Editing Ethan Nordean (section)

===As a member of the Proud Boys===
Nordean was designated "Proud Boy of the Week" by the group's magazine. On November 25, 2018, the Proud Boys released their revised bylaws on Scribd with the names of the top leadership supposedly redacted. Due to a technical error, the names could be recovered, and Nordean was listed as a member of the eight man "Elder Chapter", the top level leadership group, under his alias, Rufio Panman.

In the years that followed, Nordean took a leading role as an organizer of Proud Boys events and rallies. Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights, said, "He's been helping map the direction of the organization and recruiting members ... In no small part, he's been responsible for moving the group even more to the extreme far right and on a more violent path forward." Nordean operated a video podcast called "Rebel Talk with Rufio".

On December 11, 2020, Nordean was on the stage during a demonstration before the December 12 [[Stop the Steal movement|Stop The Steal]] rally in Washington, DC, alongside [[Roger Stone]] and fellow Proud Boys leader [[Enrique Tarrio]]. ''[[InfoWars]]'' personality Owen Shroyer also spoke to the crowd, claiming that the Supreme Court had stabbed people in the back.

On December 27, 2020, Nordean posted on Parler, saying "Anyone looking to help us with safety/protective gear, or communications equipment it would be much appreciated, things have gotten more dangerous for us this past year, anything helps". On January 4, 2021, Nordean posted a video on his Rebel Talk with Rufio podcast that was captioned, "Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us".

In the runup to the events at the Capitol on January 6, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio urged the Proud Boys to set aside their usual black and yellow garb, and attempt to blend in with the crowd. [[Joe Biggs]] and Nordean echoed his call on social media.