Lawyers for the Oath Keepers have repeatedly claimed that the group went to Washington in the days leading up to Jan. 6 not to storm the Capitol, but to provide security at pro-Trump rallies for dignitaries like Roger J. Stone Jr., Mr. Trump’s longtime political adviser, and Ali Alexander, a prominent Stop the Steal organizer who had a permit for an event at the Capitol on the day of the attack.
But prosecutors say that despite their work as bodyguards, members of the group broke into the Capitol during the assault in two separate military “stacks,” with some moving off in search of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Others, serving with the “quick reaction force,” remained in Virginia, “watching and waiting on the outside,” as Mr. Rhodes had written in a Signal chat that morning, to deal with “worst case scenarios.”
Mr. Rhodes himself never went into the Capitol that day, but remained outside with the group’s top lawyer, Kellye SoRelle, who is facing separate charges in connection with the riot. That evening, after the violence had finally been subdued, Mr. Rhodes continued to encourage his members to the struggle against the new administration.
“Patriots entering their own Capitol to send a message to the traitors is NOTHING to what’s coming,” he wrote.
Prosecutors say that over the next two weeks, as Mr. Biden’s inauguration neared, Mr. Rhodes spent more than $17,000 on weapons, ammunition and military gear. He remained in touch with several members of the group, including one who reached out to him 10 days after the attack to ask about “next steps.”
These efforts to thwart Mr. Biden and to bolster Mr. Trump were a far cry from the Oath Keepers’ initial mission.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/27/us/jan-6-oath-keepers-trial.html
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