Oath Keepers

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[[File:Oath Keepers logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|Oath Keepers' logo]]
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'''Oath Keepers''' (aka "Oaf Keepers"<ref>[https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a20761/bundy-ranch-oath-keepers-043014/ Oaf Keepers At Bundy Ranch] by Charles P. Pierce (Apr 30, 2014) ''Esquire''.</ref>) is a [[far-right]], anti-[[government]] [[militia]] organization founded by '''Elmer Stewart Rhodes III''' {{lived|1966}} in 2009.<ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/elmer-stewart-rhodes-0 Elmer Stewart Rhodes] ''Southern Poverty Law Center''.</ref> Oath Keepers is considered to be part of the broader 'patriot movement', which includes other militias, [[sovereign citizens]] and [[tax protester]]s.<ref name=adl>[https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/oath-keepers Oath Keepers] ''Anti-Defamation League''.</ref> Their membership consists of "current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders, who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and [[police]] take to 'defend the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] against all enemies, foreign and domestic.'" — but any old [[gun nut]] can join as an associate member.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160403071616/https://www.oathkeepers.org/about/ About Oath Keepers] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from April 3, 2016).</ref> That sounds all perfectly reasonable — except that members frequently have a different idea of what "defend the Constitution" means than ordinary people or Constitutional scholars: Oath Keepers' belief that they will prevent [[tyranny]] revolves around the [[New World Order]] [[conspiracy theory]].<ref name=adl/> In practice, this can mean inciting members to intimidate voters they don't like<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/27/militia-group-calls-on-members-to-patrol-polls-on-election-day/ Militia group calls on members to patrol polls on Election Day] by Kevin Sullivan (Oct. 27, 2016 at 2:45 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> or engaging in an insurrection against a [[Democracy|democratically]]-elected government.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/oathkeepers-charged-capitol-riot/2021/02/19/ac41f692-72ce-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html U.S. alleges wider Oath Keepers conspiracy, adds more defendants in Jan. 6 Capitol riot] by Spencer S. Hsu & Rachel Weiner (Feb. 19, 2021 at 4:15 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Rhodes, who once worked for [[Ron Paul]], has been described by his estranged wife as expressing [[paranoid]] views about the [[government]].<ref name=allam>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/rhodes-oath-keepers-capitol-riot/2021/09/16/a6a872c0-10b6-11ec-a511-cb913c7e5ba0_story.html Oath Keepers founder draws scrutiny from federal officials and followers] by By Hannah Allam & Spencer S. Hsu (September 17, 2021) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> According to Jason Van Tatenhove, former spokesman for the Oath Keepers, Rhodes' appearance is comparable to a performance, a claim that is confirmed to some degree by Rhodes' inability to draw large live audiences and his not actually training a militia.<ref name=allam/> Rhodes' followers are largely armchair militants whom Rhodes grifts according to Van Tatenhove, and that would seem to be confirmed by Rhodes' allegedly leading a force of only 18 Oath Keepers at the [[2021 U.S. coup attempt]]&nbsp;— from a safe distance.<ref name=allam/>

==Origins==
[[File:Former Alt News Founder Brian Hill with Alex Jones of Infowars and Stewart Rhodes of Oath Keepers organization.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Left-right: Brian Hill, [[Alex Jones]], Rhodes]]
According to the [[ADL]], Oath Keepers is similar to a less-successful organization founded by Jack McLamb in the 1990s, Police Against the New World Order.<ref name=adl/> Oath Keepers was founded in 2009.

Rhodes' foundational idea was that [[Hitler]]'s rise to power could have been prevented if German soldiers and police had disobeyed unconstitutional orders:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150814020458/http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/2009/05/keeping-your-oath-not-just-following.html Keeping Your Oath: NOT Just Following Orders] (May 31, 2009) ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from August 14, 2015). Originally published as "Just Following Orders" by Stewart Rhodes (April 2008) ''S.W.A.T Magazine''.</ref>
{{cquote|"It" (a full-blown [[totalitarian]] [[police state]]) cannot happen here if the majority of police and soldiers obey their oaths to defend the Constitution and refuse to enforce the unconstitutional edicts of the "Leader."}}

