Washington, May 26. US court sentences Oath Keepers founder to 18 years in prison Stuart Rhodes On charges of rioting and attempted coup d’etat in connection with the January 6, 2021 raid on the Capitol.
Also a prisoner Kelly Meggs President of the Florida division of Oath Keepers. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
As observers noted, Rhodes and Meggs became the first Americans to be found guilty of organizing a riot in over 10 years.
“We absolutely cannot allow a group of citizens to incite the revolution because they do not like the election results and do not believe that the law is being duly followed.” – the district judge said before giving the sentence Amit Mehta.
According to the judge, Stuart Rhodes spearheaded the actions of the members of the Oath Keepers, who raided the US Congress building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to block the confirmation of the results of the presidential elections in the country due to reports. A massive scam in favor of Democratic candidate Joe Biden. According to the prosecution, the infiltration of the Capitol was a serious threat to democracy.
Analysts say the conviction should have “a chilling effect on these groups”, particularly ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In addition to the leaders of the Oath Takers, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating cases brought against the protesters. At least 22 people were sentenced to various prison terms for participating in the raids on the Capitol Building. Eight of them were accused of planning to overthrow the government.
Rhodes himself denied the charges against him, saying his trial was a political process.
I am a political prisoner, and like President Trump, my only crime is to stand up to those who are destroying our country.” said during the trial.
He emphasized that he acted to defend the US Constitution, which was violated as a result of falsification during the vote count. Rhodes added that Oath Keepers members were not involved in clashes with the police or other illegal activities.
During the investigation, it was learned that the FBI and Capitol police, who were among the protesters, incited Trump supporters to clash with law enforcement and urged them to raid the Congress building. It was also revealed that law enforcement, who had formed a cordon around the Capitol, had taken in some protesters. However, the Court did not accept these claims.
The US Congress Special Commission of Investigation, created by the Democratic Party, has for several years tried to link the attack on the federal building with the former president. Donald TrumpAccording to members of Congress, who led the actions of the people entering the Capitol. So the Democrats tried to accuse him of trying to seize power. However, this investigation yielded no results.
Trump and his supporters have repeatedly accused the Biden administration of using the FBI, Department of Justice and other federal agencies as tools to pressure political dissidents.
After the decision was announced to the leaders of the Oath Keepers, Trump said that if he were elected president in 2024, he would pardon most of those who participated in the January 6 events, who were victims of political pressure from the “Washington swamp”. “.
Source: Riafan
I am Jackson Root, a professional writer and news author at The News Dept. I have been in the industry for over five years now and I specialize in covering trending news stories. I have been part of several high profile projects that made a significant impact on the industry.
