BRKG Two Oath Keepers, founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
Two Oath Keepers, including founder, found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case
By Ryan J. Reilly and Daniel Barnes

WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a victory for the government in a case that involved a rarely-used Civil War era statute.

Three other members of the group who were on trial alongside Rhodes and Meggs — Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — were found not guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge. All five defendants were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting for their actions on Jan. 6.

The seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rhodes' lawyer said Tuesday that he plans to appeal that conviction.


The seditious conspiracy case is the most serious to grow out of the Justice Department's sprawling investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. The two seditious conspiracy verdicts were wins for the department, which has brought forward the relatively rare charges against a number of Oath Keepers as well as members of the far-right Proud Boys.

The not guilty verdicts for three of the defendants could be seen as a sign that jurors did not think the Justice Department proved that Harrelson, Watkins, and Caldwell had planned ahead of time to storm the Capitol. Some of the most violent rhetoric presented by the government during the nearly two-month trial came from the two defendants who were found guilty of seditious conspiracy: Rhodes and Meggs. In evidence presented by the government, both men showed particular disdain for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and talked about their desire to do her violence.

All three defendants who physically went inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 — Meggs, Harrelson, and Watkins — were found guilty of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their official duties. Rhodes and Caldwell were on Capitol grounds that day but did not go inside the building.

Watkins was also found guilty on a count of civil disorder and aiding and abetting because, as she admitted on the stand, she helped push against officers inside the Capitol. Caldwell, who was also found guilty of tampering with documents or proceedings and aiding and abetting, was the only one of the five who was not detained while awaiting trial.

Stewart Rhodes at the 'Stop the Steal' protest in Atlanta
Rhodes and Caldwell were on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, but did not go inside.Stewart Rhodes in Atlanta, on Nov. 21 2020.Alex Kent / Shutterstock
Opening statements in the trial began on Oct. 3, and the jury started deliberating on Nov. 22. Three of the defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense, with Rhodes telling jurors it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers to go inside the Capitol.

Federal prosecutors alleged that the five defendants conspired to oppose the peaceful transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden, but did not prove that there was a pre-coordinated plot to actually storm the U.S. Capitol. Instead, federal prosecutors alleged that those who entered the building — Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson — seized the opportunity when other rioters broke into the Capitol. One federal prosecutor told jurors that a "sense of entitlement" had driven the Oath Keepers to storm the building, while another argued that the defendants "took matters out of the hands of the people, and put rifles into their own hands."

"They claimed to wrap themselves in the Constitution. They trampled it instead. They claimed to be saving the Republic, but they fractured it instead," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler argued.

Members of the Oath Keepers organized a "quick reaction force" at a hotel in Virginia, which one prosecution witness testified contained the most weapons he'd seen in one place since his military days. Caldwell stayed at the "QRF" hotel and met with Oath Keepers near Trump's speech in Washington on Jan. 6 before going to the Capitol with his wife, where they went to the top of the inauguration platform set up on the west side of the Capitol.

A courtroom sketch of the Oath Keepers trial opening arguments.
Oath Keepers trial opening arguments on Oct. 3.Bill Hennessy
Another Oath Keeper who pleaded guilty to a nonseditious conspiracy charge gave prosecutors some of their strongest testimony during the trial, telling jurors that he was prepared to die to keep Trump in office. Jason Dolan testified that he was ready to "conquer or die" and potentially "take up arms" to fight on Trump's behalf.

Another Oath Keeper who cooperated with the government, Graydon Young, testified that he thought he was part of a "Bastille-type moment," referring to the storming of the fortress and political prison in Paris during the French Revolution era, in 1789.

"I guess I was acting like a traitor against my own government," Young testified.

While three other Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, none of them testified during the trial.

The trial featured extensive Signal messages exchanged by members of the alleged conspiracy, along with substantial audio of Rhodes both before and after the Jan. 6 attack. In a conference call in November 2020, which was recorded by at least one member, Rhodes said that those who opposed Biden were on the same path as the Founding Fathers were before the American Revolution.

