The founder of the Oath Keepers denied having anything to do with the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January of 2021.
A group of his Oath Keepers were in that mob.
The leader of the far-right group said he wouldn't have asked if they'd asked him.
On the day Congress met to certify the 2020 presidential election count, Rhodes' group brought violence and destruction to the U.S. Capitol. He claimed that the Oath Keepers provided security to people who requested it.
But prosecutors poked holes in his claim with evidence that the Oath Keepers bring violence and intimidation everywhere they go, including to Washington, where they allegedly prepared for violence leading up to the Jan. 6 riot by a mob of Donald Trump supporters.
There was an instance when Oath Keepers showed up to a protest in Louisville, Kentucky, in the wake of a death in police custody. Rakoczy played a video that showed some of the Oath Keepers standing by their trucks with rifles in their hands.
You are doing more to inflame the situation. Rakoczy inquired about Rhodes.
Rhodes said he didn't agree.
Do you hear anyone imploring you to leave?
He said that he did.
The Oath Keepers were in the District of Columbia in January to protect right-wing political adviser Roger Stone and others.
He denied telling Oath Keepers to join the mob or that it was part of their plan from the beginning. He didn't say that people should storm the building.
As Rhodes tried to distance himself from the violent mob in court, Rakoczy used his own words to portray the Oath Keepers as a group of anti-government extremists capable of significant violence.
She began the group's narrative. He started the Oath Keepers because he believed that the policies of the Bush administration were unconstitutional. He admitted that it wasn't until after Barack Obama became the nation's first Black president that he started the group.
The trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes is depicted in this artist sketch. The courtroom sketch was provided by the Associated Press.
Rhodes said that Oath Keepers did not bait political opponents into fighting. Rakoczy confronted him with a recording of himself telling others how to use a helmet as a blunt force object. He denied ever encouraging Oath Keepers to buy canes from a website called Cold Steel and dress like an elderly person to lure in opponents.
The Oath Keepers were in the Capitol area. They are accused of organizing to keep Trump in power despite the election results. The Electoral College count was to be certified by both houses of congress before Biden was inaugurated.
Rhodes did not visit the Capitol himself. A mountain of evidence shows that he had a plan.
During and after the riot, Rakoczy showed Rhodes texts that he sent using Signal.
If Trump fails to act then we will, according to one message. We will have no choice, that's what he needs to know. In a message sent on January 6th, Rhodes talked about the founding generation engaging in street fighting to get their way and the present day patriotism.
He thought he was talking about something else when he said that Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act. The Insurrection Act would allow Trump to call up groups like the Oath Keepers if he wanted to stay in power. The 2020 election was not legitimate because states made it easier to vote during the Pandemic, according to Rhodes.
The Oath Keepers would keep the peace.
Government witnesses testified that Oath Keepers leadership implied they were going to commit acts of violence. A former member of the group testified that he was willing to die in order to keep Trump in office.
The quick reaction force that Rhodes and his followers discussed was meant to protect the White House, but he wasn't involved with setting up an armed force that day. The witness said that he hadn't seen anything like it since he was a military man.
It was a long day but a day when people stood up. In a group chat with other Oath Keepers, Rhodes told them to stand or kneel.
Rhodes distanced himself from Trump's rally just before the riot. While there were several Oath Keepers tasked with various "missions" on January 5 and 6, Rhodes said he was there to speak at a Latinos for Trump event held a few blocks north of the Capitol.
He went to check it out after he was told that Trump supporters were in the capitol. He said he and Kellye SoRelle ate chicken wings and warmed up at a friend's hotel room as they watched Trump's speech. He said it was cold.
It wasn't until he saw the mob that he thought they would break in.
The article was first published on HuffPost.
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