Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers Founder, Charged with Seditious Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the head of Oath Keepers, a former Army paratrooper and Yale Law graduate, was charged with seditious conspiracy in connection to the Capitol riot, along with 10 others. The arrests are the first time prosecutors have brought sedition charges related to the riot. Rhodes said that he did not go into the Capitol on January 6. Rhodes and his codefendants are accused of using encrypted messaging apps in late December 2020 to coordinate and plan to travel to Washington, DC, to disrupt Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021. Prosecutors also alleged that Rhodes and some of the co-defendants made plans to bring weapons to the Capitol.

Stewart Rhodes — founder and leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers, whose members are accused of being key players in the Jan. 6 attack on Congress — has been indicted and arrested, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The 56-year-old, who was at the Capitol that day but has said he did not enter the building, is the most high-profile person charged in the investigation so far. He is charged with seditious conspiracy, along with 10 other Oath Keepers members or associates, said the people familiar with the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe.

Rhodes was arrested Thursday, after a federal grand jury leveled new charges focusing on what prosecutors say is a core group of Oath Keepers adherents who allegedly planned for and participated in obstructing Congress on the day lawmakers certified President Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Charges are expected to be unsealed later Thursday.

In interviews with The Washington Post over the past year, Rhodes — a former Army paratrooper and Yale Law graduate who has become one of the most visible figures of the far-right anti-government movement — has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

He said he was communicating with members of his group in an effort to “keep them out of trouble,” and emphasized that Oath Keepers associates who did go in “went totally off mission.”

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Department of Justice:    https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/leader-oath-keepers-and-10-other-individuals-indicted-federal-court-seditious-conspiracy?s=09

Insider:    https://news.yahoo.com/leader-wing-oath-keepers-arrested-184322748.html