Oath Keepers Trial: 'Civil War' Discussed by Members Ahead of January 6 Insurrection

The trial of several leaders of the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers in Washington, D.C., wrapped up its second week on Friday.

The prosecution on Friday called on FBI agents to testify on the hundreds of messages exchanged between members on the days leading to January 6, 2021. The FBI agents managed to gain access to cellphone data and seized records.

They revealed that several members of the Oath Keepers discussed the possibility of a "civil war" in the moments leading up to that fateful day when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

According to ABC News, an FBI agent attested to the authenticity of these messages and showed Facebook comments and private messages by Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and members Kelly Meggs and Thomas Caldwell, all of whom are co-defendants in this case.

Oath Keepers Members Discussed 'Quick Reaction Force' During Video Calls

CNN reported that over the past two weeks, the prosecution had shown the Washington, D.C. jury messages of the members not only discussing civil war but also killing politicians and imploring Donald Trump to use the Insurrection Act.

During the trial on Friday, prosecutors also introduced new evidence where several members of the group, including defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, and Kenneth Harrelson, attended three virtual meetings during the first week of January 2021.

In those meetings, they discussed what their "Quick Reaction Force" (QRF) will do on the day of the insurrection. Meggs and Rhodes started messaging one another about the QRF on January 2.

They settled on staging them in hotel rooms in Virginia before discussing having Meggs coordinate with a larger group of Oath Keepers to prepare traveling to Washington, D.C. Meggs also stated in the call that he would "get with (North Carolina) team today and find our QRF location."

On the other hand, Caldwell sent at least six detailed maps of northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., to the group leader of one of the Oath Keepers' forces, Paul Stamey. In addition, Meggs also sent maps to other Oath Keepers members, and they included travel routes that the QRF could take.

Oath Keepers Leader Stewart Rhodes Keeps Speaking

According to NPR, while evidence was mounting against the group, Stewart Rhodes continued to speak outside the courtroom, causing problems for his attorneys.

During a break in the trial, the Oath Keepers founder gave a phone interview on Alex Jones' Infowars show, known for peddling debunked conspiracy theories. There, Rhodes likened himself to Nelson Mandela.

"But just like Nelson Mandela was willing to go to jail for life, he did 20 years, you have to be willing to do that," Rhodes said. "You have to be willing to take the hit if you're a person who's a freedom fighter and is standing up for rights. Because if you don't, then what you become is a slave."

That did not go too well with his attorney, Lee Bright, who told NPR that they had asked their client to stop doing those interviews as the case was happening.

NPR also reported that Rhodes was a graduate of the Yale Law School but was later disbarred. He noted that he would take the witness stand later in the trial. But his outside interviews may come back to punch him when he is questioned under cross-examination.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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