manassas, Virginia.[4][5] He graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in 1988.[5] Riggleman earned an Associate of Arts from Rowan College at Burlington County, formerly Burlington County College, in 1996.[6] He received an Associate of Applied Science in avionics systems from the Community College of the Air Force at Air University in 1996.[6] In 1998, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.[6] Riggleman received a graduate certificate in project management from Villanova University in 2007.[6]

Career

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Riggleman served in the Air Force for 15 years.[7] After initially serving as an enlisted avionics technician, he received a commission and went on to serve as an intelligence officer.[5]

Riggleman founded NSA contractor Analytics Warehouse, LLC, in 2007, and was its CEO until 2015.

In 2014, Riggleman and his wife opened Silverback Distillery, a 50-acre craft distillery in Afton, Virginia, outside Charlottesville.[5][8] He has pushed for deregulation of distilleries in the state and changes to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Together with other distillers, the Rigglemans established a "loosely formed distillers guild" and hired a lobbyist.[8] Riggleman has "criticized the state's alcohol and tax laws as unfairly harsh toward spirits producers and spoke[n] of a new 'whiskey rebellion.'"[9]

Early political career

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Gubernatorial election

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In December 2016, Riggleman filed papers to seek the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia in the 2017 gubernatorial election. His opponents in the Republican primary were former President George W. Bush counselor and Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, Prince William County Board of Supervisors chairman Corey Stewart, and state Senator Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach.[5] Riggleman suspended his campaign on March 16, 2017.[4]

Riggleman had expressed interest in running for Governor in 2021 as an independent or third-party candidate, citing his belief that the Republican Party of Virginia is broken.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2018

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Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 5
Riggleman speaking with attendees at the 2018 Young Americans for Liberty National Convention

In the 2018 elections, Riggleman was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives election for Virginia's 5th congressional district. He defeated Cynthia Dunbar, who had lost the Republican nomination in the 6th district just weeks before, in the final round of voting to win the nomination.[11] The Republican incumbent, Tom Garrett, did not run for reelection.[12]

In the November 2018 general election, Riggleman defeated Democratic nominee Leslie Cockburn with 53% of the vote to Cockburn's 47%.[13]

Interest in Bigfoot
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During the campaign, Cockburn accused Riggleman of being a "devotee of Bigfoot erotica", based on an image he shared from his Instagram to promote a book titled The Mating Habits of Bigfoot and Why Women Want Him. In an interview with CRTV Riggleman said the image was an obvious joke, but that he had an interest in Bigfoot, and co-authored the actual self-published book Bigfoot Exterminators, Inc.: The Partially Cautionary, Mostly True Tale of Monster Hunt 2006, with ESPN writer Don Barone.[14] In a phone interview with The Washington Post, he clarified that it was an "anthropological book sort of based on parody and satire" and said, "I thought it was funny. There is no way that anybody's dumb enough to think this is real."[15]

In 2020, Riggleman released a book titled Bigfoot… It's Complicated, and described himself as a "Bigfoot scholar." Despite that, he does not believe in the creature's existence.[16]

QAnon
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Riggleman is the only member of the Republican party to speak on the House of Representatives floor against QAnon.[17] He is a co-sponsor of 2020 US House resolution H. Res 1154 "Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes".[18] He is also one of the co-authors of the Network Contagion Research Institute (affiliated with Rutgers University) report called "THE QANON CONSPIRACY: Destroying Families, Dividing Communities, Undermining Democracy"[17] which he wrote before the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol. "When ideas or fantasy are weaponized, there is a metamorphosis from harmless, bizarre theories to a dangerous bloom of tribalism and dehumanization of others," he wrote in the report. "This bloom expands digitally from person to person, absorbing and then converting a tribe that believes alternate realities based on a directed stream of algorithmically and group targeted data, ignorant analytic white papers, memes, ideas and coded language."

Since leaving Congress in January 2021, Riggleman has been working with experts and academics at the Network Contagion Research Institute to study disinformation and how to combat it.[19]

2020

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Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 5

The Rappahannock County Republican Party criticized Riggleman after he officiated a same-sex wedding between two of his friends, and in September he was censured by party officials who claimed that he had "abandoned party principles" over fiscal and immigration policy.[20]

On September 26, 2019, Campbell County Supervisor Bob Good—who also worked as an athletics official at Liberty University—announced his intention to challenge Riggleman in the 2020 Republican primary. In his announcement, Good accused Riggleman of "betraying" the trust of conservative voters in the 5th district along with casting votes that were not in his constituency's best interest. Riggleman secured key endorsements on the right, including from Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr.[21]

