Oath Keepers Conviction

Click here for an NYT article by Alan Feuer and Zach Montague, entitled "Oath Keepers Leader Convicted of sedition in Landmark Jan. 6 Case." Read about how leader Stewart Rhodes, holder of a Yale law degree, "became increasingly panicked as the election moved toward its final certification at a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6."

 "Hundreds of encrypted text messages swapped by Oath Keepers members" showed that: 

"Mr. Rhodes and some of his followers were in thrall to outlandish fears that Chinese agents had infiltrated the United States government and that Mr. Biden — a “puppet” of the Chinese Communist Party — might cede control of the country to the United Nations.

"The messages also showed that Mr. Rhodes was obsessed with the leftist movement known as antifa, which he believed was in league with Mr. Biden’s incoming administration. At one point during the trial, Mr. Rhodes, who took the stand in his own defense, told the jury he was convinced that antifa activists would storm the White House, overpower the Secret Service and forcibly drag Mr. Trump from the building if he failed to admit his defeat to Mr. Biden."

Millions of people have been duped by the conman Donald Trump. Some of them have acted on their misguided beliefs. 

Click here for Heather Cox Richardson's summary of the conviction and the circumstances leading to it:

Beginning in late December 2020, they planned to travel to Washington, D.C., on or around January 6, 2021, to stop Congress from certifying the electoral college vote that would officially elect Biden. They recruited others, organized combat training sessions, and smuggled paramilitary gear to the area around the Capitol. They planned to take control of the Capitol grounds and buildings on January 6. 

According to the Department of Justice, on that day, “Meggs, Harrelson, and Watkins, along with other Oath Keepers and affiliates—many wearing paramilitary clothing and patches with the Oath Keepers name, logo, and insignia—marched in a ‘stack’ formation up the east steps of the Capitol, joined a mob, and made their way into the Capitol. Rhodes and Caldwell remained outside the Capitol, where they coordinated activities” and stayed in touch with quick reaction force teams outside the city, which were ready to bring in firearms to stop the transfer of power.

Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, and Thomas Caldwell were also found guilty of lesser charges, not including the serious count of sedition.

There are two more seditious conspiracy trials scheduled for December. One is for five other Oath Keepers; the other is against the leaders of the far-right gang the Proud Boys, led by Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio. 

 

Former federal prosecutor Randall D. Eliason, who teaches law at George Washington University, told reporters: 

“Now the only remaining question is how much higher did those plans go, and who else might be held criminally responsible.” While federal prosecutors sought only to tie Rhodes to the other Oath Keepers, both sides agreed that Rhodes communicated with Trump allies Roger Stone, Ali Alexander, and Michael Flynn after the election. 

Might we see Stone, Alexander (who has been collaborating with the feds quite a bit, I think), and Flynn in the defendants' box soon? Hope springs eternal!