A government exhibit showing individuals associated with the Oath Keepers.
A government exhibit showing individuals associated with the Oath Keepers.U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
"You've got to make sure [Trump] knows that you are willing to die to fight for this country," Rhodes told the Oath Keepers on the call. "We're very much in exactly the same spot that the Founding Fathers were in like March 1775. ... Nothing left but to fight. ... We're not getting out of this without a fight. There's going to be a fight. But let's just do it smart and let's do it while President Trump is still commander in chief and let's try to get him to do his duty and step up and do it."

Prosecutors also played audio of Rhodes continuing to plot to oppose the government after the Jan. 6 attack.

"We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there," Rhodes said in a Jan. 10, 2021, meeting with a man who he believed would be able to pass along a message to Trump. "I’d hang f---in’ Pelosi from the lamppost."

The trial also featured testimony from Michael Greene, aka "Whip," who waived his Fifth Amendment right in order to testify on Rhodes' behalf. Greene, a military veteran who worked for the company formerly known as Blackwater, testified that the Oath Keepers were on a security mission and that he didn't take Rhodes' talk about civil war seriously.

“It’s nothing different from an old guy at the barber shop talking about there’s a fight coming,” Greene said.

When pressed by a federal prosecutor about whether old guys at the barber shop stormed the Capitol, Greene noted there were a lot of old people at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and that he's been indicted alongside two other older men. "They’re old as s---," Greene said of his alleged co-conspirators.

The Justice Department has charged about 900 people in connection with the Capitol attack and is asking Congress for more resources for the investigation. Hundreds of additional cases are in the works.

Four other Oath Keepers charged in conjunction with Rhodes — Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Ed Vallejo —are set to go to trial in early December.

 

vector7

Dot Collector
Of course, didn't expect anything less. And yet hunter biden is still committing major crimes.
secret-service-vehicles-catch-fire-at-nantucket-airport1.png
 

stop tyranny

Senior Member
I suspect there will not be enough jack-booted thugs to provide the level of security needed for the traitors when they succeed in their agenda of destroying our economy and nations sovereignty.
 

Countrymouse

Country exile in the city
he's part of one of the biggest cartels on the planet, until that cartel is taken down, which also means taking down the clintons, pelosi's, romneys, obamas etc., nothing and I mean NOTHING will ever happen to hunter!
It comforts me to know that he--and ALL this crowd--

will one day face the God they have mocked.

And they can't (forgive me) BS HIM.
 

Henry Bowman

Veteran Member
I suspect there will not be enough jack-booted thugs to provide the level of security needed for the traitors when they succeed in their agenda of destroying our economy and nations sovereignty.
They have already done that. We see it happening everyday, it is in process as we watch.

So as it turns out they don't need the JBT or they have far more than enough because ...well we have allowed it.
 

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
It's ironic to consider that every one of the Founding Fathers - every one - would be placed under the jail (if not executed) by the currently-ruling cabal in DC.

Best
Doc
wouldn't matter to them - those miscreants are just a bunch of OLD WHYTE DUDES anyhow - that alone is reason enough to hate 'em ALL
 

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
Tell you what......if having thoughts about wanting to do "harm" to skin sacks in DC is a crime .....about HALF OF AMERICAN'S REAL citizens would be in trouble with these lying, conniving, EVIL SOB's!!!!!
PIGS!!!
 

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
The thing is the left never seems to think this crap will ever come back and bite them where they sit. Conservatives are now using lawfare as a weapon of choice. The tide political power looks like it's swinging right as well with recent wins in the house. I suspect the conservative judges President Trump appointed will be less than sympathetic. The left may face similar charges in the near future.
 

FREEBIRD

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Two Oath Keepers, including founder, found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case
By Ryan J. Reilly and Daniel Barnes

WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a victory for the government in a case that involved a rarely-used Civil War era statute.

