The Feds say Stewart Rhodes communicated before, during and after the Capitol Riot with Oath Keepers currently charged with conspiracy...
The Washington Post
In a late-night court filing, prosecutors alleged that Rhodes directed the right-wing anti-government group to rally during the riot to the southeast steps of the Capitol, after which several members forcibly entered the east side of the building.
Prosecutors said they had recovered a chat called “DC OP: Jan 6 21” on the encrypted Signal messaging app that “shows that individuals, including those alleged to have conspired with [others], were actively planning to use force and violence.”
Prosecutors said chat participants included Rhodes — identified only as “Person One” in the filing but whom prosecutors named in earlier court papers — and two charged Oath Keepers members: Jessica Watkins, 38, an Ohio leader, and Kelly Meggs, 52, of Florida.
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...[T]hey said the chat messages, combined with Rhodes’s previous statements, “all show that the co-conspirators joined together to stop Congress’s certification of the Electoral College vote, and they were prepared to use violence, if necessary, to effect this purpose. . . . They were plotting to use violence to support the unlawful obstruction of a Congressional proceeding.”
NPR
Rhodes also allegedly told the chat group that the Oath Keepers will have "several well equipped QRFs outside DC," referring to a quick reaction force that he said would be ready to move quickly to help those at the Capitol "in case of worst case scenarios."
Prosecutors say the Oath Keepers did take concrete steps to have a QRF outside Washington, D.C., ready to ferry weapons by boat from Virginia across the Potomac River and into the city and to the Capitol.
The government says Caldwell sent an email to an associate with maps to help plan how to get into the city.
The Hill
Prosecutors noted that there is no evidence suggesting that the Oath Keepers member charged in the case related to the filing, Thomas Edward Caldwell, participated in the group chat, but added that the investigation remains ongoing.
Caldwell, Watkins and Donovan Crowl face conspiracy charges in connection with alleged plans to lead a coup ahead of the deadly pro-Trump mob attack. Prosecutors last month announced charges on six additional people affiliated with the Oath Keepers, including Meggs.
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“There is no discussion of forcibly entering the Capitol until January 6, 2021. However, there is talk about being prepared for violence,” the prosecutors said.
Voice of America
To date, the FBI has arrested nearly a dozen people associated with the Oath Keepers, including nine recently indicted on conspiracy charges of forming a military formation known as a “stack” to breach the Capitol. As the FBI investigation proceeds, more arrests involving members of the Oath Keepers are likely, experts say.
While Rhodes himself did not enter the building, he was photographed with members of the stack outside the Capitol after the attack.
Rhodes has not been charged with any crime and denies planning the attack. If he is worried about potential charges, he is not letting on.
"There is going to be resistance,” he told InfoWars’ Alex Jones on Jan. 30. “The only question is, what will be the spark?”
This excerpt is from an article I quoted in yesterday’s diary about Roger Stone's Oath Keeper Bodyguard Roberto Minuta who was arrested over the weekend...
The Daily Beast
The Oath Keepers have drawn increased scrutiny from federal law enforcement after members of the group were charged with participating in the riot. Prosecutors have charged three Oath Keepers—Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Marie Watkins, and Donovan Crowl—with conspiracy to obstruct Congress. So far, prosecutors have only used conspiracy charges against alleged rioters who were members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, and the government is reportedly considering whether to use a Nixon-era anti-mafia law to charge some rioters.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was present at the rally in Washington on Jan. 6 but was not seen inside the Capitol and has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Minuta’s relationship with the extremist Oath Keepers militia dates back at least to May 2020, when Rhodes supported an anti-lockdown protest at Minuta’s tattoo shop, Casa Di Dolore.
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection.
If you have information about impotent nitwits who violated their oaths and conspired to storm the Capitol on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or leave a tip online. You may also submit relevant photos and videos to the FBI here.