The founder of the Oath Keepers tried to contact Donald Trump during the January 6 Capitol riot to urge him to stop the transfer of power, according to a fellow Oath Keepers leader who pleaded guilty Wednesday.
The Oath Keepers was founded by Stewart Rhodes.
William Todd Wilson, leader of the Oath Keepers, said in court that he and Rhodes had a phone conversation shortly after they left the scene of the riot.
According to the filing, Wilson signed as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Rhodes urged the unnamed individual to tell Trump to call on organizations such as the Oath Keepers to stop the transfer of presidential power.
Wilson said he heard Rhodes say "I just want to fight" after the unnamed individual did not put Rhodes in contact with Trump.
The National Guard was preparing to remove rioters from the Capitol when the conversation took place in a suite at the Phoenix Park Hotel.
Two lawyers representing Rhodes, who pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and other charges tied to the Capitol riot, told CNN they were not aware of any contact between Trump and Rhodes.
Wilson pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding for entering the Capitol during the riot with a pocketknife and wearing a hat as a disguise.
Court documents don't identify the individual Rhodes asked to put him in touch with, nor do they establish that Rhodes was in contact with anyone close to Trump.
One of the largest right-wing anti-government groups is the Oath Keepers. According to the New York Times, at least four members of the group have cooperated with prosecutors and been charged in connection to the Capitol riot. According to the court filing, Oath Keepers members used the messaging app Signal to coordinate an effort to obstruct the certification of Joe Biden's election win. The founder of the group was charged with seditious conspiracy after prosecutors alleged he traveled to Washington, D.C. to oppose the transfer of presidential power and entered a restricted area of the Capitol grounds during the riot.
Wilson could be sentenced to 40 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. The Department of Justice said that no sentencing date has been set. If he is convicted of seditious conspiracy, he could face up to 20 years in prison. The trial is set to start on July 11.
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