Oath Keepers Founder Denies Planning Jan. 6 Riot at Capitol

November 7, 2022 by Tom Ramstack
Oath Keepers Founder Denies Planning Jan. 6 Riot at Capitol
This artist sketch depicts the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, left, as he testifies before U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on charges of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, in Washington, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

WASHINGTON — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes denied that he planned an attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, as he testified during his own trial Monday in Washington, D.C.

He said his earlier suggestion to then-President Donald Trump to call out the military and private militia to help him remain in power was unrelated to the insurrection.

“It never even crossed my mind” that the Oath Keepers might force their way into the Capitol, Rhodes said in U.S. District Court.

The Oath Keepers, QAnon and other right-wing extremists were trying to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election win for Joe Biden.


He added that any of the insurrectionists who assaulted police officers should be prosecuted.

He described the Oath Keepers’ role in Washington on Jan. 6 as “peacekeeping,” to protect Republican leaders affiliated with Trump.

He said he hoped Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act to overturn the election results. The Insurrection Act of 1807 authorizes the president to deploy the U.S. military to suppress civil disorder, insurrection or rebellion.

The Oath Keepers claimed that evidence of election fraud was the same as civil disorder. Those claims have been proven wrong.


Rhodes and his four co-defendants are charged with seditious conspiracy to incite the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Rhodes put much of the blame for the Oath Keepers’ violence on his co-defendants.

Florida Oath Keepers leader Kelly Meggs led some of his followers wearing tactical gear as they broke through the East Capitol Rotunda doors with other rioters. Rhodes testified that he told Meggs his attack was “stupid” and that “it opened the door for our political enemies to persecute us.”

Federal prosecutors said Rhodes’ actions leading up to the riot and afterward cast doubt on his claims he had no plans for violence.

They presented evidence that Rhodes and at least 10 co-conspirators brought firearms with them to Washington in the days before Jan. 6. They kept some of the guns in rooms they rented in an Arlington, Virginia, hotel while referring to themselves as a “Quick Reaction Force,” according to prosecutors.

Four days after the riot, Rhodes was recorded saying, “We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I’d hang f—— Pelosi from a lamppost,” in a reference to killing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Rhodes also is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly ordering other Oath Keepers to delete evidence of potentially incriminating communications.


Prosecutors rested their case on Thursday after a month of testimony from more than two dozen witnesses who implicated Rhodes in the riot. The witnesses included FBI agents, U.S. Capitol Police officers and former Oath Keepers.

Tom can be reached at [email protected] and @TomRamstack

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Law

Lawsuit: Slurs, Coercion at BBQ Chain With Racist History

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina barbecue chain known for its pro-segregation stance in a landmark 1960s case and... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina barbecue chain known for its pro-segregation stance in a landmark 1960s case and its embrace of the Confederate flag in 2000 is facing allegations of racism and sexual harassment by the fired general manager of one of its restaurants.... Read More

Trump Legal Woes Force Another Moment of Choosing for GOP

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — From the moment he rode down the Trump Tower escalator to announce his first presidential campaign,... Read More

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — From the moment he rode down the Trump Tower escalator to announce his first presidential campaign, a searing question has hung over the Republican Party: Is this the moment to break from Donald Trump? Elected Republicans have wavered at times — whether it... Read More

March 20, 2023
by Dan McCue
McCarthy Urges Calm if Trump Arrested

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday that he doesn’t think people should protest if former President Donald... Read More

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday that he doesn’t think people should protest if former President Donald Trump is arrested on charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. On Saturday, Trump took to his Truth Social social media site to say that... Read More

March 18, 2023
by Dan McCue
Metro Police Monitoring Situation After Trump Calls for Protests

WASHINGTON —The Metropolitan Police Department is not aware of any protests planned in the district in the wake of former... Read More

WASHINGTON —The Metropolitan Police Department is not aware of any protests planned in the district in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s “announcement” he’ll be arrested next week, but is continuing to monitor the situation, a spokesman told The Well News on Saturday afternoon. For... Read More

March 17, 2023
by Dan McCue
International Court Issues War Crimes Warrant for Putin

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday charging... Read More

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday charging him in relation to the ongoing abductions of children from Ukraine. The move marks the first time a leader of one of five permanent members of... Read More

March 14, 2023
by Dan McCue
Ohio Sues Norfolk Southern Over East Palestine Derailment

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio filed a 58-count civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Tuesday, seeking to hold the... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio filed a 58-count civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Tuesday, seeking to hold the Class 1 railroad financially responsible for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine that caused the release of an estimated 1 million gallons of hazardous chemicals.... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top