Elmer Stewart Rhodes
Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes was charged with seditious conspiracy in the January 6 investigation.Photo by Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
  • Attorneys for a group of Oath Keepers want a change of venue for their federal sedition trial.

  • The group of Oath Keepers argued that they can't get a fair trial in DC.

  • The attorneys decried the negative publicity.

Members of The Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group, are requesting a venue change before their upcoming federal seditious conspiracy trial related to the January 6 riot.

The defendants, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, Thomas Caldwell, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, and Jessica Watkins, said in a court filing on Friday that they are merely seeking to avoid an appeal issue.

Attorneys said in a court filing that the "Oath Keepers" have been all over the news.

The trial is scheduled to start in late November. Lawyers for the January 6 defendants admitted in the court filing that they have prejudgment biases.

There were unanimous jury verdicts returned after January 6 trials. In the District of Columbia, no J6 defendants have been acquitted on any of the counts they have been charged with.

The case should be moved to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for convenience of the government and the court.

Attorneys for the defendants argued that media coverage of the January 6 riot at the Capitol would prevent them from getting a fair trial.

Audio recordings from a walkie-talkie app that the Oath Keepers used were recently released by the House committee.

Attorneys for the defendants said that a recording of the Oath Keepers showing their intent was made public by the Congress's J6 Committee.

It's shocking that Congress would make public a recording that the court signaled would be used as evidence.

Attorneys for the defendants did not reply on Saturday.

More than 900 people have been arrested and charged in connection with the Capitol riot, and 386 of them have pleaded guilty.

Business Insider has an article on it.