Oath Keepers leader denies planning attack on US Capitol

The founder of the far-right group Oath Keepers He denied this Monday in his trial for “sedition” having “planned” the assault on the Capitol and considered “stupid” those who invaded the headquarters of the Congress of USA.

Stewart Rhodesa 57-year-old ex-military man known for his black eye patch and law graduate of Yale University, has been on trial for more than a month along with four other members of Oath Keepers by a federal court in Washington.

LOOK HERE: The accusation of “sedition” against the extreme right group Oath Keepers (and the sentence that awaits its leader)

The prosecution accuses him of having “plotted” for forcibly opposing the results of the 2020 presidential elections and having bought and stored weapons near the federal capital as part of the planning of the assault on the seat of Congress.

Wearing helmets and combat gear, militants from Oath Keepers joined supporters of donald trump who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021 when legislators were preparing to certify the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential elections.

rhodes stood by, but led his hosts through a radio, “just like a general on the battlefield”according to prosecutors.

“We were not there to block the certification of the results, we did not plan to enter the Capitol,” He replied in front of the jurors. “That was not part of our mission.”

He said that the Oath Keepers are “an organization charged with enforcing the law” and simply had to provide security during a demonstration called by Trump to protest the election results.

The defendant added that he was faced with a fait accompli and considered “a stupidity” that some of its members enter the headquarters of the Congress.

MORE INFORMATION: Who are the Oath Keepers, the group whose members are tried for seditious conspiracy in the US?

It’s “It opened the door to our political persecution, and look where we are,” said.

“Contrary to the Constitution”

The fiscal kathryn rakoczy recalled that Rhodes spent $17,000 on the purchase of weapons and equipment before January 6, and showed several messages in which the militia leader specifically mentioned “a civil war”.

The defendant urged the official to prove that he had specifically called for the January 6 violence.

According to rhodes these preparations should allow the Oath Keepers react quickly if Donald Trump decided to declare a state of insurrection, by virtue of a 1807 law that authorizes presidents to mobilize certain armed forces in exceptional contexts.

“It was the first time that an election was held that was so flagrantly contrary to the Constitution.” Rhodes added when taking up the accusations of fraud that, without evidence, the former Republican president has promoted.

ALSO SEE: The Oath Keepers: the far-right party that took over the Capitol for Donald Trump goes to the dock

More than 880 people who participated in this attack on the Capitol were arrested and hundreds received varying degrees of sentence on charges including violence against the police.

But only some members of the militia Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys militia are prosecuted for sedition, a charge that is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The trial against Stewart Rhodes, the first on this charge, is a challenge for the Department of Justice.

Trump is the subject of a parliamentary investigation to determine his responsibility.

Source: AFP

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.