There are a few problems with this [[Nazi analogies|Nazi analogy]]:
#Hitler did not rise to power all at once. He first attempted a [[coup]] (the Beer Hall Putsch) in 1923, for which he was sent to prison. After release from prison, he ran for President in 1932 and lost to von Hindenburg, who then appointed Hitler as Chancellor. Hitler then bent the law and constitution to his liking using the Reichstag Fire Decree (a series of key decrees, legislative acts, and case law).<ref>[https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/reichstag-fire-decree Reichstag Fire Decree] ''United States Holocaust Memorial Museum''.</ref>
#Hitler's rise to power was technically done legally under German law at the time. He was appointed chancellor as the German constitution provided, he obtained the emergency powers under the Reichstag decree issued by President Hindenburg, his party won the March 1933 elections, and then he had the legislature pass a constitutional amendment making him dictator. Even the extrajudicial detention of leftists in concentration camps was legal loopholed as "{{wpl|schutzhaft|protective custody}}" & – these naughty leftists were simply being "protected" from the good and righteous German people<ref>[https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/law-and-justice-in-the-third-reich Law and Justice in the Third Reich], ''Holocaust Encyclopedia''</ref>.
#The police and military didn't just "follow orders", they were often enthusiastic supporters of Hitler. The Nazi ranks, especially the {{wpl|Sturmabteilung|Brownshirt thugs}}, were filled with disaffected, right-wing [[World War I]] veterans, including [[Hermann Göring|Göring]], Röhm, and even Hitler himself; and right-wing militias called the {{Wpl|Freikorps}} essentially became a handy recruitment pool for the party in its early days. The police were also sympathetic to the Nazis- once in power, the Nazis purged the various German police forces of political opponents (and Jews). Very few police were actually purged- for example, only 31 of the 2,600 police in Cologne were fired.<ref>[https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-police-in-the-nazi-state The Nazification of the German PoliceE, 1933–1939], ''Holocaust Encyclopedia''</ref> 
#Rhodes was aiming this insurrectionist ideology at [[Hillary Clinton]] (whom he referred to as "Hitlery"), who at that time was making her first run for [[POTUS]]. Clinton, it should be noted, has at no time violated her Constitutional oath (first as US Senator in 2001, then as Secretary of State in 2009), nor has she proposed changes to the constitution except through the democratic means of constitutional amendment (a proposed campaign finance reform amendment to counter ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150623162718/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/130dda61f1e24e05ba2233b3e80fa638/clinton-patches-relations-liberals-campaigns-outset Clinton patches relations with liberals at campaign's outset] by Lisa Lerer (Apr. 19, 2015 8:09 AM EDT) ''AP'' (archived from June 23, 2015).</ref>).