The local party leaders of the 5th Congressional District Republican Committee chose to determine the 2020 nominee for the fifth district by a convention instead of a primary election.[22] On June 13, 2020, Good defeated Riggleman at the nominating convention[23] with 58% of the vote to Riggleman's 42%.[24]

Tenure

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Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Farewell address

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On December 11, 2020, Riggleman gave a farewell address on the floor of the House. He said his experience as an Air Force intelligence officer taught him "... the invaluable lesson of considering the source" when examining disinformation. He stated that "a well-instructed" and knowledgeable people are the pillars of a functional republic, and that "Those pillars are now being assaulted by disinformation and outlandish theories surrounding this presidential election." Riggleman added "As we transition to a new administration I implore all to consider the sources of information you receive, to fact check diligently", he pleaded, asking his fellow Americans "to recognize that many bad actors who spread spurious and fantastical conspiracy theories under banners like QAnon, Kraken, 'Stop the Steal, 'Scamdemic' and many other emotive terms and coded language are not disseminating information rooted in knowledge but with questionable motives and greed. They are rooted in misunderstanding, or fraud or in some cases, ignorance." He told "all those on the end of the disinformation fire hose" that "unbiased, fact-based information sustains our republic," adding that "disinformation hinders our free exchange of ideas and creates super spreader digital viruses that create a fever of nonsense." He asked his audience to remember that "people are more important than party" and that "pandering is a political sickness."[25]

Post-Congressional career

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January 6 Committee staffer

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On August 6, 2021, Riggleman was appointed to serve as a senior staffer to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.[26][27] In April 2022, Riggleman sent the January 6 Committee chairman and vice chairwoman a letter informing them of his decision to leave his position in the coming weeks.[28]

On the evening of Wednesday, June 1, 2022, Riggleman appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN).[29] On Friday, June 3, 2022, Politico reported that January 6 Committee staff director, and former CIA Inspector General, David Buckley said in an email to staff the previous day: "I want you to know that I am deeply disappointed in [Riggleman's] decision to discuss the Select Committee’s work on television"[29]..."in direct contravention to his employment agreement"[30][31][32][33]

Other associations

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In October 2022, Riggleman joined Issue One's Council for Responsible Social Media project, which states its mission is to address the mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in the United States. The council is co-chaired by former House Democratic Caucus Leader Dick Gephardt and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.[34]

On August 4, 2024, Riggleman endorsed Kamala Harris for President, while criticizing Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 protest and his pursuit of "power, revenge, and retribution".[35] Riggleman announced his support for Harris as part of her "Republicans for Harris" initiative.[36]

On October 16, 2024, Riggleman endorsed Democratic Virginia Senator Tim Kaine for reelection, citing concerns over the Republican Party's embrace of misinformation; Kaine was facing retired U.S. Navy Captain Hung Cao.[37]

Electoral history

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Virginia's 5th congressional district, 2018[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Denver Riggleman 165,339 53.18
Democratic Leslie Cockburn 145,040 46.65
n/a Write-ins 547 0.18
Total votes 310,926 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life

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Riggleman has been married to Christine Blair Riggleman since 1989. They reside in Nellysford[5] and have three daughters.[5] In July 2019, Riggleman was the officiant at a same-sex marriage for two of his friends who had previously been campaign volunteers.[39]

