Oath Keepers extremist group founder Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy in the major Jan. 6 trial.
A Washington, D.C., jury found Rhodes guilty of sedition after three days of deliberations in the the nearly two-month-long trial that showcased the far-right extremist group’s efforts to keep Republican Donald Trump in the White House at all costs.Rhodes didn’t go inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, but was accused of leading a plot that began shortly after the 2020 election to wage an armed rebellion to stop the transfer of presidential power.
Through recordings and encrypted messages, jurors heard how Rhodes rallied his followers to fight to keep Trump in office, warned of a possible “bloody” civil war and expressed regret that the Oath Keepers didn’t bring rifles to the Capitol on Jan. 6. In an extraordinary move, Rhodes and two other defendants took the stand in their defense, opening themselves up to intense questioning from prosecutors. Rhodes told jurors there was no plan to attack the Capitol and insisted that his followers who went inside the building went rogue.
On trial alongside Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, were Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers; Kenneth Harrelson, another Florida Oath Keeper; Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy intelligence officer from Virginia; and Jessica Watkins, who led an Ohio militia group.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oath Keepers Boss Stewart Rhodes Convicted in Jan. 6 TrialBREAKING | Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy for planning an armed rebellion in an attempt to stop the electoral certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Donald Trump.
Read more »
Live updates: Oath Keepers on trial for seditious conspiracyA verdict has been reached in the historic trial of the Oath Keepers accused of plotting to attack the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Follow here for live updates.
Read more »
Jury convicts Oath Keepers leader, 1 other of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 trialThe jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and his four associates charged with seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6
Read more »
Jury reaches verdict in Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy trialJUST IN: Federal jury reaches verdict in the seditious conspiracy trial of five Oath Keepers members charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Read more »
Jury deliberations resume in Oath Keepers 1/6 sedition caseJurors in the Oath Keepers case will decide, for the first time, whether the actions of any Jan. 6 defendants amount to seditious conspiracy.
Read more »