Joshua James, the Alabama Oath Keeper chapter leader and moonlighting chauffeur to Roger Stone, has admitted he was ready to stop President-elect Joe Biden from assuming power on Jan. 6, use lethal force to do it, and surround the White House on call if anyone came to remove then-President Donald Trump.
The admission, which emerged as James struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on Wednesday, represents a major fraying of ties between the extremist group members facing seditious conspiracy charges for their roles in the brutal attack of the U.S. Capitol.
James pleaded guilty to sedition and obstruction of an official proceeding on Wednesday, admitting he and Oath Keeper ringleader Elmer Rhodes, along with other members of the right-wing extremist group, plotted against the peaceful transfer of power, gathered with weapons and tactical gear, and used encrypted chats to hash out their plan as they descended on Washington.
The admissions blow huge holes in Rhodes’s not guilty plea. Rhodes is currently detained in Oklahoma as he awaits his trial this summer. He’s also taking interviews. And begging for financial help from his “co-defendant” and likely “criminal target,” Donald Trump.
James admitted to being part of the “quick reaction force teams,” the group arranged to ferry guns and ammunition—if needed—from nearby Virginia to stop the certification.
In sum, the Oath Keepers, James said, were prepared to:
“report to the White House grounds to secure the perimeter and use lethal force if necessary against anyone who tried to remove President Trump from the White House, including the National Guard or other government actors who might be sent to remove President Trump as a result of the presidential election.”
Josh James Statement of Offense by Daily Kos on Scribd
As the riot was exploding, James said he and two fellow Oath keepers hopped into a golf cart and made a beeline for the Capitol.
Notably, before this—and against all suggestions of late from Rhodes and others that claim “antifa” or “BLM” were responsible for the rioting—James’ plea papers highlight a Signal chat from a half-hour before James stormed the building.
“Are they actually Patriots - not those who were going to go in disguise as Patriots and cause trouble[?]” someone in the “Jan 5/6 DC Op Intel Team” wrote to Rhodes, court records show.
Rhodes answered: “Actual Patriots. Pissed off patriots. Like the Sons of Liberty were pissed off patriots.”
James, a part of the “intel” chat, replied: “We're coming to Capitol ETA 30 mins.”
Once inside, James, wearing a hat and patches with Oath Keeper insignia, pushed through the Capitol lobby just outside the rotunda. Prosecutors said James was yelling as he went: “Keep fucking going!”
U.S. Capitol and Metropolitan Police wrestled to keep James and others at bay as they grabbed at their vests and tried pulling them toward the mob.
“James intended to use force and did, in fact, use force in the Capitol and when engaging in physical altercations with law enforcement, in order to prevent, hinder, and delay the execution of the laws governing the transfer of power,” prosecutors wrote in his plea papers.
Once he left, James admits he met with Rhodes and other Oath Keepers and they worked quickly to conceal their identities, changing clothes and using burner phones to communicate.
His conviction for sedition is the first of its kind in more than 20 years. He is the sixth member of the far-right group to plead guilty in the overarching seditious conspiracy indictment.
James could face nine years in jail, but because he has agreed to cooperate, that could be reduced. He could pay fines of up to $300,000; as a special award to the Capitol for the damage he caused, the court ordered him to pay $2,000 toward the approximate $1,495,326.55 in damages assessed to the Capitol building alone.
As for Rhodes, he currently awaits his trial this summer in an Oklahoma jail; his attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment Thursday.
