WASHINGTON (AP) – A man who, according to authorities, is a leader of the far-right military group Oath Keepers and helped organize a group of other extremists and led them in the attack last month at the U.S. Capitol has had a secret security clearance for decades and previously worked for the FBI, his attorney said Monday.
Thomas Caldwell, who according to authorities holds a leadership role in the extremist group, worked as a division chief for the FBI from 2009 to 2010 after retiring from the navy, his lawyer, Thomas Plofchan, wrote in a motion in which he judge requested to release him. jail time pending trial.
According to the defense, Caldwell, who denied being part of the Guardians, has been holding a secret security clearance since 1979, which, according to Plofchan, requires several special background checks. Caldwell also ran a consulting firm that did work for the U.S. government, the attorney said.
“He has been viewed and found several times as a person worthy of the trust and confidence of the US government, as indicated by giving him top secret permission,” Plofchan wrote.
Most division heads within the FBI rise through the ranks of the bureau and it is unclear whether Caldwell would be appointed directly to that position and whether he held any other positions at the bureau. The FBI did not immediately comment Monday night and Caldwell’s attorney did not immediately answer questions about his client’s work.
Caldwell is one of three people described by authorities as Oath Keepers who were charged with conspiracy last month and are accused of planning the attack on the Capitol in advance. He has been locked up since his arrest on Jan. 19 at his home in Berryville, Virginia.
Caldwell’s lawyer said he denied ever entering the Capitol and that he had “physical restrictions” that would prevent the 66-year-old from forcing him into any building.
Caldwell’s lawyer said his client had retired as a lieutenant commander in the navy and that he was a ‘100% disabled veteran’. Caldwell suffered from complications related to a “service-related injury”, including shoulder, back and knee problems, the lawyer said. In 2010, Caldwell underwent spinal surgery, which later failed and led to chronic spinal issues and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the court evidence.
Loading documents show messages between Caldwell and the others about arranging hotel rooms in the Washington area in the days before the siege. In one Facebook message to Caldwell, the other says, ‘Will probably call you tomorrow … mainly because … I want to know what the plan is. You’re the man Commander. ”
According to authorities, the oath-takers communicated during the attack about where lawmakers were. At one point during the siege, Caldwell received a message that read, according to court documents: ‘all members are in the tunnels under the capital’. “Put it back on gas,” he said.
Other messages read: ‘Tom all lawmakers are downstairs in the Tunnels 3 floors’ and ‘going through doors of the living room facing N left down the hallway, down stairs’, according to court documents.
Caldwell is among about 200 people charged so far in the siege for federal crimes such as the disruption of Congress, disorderly conduct and assault. A special group of prosecutors is considering the sedition charge, officials said.
Several members of the Proud Boys, a far-right, male-chauvinist extremist group that has seized on the Trump administration’s policies, are also charged with conspiracy. and accused them of collaborating during the siege.
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Richer reported from Boston.