Oath Keeper testifies he was ready to die on Jan. 6 to keep Trump in office - NBC News

WASHINGTON — A subordinate of the far-right Oath Keepers who stormed the U.S. Capitol testified that helium was acceptable to combat to support erstwhile President Donald Trump successful bureau and was preparing himself successful the weeks earlier Jan. 6 to accidental goodbye to his family, helium testified successful a seditious conspiracy trial connected Tuesday.

Jason Dolan, a 46-year-old subject veteran, pleaded guilty to 1 number of conspiracy and a number of obstruction of an authoritative proceeding successful September and testified successful the proceedings of 5 different members of the extremist radical nether a practice agreement with the government.

Other cooperating defendants are besides expected to attest successful the trial. Dolan has not pleaded blameworthy to seditious conspiracy, but three different Oath Keepers have.

Dolan testified Tuesday that earlier the Jan. 6 attack, helium was drinking — often unsocial and successful his store — and getting sucked into online conspiracy theories. "I was watching a batch of videos astir the election. At the clip I felt similar the predetermination had been stolen," helium said.

Dolan said helium was trying to "mentally prepare" astatine the clip for however acold helium was consenting to spell to support the erstwhile prima of "The Apprentice" successful bureau for a 2nd term.

In December 2020 substance messages displayed by the authorities connected Tuesday, Dolan wrote that determination was "no coming back" from what helium was prepared to bash and that helium would beryllium "lucky" if helium got "a situation sentence, tagged with treason, oregon a bullet" arsenic a effect of his actions.

"I deliberation my biggest occupation is trying to person myself to accidental bully bye," Dolan wrote successful the connection to different Florida Oath Keepers.

Testifying connected Tuesday, Dolan said that helium was not conscionable bloviating.

"I meant it literally," Dolan said, adding that helium was asking himself, "Is this each conscionable going to beryllium speech oregon americium I consenting to backmost up my words with actions?"

Jason Dolan, center, astatine the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Dolan testified that helium was "pretty pissed" erstwhile helium heard that Joe Biden had won the election, and said it "didn’t look possible" that Trump would lose.

"As 1 person, it’s not thing that you tin bash by yourself. You request a group, you request a batch of people," helium testified.

"It felt similar wrong the radical I was with … that determination was a halfway radical that would beryllium consenting to fight," Dolan said, referring to the Florida members of the Oath Keepers organization.

Echoing connection utilized by Oath Keepers laminitis Stewart Rhodes, Dolan said helium felt helium needed to beryllium consenting to "conquer oregon die," and, if request be, "take up arms and combat back" connected Trump's behalf.

Five members of the Oath Keepers, including Rhodes, are connected proceedings for seditious conspiracy. Rhodes has said that the "quick absorption force" (QRF) and stockpile of guns the radical acceptable up extracurricular of D.C. would person lone been brought successful if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act and called upon groups similar the Oath Keepers.

Dolan said helium thought that Trump would beryllium stopping the certification process by invoking the Insurrection Act and that the Oath Keepers would person to bash it themselves if Trump didn't.

"I didn’t truly spell and look into the legalities of the Insurrection Act," Dolan said. He added helium was anticipating "government connected government" fighting, and was consenting to reason the incoming Biden medication "by immoderate means necessary."

"That’s wherefore we brought our firearms," Dolan said.

The authorities introduced photos of Dolan entering the Capitol, and Dolan testified that helium was chanting “treason!” on with different members of the pro-Trump mob.

“I wanted them to beryllium acrophobic of me,” helium said of members of Congress successful the gathering that day. “If they weren’t going to, successful my perspective, bash the close thing, possibly they could beryllium frightened into doing the close thing.”

When asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler however helium felt astir his actions now, Dolan said, “Looking backmost connected it, I deliberation I was beauteous naive, downright anserine with immoderate of my decisions.”

“I’m thankful that President Trump astatine the clip didn’t bash thing similar invoke the Insurrection Act due to the fact that determination would person been a batch of violence, had he.”

“I conscionable consciousness beauteous anserine astir the full thing,” Dolan added.