==Leadership and membership==
{{cquote|The greatest threat we face today is not [[terrorists]]; it is our federal government. One of the best and easiest solutions is to depend on local officials, especially the sheriff, to stand against federal intervention and federal criminality.|||Richard Mack, echoing [[Posse Comitatus]] ideology<ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/20090731/second-wave-return-militias The Second Wave: Return of the Militias] (August 01, 2009) ''Southern Poverty Law Center''.</ref>}}
Their website is only known to have listed members of the Board of Directors from 2010-2016. The Board of Directors has been composed of:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100407170031/https://oathkeepers.org/oath/bios/ Bios] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from April 7, 2010).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111216082650/https://oathkeepers.org/oath/bios/ Bios] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from December 16, 2011).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121214170136/https://oathkeepers.org/oath/bios/ Bios] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from December 14, 2012).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131216043556/https://oathkeepers.org/oath/bios/ Bios] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from December 16, 2013).</ref><ref name=board2014>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141121093030/https://oathkeepers.org/oath/bios/ Bios] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from November 21, 2014).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150121223625/https://oathkeepers.org/oktester/board-of-directors/ Oath Keepers Board of Directors] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from January 21, 2015).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151011010615/https://oathkeepers.org/oktester/board-of-directors/ Oath Keepers Board of Directors] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from October 10, 2015).</ref><ref>[https://archive.is/EDyzn Oath Keepers Board of Directors] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from 1 Nov 2016 05:46:03 UTC).</ref>
{{collist|2|
*E. Stewart Rhodes (2009-), Founder and President — veteran, disbarred<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/294380213 In the Matter of Elmer S. Rhodes] (December 8, 2015) ''Supreme Court of Montana'' via ''Scribd''.</ref> Yale Law School graduate{{efn|Do not ask Rhodes for a gun safety lesson — he dropped his loaded handgun, shot himself in the face and blinded his left eye.<ref name=giglio>[https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/right-wing-militias-civil-war/616473/ A Pro-Trump Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands of Police, Soldiers, and Veterans: An Atlantic investigation reveals who they are and what they might do on Election Day.] by Mike Giglio (November 2020) ''The Atlantic''.</ref>}}
*Elias Alias (a.k.a., L. Franklin Shook III) (2010-2015) — veteran
*Jim Ayala (2015-2016) — emergency medical technician, veteran
*Rand Cardwell (2010-2013) — veteran
*Jeff W. Ford (2014-2015), Northern Oregon Coordinator for Oath Keepers — veteran
*Dave Freeman (2010) — veteran
*Robert A. Gomez (2010) — veteran
*Gregory Gooch (2010-2011) — veteran
*James Hanna (2012-2015) — veteran
*David T. Helms (2010-2011, 2015) — veteran
*Steven C. Homan (2010, 2014-2015),{{efn|Resigned due to conflicting views with Rhodes on the mission of the Oath Keepers.<ref name=giglio/>}} Western States VP — veteran
*Celia S. Hyde (2010) — former police chief, Bolton, Massachusetts
*Michele Imburgia (2014-2016), Texas State VP
*John Karriman (2016-2017), Missouri Oath Keepers State Coordinator — serving as Police Academy Defensive Tactics Instructor (c. 2016)
*Rex H. McTyeire (2010-2016), National Vice President for Eastern U.S. — retired army major
*Richard Mack (2011-2016), former Sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, founder of [[Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association]], which is ideologically similar to the sovereign citizen movement<ref>[https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/01/joe-arpaio-pardon-sheriffs-movement-215566/ The Troubling Sheriffs’ Movement That Joe Arpaio Supports: Trump's pardon didn't just let off a campaign ally. It endorsed a growing push to exempt sheriffs from any federal authority.] by Robert L. Tsai (September 01, 2017) ''Politico''.</ref>
*Chauncey Normandin (2010) — veteran
*Denny Peyman (2016) — ex-sheriff
*David J. Rivers (2011-2013) — veteran
*Joseph Santoro (2015-2016) — veteran
*John D. Shirley (2011-2013), retired police officer
*Jay Stang (2016), Texas Chapter President — veteran
}}
According to his estranged wife, the board members changed every few months, whenever they began to see through Rhodes' [[bullshit]]. The situation paralleled Rhodes' employment history before he founded Oath Keepers, where he would frequently get fired for getting into arguments with his supervisors.<ref>[https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/leaving-extreme-right-and-marriage-behind Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind] (May 3, 2023) ''WNYC: Death, Sex & Money''.</ref>

Since 2017, Karriman was shoved out for demanding reforms against alleged embezzlement by an IT administrator, and other board members have resigned.<ref name=giglio/> The membership list was leaked to the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]].<ref name=giglio/> Membership from the list indicated that two-thirds had a background in the military or law enforcement; alarmingly there were a "20-year special agent in the Secret Service, and two people who said they were in the [[FBI]]."<ref name=giglio/> The total membership was claimed by the organization to be 35,000 in 2016,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/us/politics/oath-keepers-capitol-riot.html‘This Kettle Is Set to Boil’: New Evidence Points to Riot Conspiracy: While most arrests in the Capitol riot have been individuals, new charges accused three people tied to a right-wing militia of conspiring to commit violence.] by Charlie Savage et al. (Jan. 19, 2021) ''The New York Times''.</ref> but is more likely to be closer to a couple of thousand,<ref>[https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/The-Oath-Keepers-ADL-Report.pdf The Oath Keepers Anti-Government Extremists Recruiting Military and Police] (2015) ''Anti-Defamation League''.</ref> at least in part due to fleeting membership.<ref name=giglio/>

