(Washington) The founder of the far-right American group Oath Keepers denied on Monday, at the 21e day of his trial for “sedition”, having “planned” the storming of the Capitol and considered it “stupid” that members of his militia had joined it.
Posted at 1:11 p.m.
Updated at 6:33 p.m.
Stewart Rhodes, a 57-year-old ex-serviceman known for his black eye patch and fiery rants, has been on trial for more than a month along with four other Oath Keepers members in federal court in Washington.
Prosecutors accuse them of having “conspired” to forcibly oppose the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Helmeted and equipped with combat gear, they joined supporters of Donald Trump who invaded the Capitol when elected officials certified Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021.
Stewart Rhodes had remained on the outside, but according to prosecutors, he had led his troops with a radio “like a general on the battlefield”.
ILLUSTRATION DANA VERKOUTEREN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stewart Rhodes during his testimony
“We were not there to block the certification of the results, we had not planned to enter the Capitol”, he retorted with great assurance in front of the jurors. “It was not part of our mission. »
According to him, the Oath Keepers are “a law enforcement organization” and were simply to provide security during a demonstration called by Donald Trump to protest the election results.
Claiming to have been presented with a fait accompli, he considered it “stupid” that some of its members entered the headquarters of Congress. “It opened the door to our political persecution, and look where we are,” he added.
“Contrary to the Constitution”
Prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy then recalled that he had spent 17,000 dollars to buy weapons and equipment before January 6, while showing numerous messages in which he evoked, in particular, “a civil war”.
With a law degree from the prestigious Yale University, Stewart Rhodes did not blink, urging the representative of the prosecution to prove that he had specifically called for violence on January 6.
According to him, these preparations were to allow the Oath Keepers to react quickly if Donald Trump had decided to declare a state of insurrection, under an 1807 law authorizing presidents to mobilize certain armed forces in exceptional contexts.
“It was the first time that we had an election that was so blatantly unconstitutional,” he added, echoing the accusations of fraud brandished, without proof, by the former Republican president.
More than 880 participants in the assault on the Capitol were arrested and hundreds convicted on charges ranging from assaulting police officers to simple trespassing.
But only a few members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys militia are being prosecuted for sedition, a charge punishable by 20 years in prison. The trial of Stewart Rhodes, the first in this capacity, is therefore a test for the Ministry of Justice.
In parallel with this aspect before the courts, Donald Trump is the subject of a parliamentary inquiry to determine his responsibility in the attack.