Federal prosecutors claimed late Monday that the leader of the Oath Watchers encouraged followers to come to Washington DC on January 6, armed with non-lethal weapons and later stood outside the Capitol during the uprising to take them to a potential access point. to lead.
According to prosecutors at a new courthouse, Stewart Rhodes sent a message to the encrypted Signal app to several of his followers just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, saying, “Come to the south side of the Capitol on stairs.” At 14:41 Rhodes, who is referred to as a person in court, posted a photo of the Capitol with the caption: ‘South side of US Capitol. Patriots knock on doors. ”
Monday’s filing is the clearest indication from federal prosecutors that they believe Rhodes played a key role in real-time action on Jan. 6. Prosecutors have already charged several oath-takers with conspiracy for their actions at the Capitol, describing the Oath Keepers as a “loosely organized collection of civilians who believe the federal government was co-opted by a shadowy conspiracy trying to assassinate U.S. citizens.” syrup.”
Rhodes, who started the group in 2009, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rhodes interviewed Alex Jones for Infowars in late January, denying that he played a role in storming the Capitol. He was not charged.
Although prosecutors mentioned Rhodes by name in charges against Thomas Caldwell and two others arrested in mid-January, they referred to him as Person One in subsequent services. In a statement on January 27, prosecutors wrote: “The Eath Keepers are led by Person One.” Prosecutors also quote public statements from Rhodes in their documentation and attribute them to Person One.
The details of Rhodes’ signal messages on the day of the attack on the Capitol came when the Department of Justice protested for the continued detention of Caldwell, a 67-year-old retired U.S. Navy officer. Caldwell, who is not a member who pays the Oath Keepers, was with them in the Capitol that day and was involved in the planning, including the booking of hotel rooms, according to the submission.
According to prosecutors, Rhodes communicated with other oath-takers in the messages leading up to the day’s events and advised them that the group would have a number of well-equipped QRFs outside DC, using an acronym for Quick Reaction Force – heavily armed teams was willing to jump into battle.
Prosecutors have previously claimed that Oath Keepers, including Caldwell, discussed QRFs and estimated plans to use trucks or boats to transport weapons to Columbia District on Jan. 6. Late last month, the government told a federal judge that it was a “work understandingThat the Oath Keepers had a QRF outside DC that day.
In group messages quoted Monday, Rhodes advised fellow guardians not to bring into the city items they could arrest, such as guns; he suggested that they wear eye protection, helmets and ‘good, hard gloves’ and wear heavy flashes that can apparently be used as stains, according to the documentation. Rhodes added that he intended to wear a collapsible baton because it is a gray area in the law ‘and pointed out that’ I am willing to take the risk because I love it. ‘
A grand jury has so far charged nine people described as Oath-keepers with crimes related to the January 6 uprising; On Saturday, a New York tattoo artist who named Rhodes a lifelong oath-holder last year was also arrested and charged.
Rhodes has repeatedly said in interviews and on social media that he believes the 2020 election is not legal and that Donald Trump should not give up the presidency. In their submission Monday, prosecutors showed texts sent by Rhodes expressing frustration that not enough is being done to stop the certification of the Electoral College by Congress.
According to prosecutors, Rhodes wrote to the group chat on January 6 at 13:38, shortly after President Donald Trump finished his speech and started riots with police outside the Capitol: ‘All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intention by him to do anything. The patriots therefore take it into their own hands. They had enough. ‘
Only a few hours later, around 4 p.m., when rioters began to leave the Capitol, a large group of oath-takers Rhodes on the east side of the building ‘gathered’ and ‘stood around and waited at least ten minutes’ at that place. , ‘the court filed Monday.
Caldwell was arrested on January 19 and has been detained ever since. He argued that he had never entered the Capitol, that he was too physically disabled to take an active role in the riots, that he was not in favor of violence and that he did not pay an oath-keeper.
Last month, a federal judge denied his request for connection, saying he was “not only a danger to the community, but also to the structure of democracy.” Caldwell then switched from lawyer and last week asked the court to reconsider his releaseand alleges that the charges against him were “riddled with inaccuracies”.
Prosecutors on Monday responded to these arguments, citing messages sent by Caldwell as proof that he was “playing a leading role in the Oath-keepers” and was deeply involved in the planning and preparation on January 6. The statement also describes how he brags about friends. about his role in storming the Capitol.
“I raised my American flag and said we’re taking the damn capital,” reads one text message Caldwell quoted by the Department of Justice. “Then people started bumping forward and climbing the scaffolding to the outside. I said we could storm the place and hang the traitors.”
Caldwell then sent another text message and prosecutors said: ‘If we had guns, I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians. They ran away and chased away like their rats through their underground tunnels. ‘