The seditious conspiracy trial for the founder of the extremist group Oath Keepers begins next week, and his legal team is staking his freedom to an unusual defense, the Associated Press reports.
Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes are prepared to argue that their client was anticipating Former President Trump would use powers under the Insurrection Act to form a militia, and that is why Rhodes and his group made preparations to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Rhodes was the most prominent of 10 defendants charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the lead-up to and day of the Capitol riot. He is among the first Jan. 6 defendants to be tried on the charge.
The Department of Justice alleged that after the 2020 presidential election, Rhodes "conspired with his co-defendants and others to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021."Even though Trump never invoked the Insurrection Act, Rhodes’ attorneys say that their client was “actually lobbying and [preparing] for the President to utilize” the law, AP reports.
In an open letter on the Oath Keepers’ website, Rhodes called on the then-president to use the Insurrection Act to “stop the steal and defeat the coup.” In a court filing, prosecutors have referenced a message Rhodes wrote saying Trump “needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will,” AP reports.Axios on facebook
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Three Mesa children missing after leaving Rhodes Junior High SchoolThree children have been reported missing after they left Rhodes Junior High School Thursday morning, according to Mesa police. abc15
Read more »
The Oath Keepers’ Radical Legal Defense of January 6thStewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, believes that the group serves not as “a militia” but as a vanguard of “the militia,” a notion rooted in his reading of the Second Amendment.
Read more »
What To Know About The Oath Keepers, On Trial For Role In January 6 RiotsFive members of the Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes, are being tried in federal court for their role in the riots of Jan. 6, 2021. The Onion tells you everything you need to know about the Oath Keepers and their trial.
Read more »
Don Cheadle's Marvel Series Armor Wars Will Now Be a Movie - E! OnlineArmor Wars, which stars Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes (a.k.a. War Machine), will now be released as a feature film. Get all of the details here.
Read more »