In the 3rd week of the government’s lawsuit against Rhodes and Oath Keepers Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Thomas Caldwell and Kenneth Harrelson, prosecutors are attempting to capable successful their extended grounds astir the group’s cache of arms and however it methodically planned to bring them to D.C. up of Congress’ Jan. 6 league to certify the 2020 predetermination results.
Dozens of Oath Keepers came to Washington that day, and much than 20, including Rhodes, were spotted connected the Capitol grounds arsenic a pro-Donald Trump mob stormed the building. Although Rhodes didn’t participate the gathering himself, 2 groups of his allies — including Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson, surged wrong with the assemblage portion clad successful military-style garb. Back astatine the Comfort Inn, Oath Keeper Ed Vallejo — who is besides charged with seditious conspiracy and volition beryllium tried successful November — stood acceptable for orders to transport the weapons into Washington, either by van oregon by boat.
Among the caller details: Surveillance footage taken from the Comfort Inn showing Watkins, Caldwell and different Oath Keeper, Donovan Crowl, saluting each different hours aft returning from the mob riot astatine the Capitol. The footage showed members of the Oath Keepers hauling ample carts of cases that prosecutors accidental contained weapons into their edifice rooms.
Prosecutors besides showed the assemblage a caller bid of substance messages sent among leaders of the radical arsenic they traveled to Washington successful the days earlier Jan. 6. It showed them cautiously coordinating their locations and plans arsenic they converged connected Washington, with immoderate stopping astatine prearranged outposts extracurricular Washington connected the way.
Amid that travel, prosecutors revealed messages betwixt Rhodes and Kellye SoRelle, an lawyer who Rhodes has claimed served arsenic the group’s wide counsel — but who prosecutors accidental did not enactment successful that capableness — engaging successful sexually explicit banter.
“Speaking of fucking … if you request immoderate travel over,” Rhodes wrote to SoRelle connected Jan. 2, 2021. SoRelle replied that she couldn’t but aft a lengthier speech said, “You’re excessively bully astatine what you do. Whole atrocious lad thing. I americium a damn moth to a [flame emoji]. I truly americium replaying my teenage years.”
The messages underscore the idiosyncratic narration betwixt Rhodes and SoRelle adjacent arsenic immoderate of the defendants person sought to support immoderate of her messages excluded by claiming attorney-client privilege.
Prosecutors besides sought to proceed undercutting a cardinal defence of the Oath Keepers — that they were successful Washington lone to service arsenic information details for VIPs attending pro-Trump rallies, not arsenic portion of immoderate program to disrupt the peaceful transportation of power.
DOJ attorneys played respective audio segments of a podcast joined by 2 Arizona Oath Keepers, Vallejo and Todd Kandaris, connected the greeting of Jan. 6. The brace described their beingness successful Washington arsenic portion of an effort to forcibly forestall Biden from taking office.
“We are the last cheque and equilibrium to this process,” Kandaris said. “Is determination a ‘shot heard circular the world’ moment? The anticipation decidedly exists.”
Kandaris has not been charged.
English (US)