“Either Trump gets disconnected his ass and uses the insurrection Act to decision the ChiCom puppet coup oregon we volition person to emergence up successful insurrection (rebellion) against the ChiCom puppet Biden,” Rhodes wrote successful a Dec. 20, 2020 message. “Take your pick.”
Those messages, prosecutors say, uncover Rhodes’ authorities of caput earlier helium led Oath Keepers successful a seditious conspiracy to forcibly forestall Biden from taking power. Rhodes and 4 different Oath Keepers leaders are facing the conspiracy charges for their portion successful the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol. Though Rhodes didn’t spell into the building, helium roamed the outskirts portion dozens of allies entered — including immoderate who were hunting for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence, prosecutors say. The radical had staged a monolithic arsenal of firearms conscionable extracurricular of Washington, D.C. successful anticipation of violence, the authorities contends.
Oath Keepers defence attorneys person contended that contempt the pugnacious speech successful backstage messages, the radical was chiefly successful Washington D.C. to enactment arsenic information details for VIPs astatine a pro-Trump rally, and had nary program to participate the Capitol. Their firearms were legally stowed astatine a edifice successful Arlington, Va., and were intended to beryllium deployed lone if thoroughfare unit escalated oregon Trump invoked the Insurrection Act.
But prosecutors person utilized grounds successful the 3rd week of the Oath Keepers proceedings to poke holes successful that defense. Rhodes’ pre-Jan. 6 messages to his allies — connected aggregate Signal chats, substance connection chains and recorded meetings — described the radical arsenic prepared to conflict the national authorities adjacent if Trump refused to backmost them. And Rhodes saw the travel to D.C. connected Jan. 6 arsenic the theatre for that fight.
Pro-Trump rallies were “getting kinda old,” helium said.
“They don’t springiness a crap however galore amusement up and question a sign, commune oregon yell. They won’t fearfulness america until we travel with rifles successful hand,” helium wrote connected Dec. 29 to a radical of 5 allies, including Kellye SoRelle, a woman who Rhodes has besides claimed was the group’s attorney. “Only crushed to spell is truthful Trump knows we enactment him successful taking Reg gloves disconnected and kickin ass.”
Rhodes is connected proceedings with 4 different co-defendants, Ohio’s Jessica Watkins, Virginia’s Thomas Caldwell, Florida’s Kelly Meggs and Florida’s Kenneth Harrelson. Prosecutors spent Thursday’s league detailing the group’s movements, with dozens of others, to the Capitol from Trump’s rally adjacent the White House.
As they marched, Rhodes and SoRelle roamed the edges of the Capitol and directed his co-defendants astir wherever to go. Just nether an hr earlier they arrived, Rhodes began receiving Signal messages from associates suggesting that the Capitol was being “stormed” by the pro-Trump mob.
When 1 of those associates raised concerns astir Trump supporters being portion of a breach connected the Capitol, SoRelle replied connected Rhodes’ behalf, saying that “We are acting similar the founding fathers. Can’t basal down. Per Stewart and I concur.”
As helium waited for different Oath Keepers to get astatine the Capitol, Rhodes continued venting astir Trump and Pence. “Now it’s seed cuttin time. Does Trump person balls oregon not? We’re astir to find out,” helium wrote to 1 of his substance chains.
When 1 Oath Keeper asked Rhodes if the assemblage was perchance an anti-Trump assemblage successful disguise, Rhodes assured the radical that they were genuine Trump supporters.
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