MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The founding leader of the far-right militia Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, assured during the assault on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 that the only thing he regretted is “not having brought rifles” that day, according to a recording presented by prosecutors during the last session of the trial held this Monday against several members for sedition.
“The only thing I regret is that they should have brought rifles,” Rhodes can be heard in a recording taken days after the assault, in which he can also be heard stating that if he had the necessary weapons, the matter could have been left. “Fixed right then and there.”
The defense maintains that Rhodes scrupulously complied with Washington’s strict gun laws and that his presence on Capitol Hill that day was due to his firm belief that former President Donald Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act, according to NBC. .
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler has shown another recording during the session in which Rhodes, a Yale University-educated attorney, is heard acknowledging that invoking the Insurrection Act is a form of “legal cover.” to these illegal actions.
Along with Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell, all alleged members of Oath Keepers, one of the heavily armed groups that participated during the January 6 riots in Washington, are also being tried for conspiracy and sedition.
This is the first trial in more than a decade against an American extremist group for crimes of this type. In this case, the leadership of Oath Keepers is accused of trying to forcibly stop the confirmation by Congress of the victory of the president, Joe Biden, in the 2019 presidential elections.
The five defendants, who have pleaded not guilty to all of these charges, face maximum prison sentences of up to 20 years. Prosecutors hope they can show that they were all part of a well-organized plan, which ranged from previous reconnaissance operations, to staging quick-response armed attacks, to a military assault on Congress.
The trial is expected to highlight the ties that many Trump associates and allies had with such groups, including the Proud Boys, whom he asked in one of the past presidential election debates to “stand back” and “wait.” after he refused to condemn the violence by white supremacist organizations.
There are already some members of Oath Keepers who have acknowledged these links in previous hearings and trials, such as Kellye SoRelle who revealed that she contacted the former White House adviser, Andrew Giuliani – son of Rudy Giuliani -, or William Todd Wilson, who recounted how Rhodes “repeatedly implored” to contact Trump to let him know they were ready to stop the peaceful transfer of office.