Greg McWhirter served as vice president of the organization at around the time of the 2021 coup attempt. He was also an FBI informant.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/us/politics/oath-keepers-trial-january-6.html Informant Likely to Testify as Defense Witness in Oath Keepers Sedition Trial: A man who served as No. 2 to Stewart Rhodes, the group’s leader, is said to have secretly reported to the F.B.I. in the months leading up to the Jan. 6 attack.] by Alan Feuer & Adam Goldman (Nov. 8, 2022, 5:35 p.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref>

Besides being part of the massive data breach of the [[Epik]] web hosting company, Oath Keepers separately suffered another data breach a few days later that exposed "10,000 emails from the inboxes of high-profile members including state chapter leaders".<ref>[https://www.dailydot.com/debug/oath-keepers-hack/ Data from Oath Keepers leaked online after alleged hack: The breach includes emails, chat logs, and details on members and donors.] by Mikael Thalen (Updated Sep 27, 2021, 10:17 am CDT) ''Daily Dot''.</ref> In addition, numerous members of the Oath Keepers, as well as at least one Republican party member, were revealed to be active members of various police forces across the US.<ref>[https://champ.gothamist.com/champ/gothamist/news/hack-oath-keepers-militia-group-includes-names-active-nypd-officers-de-blasio-launches-investigation Hack Of Oath Keepers Militia Group Includes Names Of Active NYPD Officers, De Blasio Launches Investigation] by George Joseph and Micah Loewinger, ''Gothamist''</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:Oath Keepers-Billboard, Pine River, MN, July 2015.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Oath Keepers' billboard]]
{{cquote|Myself and Nick established a defensive security position in front of Pepperoni Bill's Pizza.|||Adam Boyle, former Oath Keeper<ref name=giglio/>}}

===Cliven Bundy===
Oath Keepers provided support during the 2014 federal standoff with [[Cliven Bundy]] at his ranch over grazing rights,<ref name=giglio/><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/13/nevada-bundy-cattle-ranch-armed-protesters Federal rangers face off against armed protesters in Nevada 'range war': Dispute over cattle land causes Cliven Bundy, a rancher, to mobilise hundreds in ongoing standoff with government agency] by Dan Hernandez & Joseph Langdon (13 Apr 2014 09.36 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> and again at the Bundy-related standoff at the 2016 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.<ref name=boggioni>[https://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/militia-head-warns-feds-dont-waco-the-oregon-occupiers-unless-you-want-a-bloody-brutal-civil-war/ Militia head warns feds: Don't 'Waco' the Oregon occupiers unless you want a 'bloody, brutal civil war'] by Tom Boggioni (January 16, 2016) ''Raw Story''.</ref> During the ranch standoff, Rhodes "claimed to have intelligence that the [[Obama]] administration was planning a drone strike on the Patriot encampment,"<ref name=giglio/> which needless to say did not eventuate.

===Civil war threats===
Rhodes has on several occasions made threats that [[civil war]] was forthcoming.
*2009: At the founding of Oath Keepers<ref name=giglio/>
*2014: Regarding the Malheur standoff<ref name=boggioni/>
*2016: If [[Hillary Clinton]] won the [[2016 U.S. presidential election]]<ref>[https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/oath-keepers-website-warns-clinton-victory-could-lead-to-outright-civil-war/ Oath Keepers Website Warns Clinton Victory Could Lead To ‘Outright Civil War’] by Miranda Blue (April 21, 2016 1:25 pm) ''Right Wing Watch''.</ref>
*2019: Regarding forcing legislators back to work to vote on cap-and-trade [[climate change]] legislation<ref>[https://www.vice.com/en/article/8xz7nv/lets-check-in-on-those-oregon-republicans-who-fled-the-capital-shall-we Republicans Who Fled the Capital, Shall We? Oregon police have spent five days, to no avail, searching for 11 Republican state Senators.] by Alex Lubben (June 24, 2019, 10:17am) ''Vice''.</ref>
*2020: After the killing of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum by [[Kyle Rittenhouse]], and Aaron Danielson allegedly by Michael Reinoehl<ref>[https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/with-itchy-trigger-fingers-some-right-wingers-predict-the-next-civil-war-has-finally-arrived With Itchy Trigger Fingers, Some Right Wingers Predict The Next Civil War Has Finally Arrived] by Matt Shuham (September 1, 2020 11:07 a.m.) ''Talking Points Memo''.</ref>

