Oath Keeper testifies about mass of guns allegedly stored near DC on January 6 - CNN

CNN  — 

A seasoned and subordinate of the Oath Keepers testified Wednesday that the far-right radical amassed much weapons extracurricular Washington, DC, connected January 6, 2021, than helium had seen since his days successful the military.

Terry Cummings told the assemblage during the 2nd week of the historic seditious conspiracy trial that helium traveled to Washington with respective members of a radical from Florida, bringing his ain AR-15 firearm and ammunition container to lend to the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) allegedly established by the radical successful a edifice extracurricular the city.

“I person not seen that galore weapons successful 1 determination since I was successful the military,” Cummings, who showed his firearm and ammunition to the assemblage during his testimony, said.

Cummings, 66, testified helium traveled to DC with 1 of the defendants, Kenneth Harrelson, and was instructed by different defendant, Kelly Meggs, to instrumentality weapons up to a edifice country successful Virginia wherever the radical was allegedly staging the QRF.

When asked what his volition was successful bringing the AR-15, Cummings testified that “it would perchance beryllium used, not arsenic an violative situation, but much arsenic a amusement of force,” adding that “there had been ongoing riots passim the country, and it was to beryllium utilized with the different Oath Keeper members conscionable to person (a) presence.”

Cummings has not been charged successful transportation with January 6.

On the nighttime of January 5, Cummings shared a edifice country with Jason Dolan, an Oath Keeper from Florida who has pleaded blameworthy to conspiracy, helium testified.

When the radical woke up connected January 6, they loaded into a minivan and went to the Ellipse, Cummings said. He and different Oath Keepers were moving a information item for a “VIP,” Cummings told the jury, though helium couldn’t retrieve the sanction of the idiosyncratic helium was assigned to protect.

“I wasn’t truly definite astatine the clip [why we left] but we had been asked to escort a VIP from the rally to the Capitol,” helium testified.

During the walk, Meggs informed the radical that “they had breached the Capitol,” Cummings said. Though Cummings said helium wasn’t definite astatine the clip who “they,” were, helium was acrophobic that radical were “breaking into oregon entering successful an country radical shouldn’t beryllium in.”

The country astatine the Capitol erstwhile the radical arrived was similar thing helium had ever seen before, Cummings testified. He described a swarm of radical each implicit the building, climbing connected walls and “mulling around.”

When different members entered the Capitol – allegedly including Meggs and Harrelson – Cummings said helium was looking for a bathroom. He did not cognize what happened portion different members were wrong the building.

When the different Oath Keepers near the Capitol and regrouped, “they were having conversations astir having… encountered a Capitol constabulary serviceman inside” the gathering who was lasting connected stairs and “being confronted by radical wrong the Capitol,” Cummings said.

“The content I got was they were gladsome they were determination to intervene successful a imaginable atrocious situation,” Cummings said.

Throughout his full travel to Washington, DC, Cummings testified connected cross-examination, helium “did not perceive of immoderate plans” to tempest the building.

“At immoderate constituent during the full day, the thrust from Florida 2 days before, camping retired successful North Carolina the nighttime of the fourth, driving from North Carolina connected the fifth… did you ever perceive immoderate quality being discussing the activities you saw connected January 6,” James Lee Bright, a defence lawyer for Oath Keepers laminitis Stewart Rhodes, asked Cummings.

“No,” He responded. If helium had heard those sorts of conversations, Cummings said, helium would person “turned around” and reported the radical to instrumentality enforcement.

He was besides not alert of immoderate bid from Rhodes to activate the QRF, Cummings told the jury, adding that the Oath Keepers helium was with did not bring weapons into DC due to the fact that “it’s amerciable to bash so.” He besides testified that helium did not look wrong anyone’s weapon lawsuit but his ain astatine the QRF and could not corroborate whether determination were really firearms inside.

Harrelson, Meggs, Rhodes, and their codefendants Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell person each pleaded not blameworthy to seditious conspiracy.