Charlestown’s now ex-state Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi represented them
BRETT WILKINS for Common Dreams
Oath Keepers in formation, marching into the Capitol on January 6. (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) |
The
Washington, D.C. jury deliberated for three days before finding Rhodes and
co-defendant Kelly Meggs guilty of seditious conspiracy, while three other
accused—Oath Keeper Kenneth Harrelson, retired Navy intelligence officer Thomas
Caldwell, and Ohio militia leader Jessica Watkins—were acquitted of that
charge.
Additionally,
all five defendants were convicted of obstructing Congress as it convened to
certify the results of the 2020 election. Both crimes are punishable by up to
20 years' imprisonment.
Seditious
conspiracy convictions are exceedingly rare; in 1954 a group of Puerto Rican
militants resisting U.S. colonization were found guilty of shooting up the
Capitol earlier that year and given lengthy prison sentences that were later
commuted by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Numerous militants acting in
the name of Islam—including 10 men who planned a series of thwarted
bombings in New York City in the 1990s—have also been convicted of the crime.
NBC News legal analyst Glenn Kirschner hailed the convictions as "a very good day for our republic."
"The
defendants tried to convince the jury they're patriots, trying to set right a
'stolen' election," he added. "The jury—12 citizens sitting as the
conscious of the community—told them, 'you are NOT patriots, you're
traitors."
U.S.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) tweeted: "We can't move on from January 6th
by burying our heads in the sand and pretending it never happened. We can only
move on by confronting it directly and ensuring justice is served. Today's
convictions for seditious conspiracy are a significant step in that
direction."
The
Washington Post reports:
The
indictment brought against Rhodes, 56, and other Oath Keepers associates in
January was the first time the U.S. government leveled the historically rare
charge of seditious conspiracy in the massive January 6 investigation. He is
the highest-profile figure to face trial in connection with rioting by angry
Trump supporters who injured scores of officers and ransacked offices, forcing the
evacuation of lawmakers.
Rhodes
and followers, dressed in combat-style gear, converged on the Capitol after
staging an "arsenal" of weapons at nearby hotels, ready to take up
arms at Rhodes' direction, the government charged. Rhodes' defense said he and co-defendants
came to Washington as bodyguards and peacekeepers, bringing firearms only in
case Trump met their demand to mobilize private militia to stop [Joe] Biden
from becoming president.
"On
January 6, 2021, the Oath Keepers stormed the U.S. Capitol, dressed in tactical
gear and moving in military-style formations. The group attacked police lines
and hunted for members of Congress," Right Wing Watch managing
editor Kristen Doerer said in a video posted on social media. "They
were integral to the violent attack on the Capitol, and their attempts to
undermine our democracy haven't stopped since."
Michael
Steele, the former Republican National Committee chair who endorsed Biden for
president in 2020, took aim at GOP purveyors of Trump's "Big Lie."
"Accountability
for what happened on January 6th matters. But the politicians who urged the
insurrection with their lies hide behind their positions to avoid their
accountability," Steele tweeted. "While they did not storm the
Capitol, their role was no less consequential."
Former
federal prosecutor and current George Washington University Law School
professor Randall D. Eliason told The Washington Post that
"the jury's verdict on seditious conspiracy confirms that January 6, 2021,
was not just 'legitimate political discourse' or a peaceful protest that got
out of hand. This was a planned, organized, violent assault on the lawful
authority of the U.S. government and the peaceful transfer of power."
"Now,"
he added, "the only remaining question is how much higher did those plans
go, and who else might be held criminally responsible."
As
the Post noted:
The
verdict in Rhodes' case likely will be taken as a bellwether for two remaining
January 6 seditious conspiracy trials set for December against five other Oath
Keepers and leaders of the Proud Boys, including the longtime chairman Henry
'Enrique' Tarrio. Both Rhodes and Tarrio are highly visible leaders of the
alt-right or far-right anti-government movements, and were highlighted at
hearings probing the attack earlier this year by the House January 6 committee.
Around
900 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the January
6 insurrection. So far, about 450 of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
Trump,
meanwhile, recently announced his 2024 campaign for
president. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington has warned that it will attempt to disqualify
him using the 14th Amendment's anti-insurrectionist clause.