===Black Lives Matter===
{{main|Black Lives Matter}}
During the 2014 and 2015 Black Lives Matter protest, heavily armed members of Oath Keepers — all white men — showed up uninvited and unannounced.<ref name=larimer>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/11/who-are-the-oath-keepers-and-why-has-the-armed-group-returned-to-ferguson/ Who are the Oath Keepers, and why has the armed group returned to Ferguson?] by Sarah Larimer & Abby Phillip (August 11, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The Oath Keepers claimed that they were on the protesters' side,<ref name=larimer/> but St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar found their presence to be "unnecessary and inflammatory."<ref name=larimer/> One of the protesters found the presence of the Oath Keepers to be intimidating and frightening, stating:

{{quotebox|Had protesters showed up that night looking the same way that these Oath Keepers did, that night would have turned out a lot differently for us. The officers there — there's already a huge tension, and we're unarmed. They've weaponized our blackness, so our very presence is threatening to them. And had we shown up with guns, in camouflage and vests, undoubtedly they would have used extreme force; much deadlier force than they had already used against us.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-246-oath-keepers-in-ferguson-exonorating-ethel-rosenberg-digitally-faking-death-and-more-1.3189944/an-oath-keeper-on-guns-race-and-ferguson-1.3189972 An Oath Keeper on guns, race and Ferguson] (Aug 14, 2015 3:17 PM ET | Last Updated: August 15, 2015) ''CBC Radio''.</ref>}}

Rhodes has explicitly stated that Oath Keepers is not a [[Racism|racist]] or [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] organization, using a variant of the [[friend argument]] by appealing to his [[Mexican]] and Apache ancestry.<ref name=board2014/><ref>[https://reason.com/2011/02/07/an-interview-with-stewart-rhod/ An Interview With Stewart Rhodes: The founder of Oath Keepers explains his vision and responds to his critics.] by Radley Balko (2.7.2011 12:00 PM) ''Reason''.</ref> The Oath Keepers bylaws explicitly bans openly-racist people from joining in Article VIII, Section 8.02(b):

{{quotebox|No person who advocates, or has been or is a member, or associated with, any organization, formal or informal, that advocates discrimination, violence, or hatred toward any person based upon their race, nationality, creed, or color, shall be entitled to be a member or associate member.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210225160057/https://oathkeepers.org/bylaws/ Bylaws] ''Oath Keepers'' (archived from February 25, 2011).</ref>}}

They don't seem to understand that coming uninvited and heavily armed to a peaceful protest unnecessarily increases tensions just by their mere presence, regardless of their true intentions.

