Washington, D.C. Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, testified in his high-stakes seditious conspiracy trial on Friday in an effort to refute claims that his far-right extremist organisation plotted an armed uprising to halt the transfer of presidential power.
Rhodes began testifying after prosecutors spent weeks laying out their case against him and four others accused of a violent plot to keep Democrat Joe Biden out of the White House.
Attorneys for Rhodes have hinted that they may offer a creative case that centres on former President Donald Trump. Rhodes is anticipated to contend that his activities before to January 6, 2021 were taken in preparation of directives he anticipated from Republican Trump. Those orders never materialised.
Rhodes’ decision to testify has significant risks and will subject him to aggressive cross-examining by the prosecution, who will attempt to frighten him or catch him in a lie.
According to the prosecution, Rhodes, a resident of Granbury, Texas, spent weeks organising his group of extremists, gathering weapons, and preparing for conflict in order to prevent Biden from winning the 2020 presidential election. Along with hundreds of other enraged Trump supporters, Oath Keepers in battle gear stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The first suspects detained in the January incident are Rhodes and his co-defendants.
6 attack to stand trial for seditious conspiracy, a crime that, if found guilty, carries a term of up to 20 years in prison.
The other defendants are Jessica Watkins, the leader of an Ohio militia group, and Thomas Caldwell, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer from Virginia. Kelly Meggs, the leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, Kenneth Harrelson, and Kelly Meggs are also on trial.
Follow the AP’s coverage related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U. S.
Capitol at apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege.
Head of Oath Keepers Rhodes testifying in sedition case on January 6
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