References

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  1. ^ Hoye, Matthew; Gangel, Jamie (June 5, 2022). "Former Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman says he's no longer a Republican: 'I think the party left me some time ago'". CNN. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  2. ^ Green, Lloyd (October 8, 2022). "The Breach review: ex-January 6 staffer on how Republicans lurched into madness". The Guardian. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Dreisbach, Tom (October 4, 2022). "A new book's behind-the-scenes look at Congress' Jan. 6 Capitol riot investigation". NPR. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Vozzella, Laura (March 16, 2017). "Populist candidate Denver Riggleman drops out of GOP race for Virginia governor". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Portnoy, Jenna (December 28, 2016). "A fourth Republican enters the race for Virginia governor". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ a b c d "Denver Riggleman III's Biography". Vote Smart.
  7. ^ "Biography". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (February 14, 2016). "Va.'s growing craft distillery industry pushes against regulatory roadblocks". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Moomaw, Graham (December 10, 2016). "As Trump era dawns, 2017 Virginia GOP hopefuls court supporters at gathering in Richmond". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  10. ^ Woodhouse, Skylar; Cirilli, Kevin (July 29, 2020). "Virginia's Riggleman Says He's Considering Bid for Governor". Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Wrabel, Allison (June 2, 2018). "Riggleman selected as GOP nominee in 5th District". The Daily Progress. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  12. ^ "Virginia Department of Elections, Certified Candidates in Ballot Order for November 6, 2018" (PDF). elections.virginia.gov. Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  13. ^ "Virginia Election Results: Fifth House District". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  14. ^ Stack, Liam (July 30, 2018). "'Bigfoot Erotica' Becomes an Issue in Virginia Congressional Campaign". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Charles, Ron (July 30, 2018). "What is Bigfoot erotica? A Virginia congressional candidate accused her opponent of being into it". The Washington Post.
  16. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (November 24, 2020). "Rep. Denver Riggleman on Bigfoot, QAnon, and believers". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Goldenberg, Alex (December 15, 2020). "The QAnon Conspiracy" (PDF). NCRI Reports. 1 (1): 3.
  18. ^ "US House of Representatives list of H Res 1154 co-sponsors"
  19. ^ Petters, Jeremy (April 3, 2021). "One Republican's Lonely Fight Against a Flood of Disinformation". The New York Times – via Yahoo! News.
  20. ^ Burke, Julie (September 16, 2019). "Virginia county GOP censures Rep. Riggleman, sparking sharp response". The Hill. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  21. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (September 26, 2019). "Liberty University official to challenge Rep. Denver Riggleman for GOP nomination". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  22. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (November 9, 2019). "Republicans choose convention, setting up nomination contest for Rep. Denver Riggleman". The Roanoke Times.
  23. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (June 14, 2020). "UPDATE: Challenger Bob Good ousts Rep. Denver Riggleman at 5th District GOP nominating convention". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  24. ^ "GOP congressman who officiated gay wedding loses primary". ABC News. Associated Press. June 14, 2020.
  25. ^ Cain, Andrew (December 11, 2020). "In farewell address Rep. Denver Riggleman urges voters to reject 'fever of nonsense'". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  26. ^ Wang, Amy B. (August 7, 2021). "Jan. 6 committee hires former GOP congressman Denver Riggleman as senior staff member". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Beavers, Olivia (August 28, 2022). "Dems hire Riggleman to serve as adviser to Jan. 6 committee". Politico. Retrieved August 6, 2021. House Democrats have hired former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman to serve as an adviser to the Jan. 6 select committee, the panel chair announced late Friday.
  28. ^ Nobles, Ryan; Gangel, Jamie (April 27, 2022). "Top Republican staffer on January 6 committee leaving". CNN. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Video: He helped decode texts from January 6th. Hear what he uncovered". Anderson Cooper 360. CNN. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  30. ^ Wu, Nicholas; Cheney, Kyle (June 3, 2022). "Jan. 6 panel fumes over 'unauthorized' interview by former adviser". Politico. Retrieved August 28, 2022. Riggleman verified the validity of the text messages and described his horror at their contents. He also discussed the committee's work to link various participants in former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election, describing it as a sophisticated data-driven operation that could take years to fully analyze, despite the panel's compressed time frame.
  31. ^ Casey, Dan (June 5, 2022). "Strong hints that 'horror' will be revealed in the Jan. 6 Select Committee hearings". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022. But Wednesday night, Riggleman appeared on Anderson Cooper 360. Thursday morning, he was back on the air with CNN's Brianna Keller.
  32. ^ Parton, Heather Digby (June 3, 2022). "The Jan. 6 committee hearings are finally here — and Republicans are running scared". Salon.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022. And apparently, as former Republican congressman Denver Riggleman, now an investigator for the select committee, told Anderson Cooper, the text messages during the post-election period prior to that day were downright chilling:
  33. ^ Anderson Cooper (June 1, 2022). "He helped decode Mark Meadows' texts. What he found scared him". CNN. youtube. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  34. ^ Feiner, Lauren (October 12, 2022). "Facebook whistleblower, former defense and intel officials form group to fix social media". CNBC. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  35. ^ Vozzella, Laura (August 4, 2024). "Ex-GOP congressman Riggleman endorses Harris, rips Trump's 'thirst for power'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  36. ^ Gangitano, Alex (August 4, 2024). "Harris team launches GOP group with endorsements from ex-Trump officials, key Republican voices". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  37. ^ Vozzella, Laura (October 16, 2024). "Former GOP Rep. Riggleman endorses Democratic Sen. Kaine of Virginia". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  38. ^ "Official Results". 2018 November General. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  39. ^ Vozzella, Laura (July 15, 2019). "Conservative GOP congressman presides at same-sex wedding in Virginia". The Washington Post.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denver Riggleman.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 5th congressional district
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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