The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 11 Oath Keepers, including its leader, for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
Stewart Rhodes and 10 of his fellow Oath Keepers were charged this Thursday with seditious conspiracy after they allegedly tried to block the transition of power and overthrow the government on Jan. 6.
“Rhodes and certain co-conspirators, to include selected regional leaders, planned to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021, which included multiple ways to deploy force,” reads the indictment. “They coordinated travel across the country to enter Washington, D.C., and equipped themselves with a variety of weapons, donned combat and tactical gear, and were prepared to answer Rhodes’s call to take up arms at Rhodes’s direction.”
Out of the more than 700 people who have been charged in this case, this is so far the most extreme. Being convicted of such crimes could result in a 20-year prison sentence. However, the Oath Keepers involved in this specific case could receive four to five years more due to the victims being federal government officials.
“If there is sufficient evidence available, then I believe such a charge is appropriate,” Weinstein said, reports USA Today. “The heart of our democracy rests on free and fair elections. If people planned to interfere with that then this type of charge is appropriate. There has been too much anarchy.”
