A new report says hundreds of U.S. law-enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the membership roll of the Oath Keepers.
The names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of theaccused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday.
The data raise fresh concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military who are tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the U.S. It’s especially problematic forat a time when lies about the 2020 election are fueling threats of violence against lawmakers and institutions. “Their views are far too extreme for me,” said Shawn Mobley, sheriff of Otero County, Colorado. Mobley told the AP in an email that he distanced himself from the Oath Keepers years ago over concerns about its involvement in the standoff against the federal governmentThe Oath Keepers, founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, is a loosely organized, conspiracy-theory-fueled group that recruits current and former military members, police officers and first responders.
The Oath Keepers has grown quickly along with the wider anti-government movement and used internet tools to spread its message during Barack Obama’s presidency, said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim deputy director of research with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project. But since the Jan. 6 riot and Rhodes’ arrest, the group has struggled to keep members, she said.
“Back in 2014, they appeared to be a pretty solid conservative group, I can’t speak to them now,” he said.. All of the police chiefs and sheriffs who responded to the AP said they no longer have any ties to the group. Sheriff Chad Bianco acknowledged he was a member of the Oath Keepers in 2014 but left after finding “the group did not offer me anything.”
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Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers listA new report says that the names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that’s accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol
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Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers listThe names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that's accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism pored over more than 38,000 names on leaked Oath Keepers membership lists and identified more than 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement agencies — including as police chiefs and sheriffs — and more than 100 people who are currently members of the military.
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