The local sheriff's department told us they didn't ask for their help. Ten guys go and do something stupid and suddenly, we're the devil. It was pre-staged. Among the current officeholders on the list is Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem, who was already publicly identified with the Oath Keepers. It didnt take long for the Oath Keepers to begin attracting members with more extreme ideas.. Less than two weeks after Rhodes left Massachusetts, the FBI arrested I dont even know what theyre posting. Members of the extremist militia have staged a number of high-profile actions across the country, including in 2014 in Ferguson, Mo., where protests erupted over a white police officers fatal shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Tarvin recalled signing up at a booth in White County, Georgia, in 2009 when he was running for Congress. I'm not paying dues or membership fees or anything.. #ada-button-frame { Also, the ADL said, their involvement in anti-government extremist movements and ideologies lends a veneer of legitimacy that can be used to further advance their agendas and also jeopardize the proper functioning of government. Javed Ali: I think what makes the Oath Keepers unique and challenging, beyond the fact that they are a formal group with chapters all over the country, is that a large percentage have tactical training and operational experience in either the military or law enforcement. Zello transmission from the Capitol on January 6: Godspeed and fair winds to us. What did the Oath Keepers do on 6 January 2021? Members of the Oath Keepers seeking public office include candidates for mayor, town council and school boards to state representatives and senators, the report said. The group is loosely organized and its leaders do not centrally issue commands. People have to realize that when things go crazy, things get a little chaos-y around you, you have to be able to take care of yourself, defend yourself, protect your family, those you love, that's part of the Constitution. We don't do that. Two of those prominent Massachusetts residents were identified in media reports this week: Barnstable County Commission candidate Ron Beaty and Wilbraham Republican Town Committee member David Sanders, according to Commonwealth Magazine. The center says on its website that Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper, delivered remarks during the 2009 event. They're freaking shooting people with paint balls, but we're in here. Cathy York: Some of those people with Oath Keepers could have been BLM. Jess Watkins on Zello, January 6: We have a good group. Micah Loewinger: If they had been paying attention to the whole network of far-right groups online that were extremely vocal and very public about what they wanted to happen, I don't believe we would have seen so many people break into the Capitol. For 18 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Zello transmission from the Capitol on January 6: Be safe, be alert, and stay in groups. Seditious conspiracy is a crime involving a plot to attack or overthrow the state, but which stops short of treason - waging war against the government. According to researchers who monitor the groups activities, Oath Keepers pledge to resist if the federal government imposes martial law, invades a state or takes peoples guns, ideas that show up in a dark swirl of right-wing conspiracy theories. All the police chiefs and sheriffs who responded to the AP said they no longer have any ties to the group. The Zello recordings are helping prosecutors make their case. By the time he became an Oath Keepers annual member in 2016, Haran was looking for a new political home. The organizations roster has ballooned in recent years, from less than 10,000 members at the start of 2011 to more than 35,000 by 2020, membership records show. Beaty is somebody with a firm white supremacist agenda who has been trying to get into the politics of Cape Cod for quite some time, the Barnstable County political scene, Peters said in an interview. The story of "Oath Keepers" is very much the story of this man. Ronny Jackson: Well, Alvin Bragg, You're 'FAT'! Three of the state lawmakers on the list had already been publicly identified with the Oath Keepers. Sharyn Alfonsi: So on January 6th, when you see, these people wearing that same emblem storm into the Capitol, what was your reaction? Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. The constitution supercedes all law enforcement and even the president. A persons name on the Oath Keepers database doesnt prove that person was involved in extremist activities, was active in the group or shares the groups ideology. Members of the extremist militia have staged a number of high-profile actions across the country, including in 2014 in Ferguson, Mo., where protests erupted over a white police officers fatal shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Firing guns, I dont know, its what they do in some countries. Haran said he was appalled as Republicans fell in line behind Trump. Titus did not respond to requests for comment. The group claims that a significant number of its members are current or former That 2013 event in Lexington took place amid a dispute with town officials who at the time had put a moratorium on gatherings on the Battle Green itself, owing to public safety threats presented by the Boston Marathon bombings days earlier. The indictment says she charged into the Capitol and encouraged people to push against a line of police officers guarding the Senate chamber. The FBI says the group is born of the myth that only three percent of American colonists took up arms against the British during the American Revolution. While Arroyo doesn't think the election was legitimate, he doesn't think anyone should have stormed the Capitol. He is also engaged online in racist, violent extremist groups and has voiced support for James Fields, the neo-Nazi convicted of killing Heather Heyer during the 2017 Charlottesville, Va., "Unite the Right" rally, the FBI said.