Three other members of the group who were on trial alongside Rhodes and Meggs — Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — were found not guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge. All five defendants were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting for their actions on Jan. 6.

The seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rhodes' lawyer said Tuesday that he plans to appeal that conviction.


The seditious conspiracy case is the most serious to grow out of the Justice Department's sprawling investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. The two seditious conspiracy verdicts were wins for the department, which has brought forward the relatively rare charges against a number of Oath Keepers as well as members of the far-right Proud Boys.

The not guilty verdicts for three of the defendants could be seen as a sign that jurors did not think the Justice Department proved that Harrelson, Watkins, and Caldwell had planned ahead of time to storm the Capitol. Some of the most violent rhetoric presented by the government during the nearly two-month trial came from the two defendants who were found guilty of seditious conspiracy: Rhodes and Meggs. In evidence presented by the government, both men showed particular disdain for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and talked about their desire to do her violence.

All three defendants who physically went inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 — Meggs, Harrelson, and Watkins — were found guilty of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their official duties. Rhodes and Caldwell were on Capitol grounds that day but did not go inside the building.

Watkins was also found guilty on a count of civil disorder and aiding and abetting because, as she admitted on the stand, she helped push against officers inside the Capitol. Caldwell, who was also found guilty of tampering with documents or proceedings and aiding and abetting, was the only one of the five who was not detained while awaiting trial.

Stewart Rhodes at the 'Stop the Steal' protest in Atlanta
Rhodes and Caldwell were on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, but did not go inside.Stewart Rhodes in Atlanta, on Nov. 21 2020.Alex Kent / Shutterstock
Opening statements in the trial began on Oct. 3, and the jury started deliberating on Nov. 22. Three of the defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense, with Rhodes telling jurors it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers to go inside the Capitol.

Federal prosecutors alleged that the five defendants conspired to oppose the peaceful transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden, but did not prove that there was a pre-coordinated plot to actually storm the U.S. Capitol. Instead, federal prosecutors alleged that those who entered the building — Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson — seized the opportunity when other rioters broke into the Capitol. One federal prosecutor told jurors that a "sense of entitlement" had driven the Oath Keepers to storm the building, while another argued that the defendants "took matters out of the hands of the people, and put rifles into their own hands."

"They claimed to wrap themselves in the Constitution. They trampled it instead. They claimed to be saving the Republic, but they fractured it instead," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler argued.

Members of the Oath Keepers organized a "quick reaction force" at a hotel in Virginia, which one prosecution witness testified contained the most weapons he'd seen in one place since his military days. Caldwell stayed at the "QRF" hotel and met with Oath Keepers near Trump's speech in Washington on Jan. 6 before going to the Capitol with his wife, where they went to the top of the inauguration platform set up on the west side of the Capitol.

A courtroom sketch of the Oath Keepers trial opening arguments.
Oath Keepers trial opening arguments on Oct. 3.Bill Hennessy
Another Oath Keeper who pleaded guilty to a nonseditious conspiracy charge gave prosecutors some of their strongest testimony during the trial, telling jurors that he was prepared to die to keep Trump in office. Jason Dolan testified that he was ready to "conquer or die" and potentially "take up arms" to fight on Trump's behalf.

Another Oath Keeper who cooperated with the government, Graydon Young, testified that he thought he was part of a "Bastille-type moment," referring to the storming of the fortress and political prison in Paris during the French Revolution era, in 1789.

"I guess I was acting like a traitor against my own government," Young testified.

While three other Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, none of them testified during the trial.

The trial featured extensive Signal messages exchanged by members of the alleged conspiracy, along with substantial audio of Rhodes both before and after the Jan. 6 attack. In a conference call in November 2020, which was recorded by at least one member, Rhodes said that those who opposed Biden were on the same path as the Founding Fathers were before the American Revolution.