===2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection===
{{main|2021 U.S. coup attempt}}
{{cquote|We have met the enemy and he is us.|||Walt Kelly<ref>''Pogo: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us'' by Walt Kelly (1972) Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0671212605.</ref>}}
{{cquote|You sir, present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country, to the [[republic]] and the very fabric of our democracy. The moment you are released you will be prepared to take up arms against your government.|||Judge Amit P. Mehta, in sentencing Rhodes to 18 years<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/25/oath-keepers-sentencing-seditious-conspiracy-jan6 Oath Keepers leader Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy: Stewart Rhodes’s sentence is the longest given to any of the hundreds of people found guilty of involvement in the pro-Trump riot.] by Spencer S. Hsu et al. (May 25, 2023) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
Rather than support the peaceful [[Democracy|democratic]] transition of government, several members of the Oath Keepers decided to join an insurrection in support of [[autocratic]] rule. Nineteen members or affiliates of the Oath Keepers have been accused of conspiracy as well as other charges in the 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol,<ref>[https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/sep/23/everything-we-trained-how-far-right-oath-keepers-m/ ‘Everything we trained for’: How the far-right Oath Keepers militia planned for violence on Jan. 6 ] by Samantha Putterman (September 23, 2021) ''PolitiFact''.</ref> while an additional three face non-conspiracy charges.<ref name=hsu1>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/oathkeeper-arrested-david-moerschel/2021/07/02/0f54d5aa-db5d-11eb-9bbb-37c30dcf9363_story.html Latest alleged Oath Keeper arrested in Capitol riot turned over body armor and firearm] by Spencer S. Hsu (July 2, 2021 at 4:26 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Among those facing conspiracy charges are:<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/oathkeepers-charged-capitol-riot/2021/02/19/ac41f692-72ce-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html U.S. alleges wider Oath Keepers conspiracy, adds more defendants in Jan. 6 Capitol riot] by Spencer S. Hsu & Rachel Weiner (Feb. 19, 2021 at 4:15 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.justice.gov/opa/case-multi-defendant/file/1361066/download United States of America v. Thomas E. Caldwell, Donovan Ray Crowl, Jessica Marie Watkins] (January 27, 2021) ''United States Department of Justice''.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/oathkeepers-capitol-riot/2021/05/30/270b1e6a-bf43-11eb-b26e-53663e6be6ff_story.html Four more indicted in alleged Jan. 6 Oath Keepers conspiracy to obstruct election vote in Congress] by Spencer S. Hsu (May 30, 2021 at 4:33 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
{{collist|2|
*Thomas E. Caldwell — also charged with forcibly assaulting, impeding, interfering any fireman or law enforcement officer (spraying a chemical irritant)<ref name=chc>[https://extremism.gwu.edu/Capitol-Hill-Cases Capitol Hill Siege] ''George Washington University Program on Extremism''.</ref>
*Donovan Ray Crowl — didn't vote in the election that he wanted to overturn<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/us/capitol-rioters-non-voters-invs/index.html They stormed the Capitol to overturn the results of an election they didn't vote in] by Blake Ellis & Melanie Hicken (Updated 2:07 PM ET, Mon February 1, 2021) ''CNN''.</ref>
*Jason Dolan — pleaded guilty to two charges while three charges were dropped in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/jason-dolan-oathkeepers-guilty-plea/2021/09/15/9e9cb26a-1630-11ec-a5e5-ceecb895922f_story.html Second alleged Oath Keeper in largest Capitol riot conspiracy case pleads guilty and will cooperate] by Spencer S. Hsu (September 16, 2021) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Mark Grods — pleaded guilty<ref name=hsu1/>
*Joseph Hackett
*William Isaacs
*Joshua James, former board member, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/02/jan6-seditious-conspiracy-guilty-plea/ First Jan. 6 defendant pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in Capitol attack: Joshua James admits to helping lead a group of Oath Keepers that is accused of organizing rioters to disrupt Congress] by Tom Jackman & Rachel Weiner (March 2, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Connie Meggs
*Kelly Meggs
*David Moerschel<ref name=hsu1/>
*Bennie Parker — also charged with destroying government property
*Sandra Rut Parker — also charged with destroying government property
*Kellye SoRelle, lawyer for the Oath Keepers — charged with conspiracy, obstruction of a federal proceeding, tampering with documents and misdemeanor trespassing at the Capitol<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/01/oathkeepers-attorney-sorelle-arrested-jan6/ Oath Keepers attorney Kellye SoRelle arrested on Jan. 6 charges] by Spencer S. Hsu & Rachel Weiner (September 1, 2022 at 11:09 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Laura Steele
*Jessica Marie Watkins — also charged with violent entry or disorderly conduct<ref name=chc/>
*William Todd Wilson — pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and agreed to fully cooperate with prosecutors.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/05/04/wilson-pleads-guilty/ Oath Keeper details pre-Jan. 6 planning, pleads to seditious conspiracy: William Todd Wilson of North Carolina is the third member of far-right group to cooperate with prosecutors in Capitol riot cases] by Tom Jackman (May 4, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Graydon Young — pleaded guilty to two felony counts, conspiracy and obstructing Congress<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/oath-keeper-guilty-plea-graydon-young/2021/06/23/09b543ea-d429-11eb-ae54-515e2f63d37d_story.html Second alleged Oath Keepers member pleads guilty in Jan. 6 Capitol riot, will cooperate as prosecutors seek momentum] by Spencer S. Hsu (June 23, 2021 at 12:40 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
}}
Additional Oath Keepers charged were:
*Robert Gieswein, charged with assaulting police, civil disorder and obstruction of police and government<ref name=barrett>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/oath-keeper-three-percenter-arrests/2021/01/17/27e726f2-5847-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html FBI moves on alleged members of extremist groups Oath Keepers, Three Percenters] by Devlin Barrett & Spencer S. Hsu (Jan. 17, 2021 at 11:33 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Roberto A. Minuta, who provided security for [[Roger Stone]] on January 6, charged with official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and tampering with documents or proceedings<ref>[https://nypost.com/2021/03/08/new-york-oath-keeper-busted-by-feds-in-capitol-riot/ New York ‘Oath Keeper’ seen in photo with Roger Stone busted by feds in Capitol riot] by Ben Feuerherd (March 8, 2021 | 3:26pm) ''New York Post''.</ref><ref>[https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20507888/minutaaffidicp.pdf United States of America v. Roberto A. Minuta] (2/24/2021) ''United States District Court for the District of Columbia''.</ref>
* Jon Schaffer, guitarist of {{wpl|Iced Earth||.}} Membership status disputed, but wore an "Oath Keepers Lifetime Member" hat during his participation in the riot. Charged with six crimes, including unleashing pepper spray intended for {{wpl|Bear spray|bear deterrence}} on police. On April 16 2021, pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress (punishable by up to 20 years in prison) and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol with a dangerous weapon, and is intending to cooperate with the government.<ref>[https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/ ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER Pleads Guilty To Two Charges For His Role In Capitol Riot], Blabbermouth, 2021 April 16</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/guilty-plea-capitol-riot/2021/04/16/f7d5d420-9eb6-11eb-9d05-ae06f4529ece_story.html "Founding member of Oath Keepers enters first guilty plea in Jan. 6 Capitol breach"] by Spencer S. Hsu and Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 2021 April 16</ref>