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To know that members of this group have permeated key aspects of civil society should serve as a wake-up call to people of all political persuasions that extremists hell-bent on destroying our democratic norms are making in-roads across the country.. It's not a joke. An educator and pastor based in White Oak, North Carolina, informed the group that his skills include, Public speaking, membership drives, have current access and interaction with many current and retired servicemembers through church and my current work as quality control director for a assault weapons manufacturer [sic]. The group is named after the oath of service that police, military and other officials take. Thomas Caldwell, a former Navy officer from Virginia who once worked for the FBI. The FBI's affidavit identifies two other group members by name as having participated in the riot, Jessica Watkins and Donovan Crowl. Watkins is seen in video from the Capitol with goggles and nine other Oath Keepers in battle gear. Do your s**t. This is what we f***ing lived up for. They were talking on a phone and computer app called Zello. For weeks, extremist watchdogs like the Anti-Defamation League, national news outlets, and journalists like Micah Loewinger had been warning of possible violence on the 6th. People allegedly affiliated with organizations such as The Three Percenters, The Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Texas Freedom Force, and other self-described Nazis and white supremacists were among the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building, according to federal investigators. The FBI describes them as an anti-government militia movement. Among them, current and former military and law enforcement. We couldn't do it without you. Even though Vaughan ran in a predominantly Democratic district, he had the support of his partys establishment, receiving a $500 campaign contribution from Robin Titus, the Assemblys Republican floor leader. All have pleaded not guilty. Stewart Rhodes on "Infowars": We have men already stationed outside D.C. as a nuclear option in case they attempt to remove the president illegally. I showed 2 troopers this week the web link.. Before taking any action based on this information, an individualized assessment of the individual must take place. According to the county elections department, Maul was the judge of elections in charge of his precinct in every election since 2017, including this years primary in May. He wouldn't say whether he now disavows the Oath Keepers, saying he doesn't have enough information about the group today. Join us. Phillip Martin is a senior investigative reporter for the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. That same day, another alleged member of the group sent Caldwell a message in which he called him "Commander" and said "Guess I'll be seeing you soon. I pray this country finds its way back to civility and peace in discourse with one another, he said. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today.". In addition to those currently serving in the military, ADL estimates that o. Alright. Mike Rice: How are you gonna take an oath to defend the Constitution and then try to disturb a session of Congress during what's supposed to be one of our most precious political things, you know, the transfer of power? And in 2015, months after the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Oath Keepers arrived with AR-15 style weapons saying they were there to protect businesses. Micah Loewinger: It wasn't until a couple days later that I started to realize how much planning must have gone into this event. The Justice Department on Thursday announced the first sedition charges related to the January 6 insurrection, a watershed moment in the year-long investigation. He is facing charges of trespassing on restricted areas of the Capitol grounds and obstruction of justice. He is facing charges in connection with an assault on a Capitol Police officer with pepper spray, a barricade surrounding the Capitol grounds, and a baseball bat. The crowd, mostly retirees, meet twice a month to talk about how to survive disasters like forest fires, attacks on the power grid, and civil war. In 2014, they took their fight to the Nevada desert. They pleaded not guilty. Investigators say they are members of a group called the Ohio State Regular Militia, a local militia organization which pays dues to the Oath Keepers. In fact, it would almost be expected.. He did appear again last month, on "Infowars," this time from his car, saying he didn't order Oath Keepers to enter the Capitol, but defended the members who are now in jail and criticized those who put them there. Jessica Watkins, an Afghanistan war veteran from Ohio. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Filippi, whose district includes Block Island, Charlestown, and parts of South Kingstown and Westerly, announced last month that he wont be seeking reelection. Diehl asked his supporters to respect the election results and give Governor-elect Maura Healey a shot at success. The fight's coming. And that's when I heard this mysterious woman narrating her march to the Capitol and eventually inside. Mike Pence Willing To Testify To January 6 Grand Jury, MP Says We Should Stop Blaming Brexit Just Because Of Brexit, Pervez Agwan Stands For Justice, Equality And Opportunity. Support GBH. How do you get the attention of liberals and get them to listen? Every April, reenactors gather on the Lexington Battle Green to commemorate the shot heard round the world that sparked the American Revolutionary War in April 1775. Serving with Clampitt in the North Carolina assembly, deputy majority whip Keith Kidwell appeared on the Oath Keepers list as an annual member in 2012. The Capitol belongs to the people.. the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point. Define what radical is., Not all party officials shared Siegerts view. Rhodes formally launched the Oath Keepers in Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2009, where the first shot in the American Revolution was fired. The Oath Keepers, founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, is a loosely organized conspiracy theory-fueled group that recruits current and former military, police and first In addition, ADL identified 86 individuals we believe are active fire fighters including several fire chiefs as well as 19 active paramedics and 31 emergency technicians in the database. Founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, indicted for seditious conspiracy for allegedly organizing a plot to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, graduated from Yale Law School in 2004. They were anti-government, Haran said of the GOP, but now theyre being anti-democracy., Published with permission from ProPublica. Rhodes, the centers site says, told the assembled group his vision for the paramiliary group and conducted a mass oath-swearing ceremony with those gathered.. Thirteen people associated with the Oath Keepers have been charged with federal crimes, including Jess Watkins who has pled not guilty. Addresses from cities, suburbs, and rural areas all He formally launched the Oath Keepers in Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2009, where the first shot in the American Revolution was fired. Jim Arroyo: Our guys are very experienced.
When anti-government extremists hold elected office, it creates a dangerous opportunity for them to use their power to advance their ideology in ways that can dramatically affect their constituents and undermine democracy.. Some people that go off the rails. Many members said they had little contact with the group after sending in their dues but still supported the cause. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. The ADL said it found the names of at least 10 people who now work as police chiefs and 11 sheriffs. Prepare your mind, body, spirit.". Cathy York: It coulda been. On 6 January 2021, a mix of groups - along with hundreds of individuals apparently unconnected to any organisation - assembled outside the Capitol after then-President Donald Trump held a rally nearby. A police affidavit says Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, N.J., is "an avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer" who posts videos on YouTube under the title the "Based Hermes Show," showcasing extreme political viewpoints. The data renews concern about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military, systems taxed with enforcing the law and protecting the United States and its citizens. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. GOP majority could boot 3 Dems from Tennessee house over shooting protest, Japanese forces search for Black Hawk helicopter that dropped off radar, Doctor charged after video allegedly shows her poisoning husband's tea, Israel says rockets fired from Lebanon after clashes at Jerusalem mosque, Greenhouse gases continue reach toward "uncharted levels," NOAA warns, Novel treatment shows promise against rare cancer in kids. Baldwins spokesperson said he was unavailable to comment.
This number is deeply concerning, the report said. Prosecutors say Mr Rhodes began a campaign to reject the results of the November 2020 presidential election two days after the vote, while ballots were still being counted. More than 400 people have now been charged in one of the most complex investigations the Department of Justice has ever faced the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Produced by Ashley Velie. It is of special concern to have public servants involved in extremist groups as lies about the 2020 presidential election continue to fuel threats against lawmakers and institutions, according to the report. Pezzola, who is from Rochester, N.Y., is seen in photos and videos of the Capitol riot wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt with yellow, consistent with the "Proud Boys" logo, the FBI said. 2023 BBC. He and four other Oath Keepers members are heading to trial this month on seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors have described as a weeks long plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power. He did not respond to a request for comment. Rhodes enlisted in the Army at 18 and was honorably discharged at 24. Robert Gieswein, from Woodland Park, Colo., is also believed to be a member of the Three Percenters, according to the FBI.