A government exhibit showing individuals associated with the Oath Keepers.
A government exhibit showing individuals associated with the Oath Keepers.U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
"You've got to make sure [Trump] knows that you are willing to die to fight for this country," Rhodes told the Oath Keepers on the call. "We're very much in exactly the same spot that the Founding Fathers were in like March 1775. ... Nothing left but to fight. ... We're not getting out of this without a fight. There's going to be a fight. But let's just do it smart and let's do it while President Trump is still commander in chief and let's try to get him to do his duty and step up and do it."

Prosecutors also played audio of Rhodes continuing to plot to oppose the government after the Jan. 6 attack.

"We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there," Rhodes said in a Jan. 10, 2021, meeting with a man who he believed would be able to pass along a message to Trump. "I’d hang f---in’ Pelosi from the lamppost."

The trial also featured testimony from Michael Greene, aka "Whip," who waived his Fifth Amendment right in order to testify on Rhodes' behalf. Greene, a military veteran who worked for the company formerly known as Blackwater, testified that the Oath Keepers were on a security mission and that he didn't take Rhodes' talk about civil war seriously.

“It’s nothing different from an old guy at the barber shop talking about there’s a fight coming,” Greene said.

When pressed by a federal prosecutor about whether old guys at the barber shop stormed the Capitol, Greene noted there were a lot of old people at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and that he's been indicted alongside two other older men. "They’re old as s---," Greene said of his alleged co-conspirators.

The Justice Department has charged about 900 people in connection with the Capitol attack and is asking Congress for more resources for the investigation. Hundreds of additional cases are in the works.

Four other Oath Keepers charged in conjunction with Rhodes — Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Ed Vallejo —are set to go to trial in early December.

The Left demanding firing squads on national media in 3... 2... 1.
 

GB Appling

Contributing Member
"We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there," Rhodes said.

YEP.
It feels like it's getting to point if they are going to put you in prison for 20years for peacefully protesting and questioning the fraudulent election under the guise of " seditious conspiracy" charges. OK YDFANYAGTFO I'll show you "seditious conspiracy"! :dstrs:
 

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
It feels like it's getting to point if they are going to put you in prison for 20years for peacefully protesting and questioning the fraudulent election under the guise of " seditious conspiracy" charges. OK YDFANYAGTFO I'll show you "seditious conspiracy"! :dstrs:
one of my most of repeated statements regarding such things . . .

you're gonna buy the ticket
might as well TAKE THE RIDE
 

EMICT

Veteran Member
Foresight and repercussions for actions taken today is one of those things many folks never consider in life.

Many here looked ahead, supported by posts here exclaiming ‘it’s a trap’, realizing what factors were weighed against participation in January 6.

Roll the dice, take your chances… but never say ‘I was never warned’ by those who could accurately forecast the cost/benefit ratio for this singular encounter.

Live to fight another day is lost on many who can’t accurately evaluate any particular encounter and likely repercussions… especially when warned.
 

Teeja

On the Beach
This shows the continued normalcy bias of the Jan 6 crowd (and our crowd in general). They actually thought that "voting" would matter. When that failed, they thought that sending emails and making phone calls would matter. When that failed, they thought showing up in DC to protest would matter. When that failed, they went into the building and took selfies. When that failed, they got arrested (at gunpoint) and convicted for seditious conspiracy. Nope, none of their "reasonable" efforts worked. There is only one thing that will stop tyrants in high places - and it's the one statement that dirty commie Mao got right-- Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

But even though our founding fathers KNEW that to be the case, and actively USED that power successfully against a tyrant, the patriots of today are completely unwilling to use that sort of power. Which is why we will fail... again.

Let's face it - we're a bunch of pussies.
:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:

stop tyranny

Senior Member
They have already done that. We see it happening everyday, it is in process as we watch.

So as it turns out they don't need the JBT or they have far more than enough because ...well we have allowed it.
When people can no longer house, feed, and protect themselves and their families even the most passive are likely to turn aggressive. Of this I have no doubt. The only question remaining is who the aggression will be directed at since individuals and groups will see the actions of other people, groups, and institutions as the cause of their hardships.