Oath Keepers founder Rhodes (who previously was alleged to have been in direct communication with Oath Keepers who have been charged with conspiracy on January 6)<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/stewart-rhodes-oathkeepers-capitol-riot/2021/03/09/2c3d7fd8-808a-11eb-9ca6-54e187ee4939_story.html Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was in direct contact with rioters before and during Capitol breach, U.S. alleges] by Spencer S. Hsu & Aaron C. Davis (March 9, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> and 10 other Oath Keeper members{{efn|Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Joshua James, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, Brian Ulrich, Thomas Caldwell, Edward Vallejo<ref name=seditious/>}} were charged with the far more serious charge of {{wpl|seditious conspiracy}} on January 13 2022. The indictment contained alleged communications that both contained details about Rhodes plotting and coordinating the Capitol attack with other Oath Keepers and also Rhodes planning for future attacks. The indictment also details Rhodes allegedly spending thousands of dollars in ammunition in anticipation of "Civil War 2.0". <ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/13/politics/oathkeeper-rhodes-arrested-doj/index.html "Oath Keepers leader and 10 others charged with 'seditious conspiracy' related to US Capitol attack"] by Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand, CNN, 2022 January 13</ref><ref>[https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-arrested-oath-keepers-jan-6-insurrection-70019e1007132e8df786aaf77215a110 "Seditious conspiracy: 11 Oath Keepers charged in Jan. 6 riot"] by Michael Balsamo, Colleen Long, and Alanna Durking Richer, AP News, 2022 January 13</ref><ref name=seditious>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/u-s-v-stewart-rhodes-et-al-indictment/cf8f2e90-5101-4138-80aa-aa212a37a82e/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10 United States of America v. Elmer Stewart Rhodes III et al.] (January 13, 2021) ''United States District Court for the District of Columbia'' via ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

More than a dozen members have been charged with conspiracy (including some of the above).<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/captiol-riots-indictment-proud-boys/2021/03/18/971da624-8770-11eb-82bc-e58213caa38e_story.html Proud Boys conspired in multiple encrypted channels ahead of Jan. 6 riot, fearing criminal gang charges, U.S. alleges] by Spencer S. Hsu & Rachel Weiner (March 18, 2021 at 5:08 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

In November 2022, Rhodes and Kelly Meggs were convicted of seditious conspiracy; Rhodes and Meggs as well as the other three defendants were also convicted of obstruction of Congress.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/29/rhodes-oathkeepers-sedition-verdict-jan6/ Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy] by Spencer S. Hsu et al. (November 29, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> 

