Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers, has been released from prison after being pardoned by Trump of his 18-year sentence for seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rhodes, a divisive figure in the political landscape, was the highest-profile defendant to be convicted of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge reserved for individuals plotting to overthrow or undermine the government.
The Oath Keepers is a far-right, anti-government militia group founded by Rhodes in 2009. Claiming to defend the U.S. Constitution, the group recruits current and former military, law enforcement, and first responders. However, its members have been widely criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, engaging in armed standoffs, and fostering an ideology steeped in white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and nativism.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have labeled the Oath Keepers as an extremist group that uses patriotic rhetoric to mask its racist and xenophobic agenda. The group has repeatedly targeted marginalized communities and pushed baseless claims about government overreach, election fraud, and societal collapse.
Stewart Rhodes played a central role in organizing the Oath Keepers’ involvement in the January 6 insurrection, where hundreds of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Prosecutors accused Rhodes of coordinating a well-planned effort to incite violence and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power.
Evidence presented at his trial revealed encrypted messages and meetings between Rhodes and other Oath Keepers members, where they discussed stockpiling weapons and staging an armed rebellion if necessary. While Rhodes himself did not enter the Capitol, he was found guilty of directing his followers to breach the building and supporting their actions from nearby.
In May 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges, marking one of the longest sentence handed down to any Jan. 6 defendant.
Before his conviction, Rhodes was a polarizing figure with a long history of inflammatory rhetoric. A former Army paratrooper and Yale Law School graduate, Rhodes leveraged his legal and military background to lend credibility to the Oath Keepers. He frequently warned of an impending civil war, baselessly claiming that the federal government was plotting to confiscate Americans’ firearms and strip them of their freedoms.
Under his leadership, the Oath Keepers were involved in numerous armed confrontations, including the 2014 standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada and the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. These incidents, along with the group’s involvement in the January 6 riot, cemented its reputation as one of the most dangerous far-right organizations in the country.
Despite his imprisonment, Rhodes has remained unrepentant. During his sentencing, he referred to himself as a “political prisoner”.
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