Not to mention the anger of those who personally or through friends or family experienced lost income, health, or life from a vax when they finally realize the virus was man-made and the vax was a bioweapon intended to reduce the population.
 

Henry Bowman

Veteran Member
When people can no longer house, feed, and protect themselves and their families even the most passive are likely to turn aggressive. Of this I have no doubt. The only question remaining is who the aggression will be directed at since individuals and groups will see the actions of other people, groups, and institutions as the cause of their hardships.

Not to mention the anger of those who personally or through friends or family experienced lost income, health, or life from a vax when they finally realize the virus was man-made and the vax was a bioweapon intended to reduce the population.
If they have not figured out that the whole thing was done on purpose by now I am really not sure what will make them see that.

If the aggression is just done because they are desperate it does no good. Any aggression needs to be directed at those who did all of this...however it is hard to see that happening as we have allowed so much.
 

stop tyranny

Senior Member
If they have not figured out that the whole thing was done on purpose by now I am really not sure what will make them see that.

If the aggression is just done because they are desperate it does no good. Any aggression needs to be directed at those who did all of this...however it is hard to see that happening as we have allowed so much.
Maybe it is unwarranted optimism, but I believe the inevitable events that are now coming will awaken the majority of the people to the lies, corruption, and wicked agendas that will have brought us to the breaking point.

It takes much more to open some eyes than others as anyone who has ever tried to have a conversation with a socialist democrat. Likewise, it is also hard to warn someone of the coming doom who is better off financially when they may believe things are going to take a downturn but at the same time think they have enough wealth that the effects will be minimal to them.

And finally, there are some who are so brainwashed that even though the guilty parties are clear to see they will still lap up the government propaganda till their last breath while blaming the people who are trying to restore America or at least the values, freedoms, and opportunities America provided.
 

TFergeson

Non Solum Simul Stare
And finally, there are some who are so brainwashed that even though the guilty parties are clear to see they will still lap up the government propaganda till their last breath while blaming the people who are trying to restore America or at least the values, freedoms, and opportunities America provided.

There are more of these than we realize and would like to believe. We need to remember their position, and have pity. Look into their perspective. If we are correct, then they committed suicide, and murdered their children. From their perspective, we have to be wrong, because the alternative is to horrible to fathom.
 

Henry Bowman

Veteran Member
Maybe it is unwarranted optimism, but I believe the inevitable events that are now coming will awaken the majority of the people to the lies, corruption, and wicked agendas that will have brought us to the breaking point.

It takes much more to open some eyes than others as anyone who has ever tried to have a conversation with a socialist democrat. Likewise, it is also hard to warn someone of the coming doom who is better off financially when they may believe things are going to take a downturn but at the same time think they have enough wealth that the effects will be minimal to them.

And finally, there are some who are so brainwashed that even though the guilty parties are clear to see they will still lap up the government propaganda till their last breath while blaming the people who are trying to restore America or at least the values, freedoms, and opportunities America provided.
We shall see.
I think that there are so many that fear what they will lose by acting will continue to do so even after they have lost it all.
Past performance has shown this to be the case over the last few decades.

Our breaking point should have been years ago, now our enemy is quite deeply entrenched and has us in check. The only thing left is Mate.
 

West

Senior
Last hope....

When the beer and drugs stop flowing along with the free FIAT....

Maybe many people's will wake up to the fallacy of big government. The safety nets need to fail too.

May take a year plus for people to realize our over barring and over taxed/regulated individuals aren't "The Man", "The Man" is the government.

I've actually talked to many young guys who actually believe that their boses/corporate steal monies out of their paychecks. For their own profit. They even agreed when I said it was a tax loop hole that corporations use business expenses as a excuse to not pay taxes. And they honestly believe in the wizard of OZ! Our government makes all the monies and simply dishes it out, for private businesses to keep them down. It's really weird.
 
Top