In late January 2022, Hackett, Minuta, Moerschel, and Edward Vallejo were also convicted of seditious conspiracy, along with two other conspiracy charges and obstruction of Congress.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-conviction-2b9fb724c9839524d00ee389959e0e62 "Four Oath Keepers convicted of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy"] by Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer, AP, 2023 January 23</ref>

In March 2022, Isaacs, Connie Meggs, Steele, and Sandra Parker were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct Congress' proceedings as well as several other charges; Michael Greene and Parker were acquitted of more serious charges but convicted of misdemeanors.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/20/oath-keepers-january-6-00087904 "Four more Oath Keepers convicted of Jan. 6 felonies"] by Kyle Cheney, Politico, 2023 March 20</ref>

On May 25 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Notably, this sentence was enhanced due to the judge accepting that his conduct met the legal definition of [[terrorism]] intended to influence the actions of government.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/level-terrorism-enhancement-oath-keepers-leader-stewart-rhodes/story?id=99598181 "Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for leading Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy"] by Quinn Owen and Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 2023 May 25</ref>

==Allegations of domestic violence==
During a 2018 divorce proceeding, Rhodes' wife, Tasha Vonn Adams Rhodes, made credible allegations that Stewart Rhodes had a history of [[Domestic violence|violent outbursts against his family]], including choking his daughter and making threats with a loaded gun.<ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/15/oath-keepers-founder-stewart-rhodes-wife-alleges-widespread-abuse-petition-restraining Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes' wife alleges widespread abuse in petition for restraining order] (March 15, 2018) ''Southern Poverty Law Center''.</ref> Since [[Donald Trump|Trump]] began [[2024 United States presidential election|running for reelection in 2024]] and promising that he would pardon all of the attempted coup participants, his ex-wife and their children have been fearing for their safety should Rhodes be released from prison. According to his ex-wife, Rhodes keeps a "kill list" in his mind about who he intends to kill, and she thinks that she and some of their children are on it.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/10/28/stewart-rhodes-prison-jan-6-family-fears-trump-pardon/75841506007/ Why a potential Trump win, Jan. 6 pardons have one family fearing for their lives] by Will Carless (Oct. 28, 2024) ''USA Today''.</ref>

==Post-Rhodes conviction==
Rather than fade into the background, at least one Oath Keepers splinter group has quietly started, Oath Keepers Utah (incorporated by Northbridge Patriots LLC in 2022), led by an ex-cop named Robert "Bobby" Kinch. While a cop, Kinch had advocated for [[race war]] and its implicit [[white supremacy]], posting on [[Facebook]], "Let’s just get this over! Race war, Civil, Revolution? Bring it! I'm about as fed up as a man (American, Christian, White, Heterosexual) can get!" This eventually led to no effective punishment, though Kinch later quit the police force.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/06/oath-keepers-rightwing-militia-police Key Oath Keepers leader revealed as former Las Vegas police detective: Details about Utah-based Robert Kinch, who backed ‘race war’, suggest rightwing militia has retained links with police] by Jason Wilson (6 Jan 2025 06.00 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

In November 2025, Rhodes announced that he is planning to reboot the organization.<ref>[https://theconversation.com/the-sacred-pledge-that-will-power-the-relaunch-of-far-right-militia-oath-keepers-269775 The ‘sacred’ pledge that will power the relaunch of far-right militia Oath Keepers] by Alexander Lowie (December 29, 2025 10:36am EST) ''The Conversation''.</ref>

==Gun safety==
<gallery>
File:Stewart Rhodes (5401827751).jpg|Rhodes, before his gun safety lesson
File:Stewart Rhodes, eye patch.jpg|Dead-eye dick, after his self-taught gun safety lesson<ref name=giglio />
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:2021 U.S. coup attempt]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Gun nuts]]
[[Category:Machismo]]
[[Category:Militia movement]]
[[Category:Pseudolaw]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Terrorist organisations]]
[[Category:Vigilantes]]
[[Category:Webshites hosted by Epik]]

Categories: 2021 U.S. coup attempt, Conspiracy theorists, Convicted felons, Fascism, Gun nuts, Machismo, Militia movement, Pseudolaw, Racism, Terrorist organisations, Vigilantes, Webshites hosted by Epik