Stewart Rhodes Is Not the Only Oath Keeper on Trial - The New York Times

When the seditious conspiracy proceedings of 5 members of the Oath Keepers militia opened past week successful Federal District Court successful Washington, prosecutors focused overmuch of their attraction connected the organization’s laminitis and leader, Stewart Rhodes.

That was for bully reason: The government’s grounds suggests that Mr. Rhodes was the cardinal unit driving the far-right radical to disregard the results of the 2020 predetermination and to yet question to halt the lawful transportation of statesmanlike powerfulness from Donald J. Trump to Joseph R. Biden Jr.

But arsenic the proceedings unfolds implicit the adjacent respective weeks, the spotlight volition autumn connected Mr. Rhodes’s co-defendants: Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell. Their stories assistance to soma retired however the radical came to play specified a salient relation successful the effort to support Mr. Trump successful the White House contempt his nonaccomplishment successful the election.

KELLY MEGGS

Mr. Meggs, a car trader from Dunnellon, Fla., a tiny municipality northbound of Tampa, was the person of the Oath Keepers’ Florida section connected Jan. 6, having taken implicit the presumption 2 weeks earlier from its erstwhile chief, Michael Adams. Mr. Adams, who testified astatine the proceedings past week, said helium had resigned the station successful protestation implicit Mr. Rhodes’s progressively convulsive language, including calls for a “bloody war” against the Biden administration.

From an aboriginal stage, Mr. Meggs, outraged by the results of the election, seemed prepared to articulation that fray according to Facebook messages seized by the government. And aft Mr. Trump posted a tweet connected Dec. 19, 2020, inviting supporters to a “wild” protestation successful Washington connected Jan. 6, Mr. Meggs reacted enthusiastically.

“He called america each to the Capitol and wants america to marque it wild!!!” helium wrote. “Sir Yes Sir!! We are headed to DC.”

Around the aforesaid time, Mr. Meggs claimed to person organized an “alliance” betwixt the Oath Keepers and different far-right groups — among them, the Proud Boys and the Florida section of the Three Percenter militia movement, the Facebook messages show. While overmuch of the readying seems to person revolved astir efforts to combat leftist activists from antifa, who were expected to harass Trump supporters connected Jan. 6, Mr. Meggs discussed bringing mace, state masks and batons to Washington for the rally that day.

Mr. Meggs besides played an instrumental relation successful the Oath Keepers’ getting the occupation of providing information to Roger J. Stone Jr., Mr. Trump’s longtime governmental adviser, who was scheduled to talk astatine rallies connected Jan. 5 and Jan. 6. Lawyers for the radical person utilized the information occupation arsenic portion of their defence strategy, suggesting the Oath Keepers did not spell to Washington to onslaught the Capitol, but alternatively to support pro-Trump dignitaries.

On Jan. 6 itself, Mr. Meggs was portion of a military-style “stack” that entered the eastbound broadside of the Capitol and, according to prosecutors, moved done the Rotunda toward the House of Representatives successful hunt of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Should Mr. Rhodes attest astatine the trial, arsenic expected, helium is apt to accidental that Mr. Meggs went “off mission” by going into the gathering and that helium did truthful without instructions from immoderate Oath Keepers leaders.

KENNETH HARRELSON

Two days earlier the Capitol attack, Mr. Meggs named Mr. Harrelson, a welder and Army seasoned from Titusville, Fla., arsenic the person of his “ground team,” prosecutors say.

But not overmuch is known astir Mr. Harrelson’s activities oregon beliefs successful the weeks starring up to Jan. 6, successful ample portion due to the fact that helium had nary societal media accounts and deleted astir of his cellphone messages aft the Oath Keepers near Washington that day.

The assemblage volition yet perceive grounds that Mr. Harrelson brought rifles to a Comfort Inn successful Arlington, Va., arsenic portion of a alleged “quick absorption force” designed to unreserved into Washington and assistance the Oath Keepers astatine the Capitol if things went wrong.

The jurors volition besides apt perceive however Mr. Harrelson entered the gathering with 1 of the subject “stacks” and joined Mr. Meggs successful hunt of Ms. Pelosi.

Mr. Harrelson’s lawyers chose not to springiness an opening connection to the jury, but they person said helium had nary thought the Oath Keepers intended to tempest the Capitol and had lone gone to Washington to instrumentality portion successful the group’s information work. The speedy absorption unit besides ne'er brought their weapons from Virginia into Washington.

JESSICA WATKINS

Ms. Watkins, an Army seasoned and barroom proprietor from agrarian Ohio, ran her ain militia successful that authorities and joined up with the Oath Keepers astir the clip of the election. Like others successful the group, she was disturbed by the results of the predetermination and considered the imaginable of a Biden presidency to beryllium “an existential threat,” tribunal papers say.

“Biden whitethorn inactive beryllium our President,” she wrote to an subordinate successful November 2020. “If helium is, our mode of beingness arsenic we cognize it is over.”

She rapidly added: “Then it is our work arsenic Americans to fight, termination and dice for our rights.”

On Jan. 6, Ms. Watkins utilized a integer walkie-talkie app called Zello to pass with her chap Oath Keepers and with dozens of others who were connected the aforesaid channel, “Stop the Steal J6.” Prosecutors mean to play a signaling of their chatter to the jury, providing a real-time, firsthand relationship of Ms. Watkins marching toward the Capitol and entering the gathering wherever she was met by paintballs and stun grenades from the police.

As a transgender woman, Ms. Watkins whitethorn person the astir absorbing idiosyncratic communicative of immoderate of the Oath Keepers defendants, and her lawyer, Jonathan Crisp, said during his opening connection past week that helium intends to usage it to humanize her for the jury.

While the details stay unclear, Mr. Crisp said that Ms. Watkins recovered it challenging to walk years successful hypermasculine organizations similar the Army and the Oath Keepers.

THOMAS CALDWELL

Though helium was not a dues-paying subordinate of the Oath Keepers, Mr. Caldwell, a erstwhile naval serviceman who erstwhile held a top-secret clearance, was intimately progressive with each of the Oath Keepers’ events successful Washington aft the election.

He fto respective members of the radical enactment connected his 30-acre spot successful Berryville, Va., portion they attended the alleged Million MAGA March connected Nov. 14, 2020.

Then, successful beforehand of a 2nd pro-Trump rally successful the metropolis connected Dec. 12, Mr. Caldwell — a self-described “crusty intel guy” — wrote an “ops plans,” advising his compatriots to bring “striking weapons” and perchance firearms to the event. The guns, and each of their bullets, helium wrote, should beryllium wiped down thoroughly earlier the gathering and discarded aft use.

As Jan. 6 approached, Mr. Caldwell took complaint of assembling the equipped “quick absorption force” that would beryllium stationed astatine a Comfort Inn successful Arlington, Va. At 1 point, helium considered a program to usage a vessel to ferry weapons crossed the Potomac River to his chap Oath Keepers astatine the Capitol, grounds has shown.