Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for leading a far-reaching plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after losing the 2020 election.
The sentence is the first handed down in more than a decade for seditious conspiracy.
“What we absolutely cannot have is a group of citizens who, because they did not like the result of an election, who did not believe that the law was followed as it should be, foment the revolution,” district judge Amit Mehta said before pass sentence. prayer.
“I dare say Mr. Rhodes, and I have never said this to anyone I have sentenced, you pose a constant threat and danger to our democracy and the fabric of this country,” Mehta said.
The judge added: “I dare say we all now hold our collective breath as an election approaches. Will we have another January 6th again? That remains to be seen.”
Mehta said the 58-year-old Rhodes has been unrepentant and continues to be a threat.
“A seditious conspiracy, when you take those two concepts and put them together, is one of the most serious crimes an American can commit,” the judge said. “It is an offense against the government to use force. It is an offense against the people of our country.”
Earlier on Thursday, Mehta ruled that Rhodes’ actions amounted to domestic terrorism.
“He was the one giving the orders,” Mehta said.
“He was the one who organized the teams that day. He was the reason they were actually in Washington DC. Oath Keepers wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Stewart Rhodes, I don’t think anyone would say otherwise. He was the one who gave the order to leave, and they left”.
Rhodes was found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a Washington, DC jury in November in a landmark criminal trial that tested the Justice Department’s ability to hold the January 6 protesters accountable and validated prosecutors’ arguments that the Capitol breach was a serious threat. to American democracy.
The seditious conspiracy charge has rarely been brought in the century and a half that the statute and its predecessors have been on the books.
US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who testified earlier this week about his experience on January 6, told CNN that Donald Trump should be “next.”
“It’s a step toward full accountability,” Dunn said. “His lawyers for him argued that Donald Trump is the root of the problem and I totally agree. Let’s go for him next.”
“I have a hard time finding joy or celebrating in an 18-year sentence,” Dunn said. “I believe that justice should not be celebrated, it should be expected.”
CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem said the sentence should have a “chilling effect on these groups,” especially as the presidential election season begins.
“This harsh sentence will make it harder for the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, all of these organizations to recruit and more importantly to raise money,” Kayyem said.
Prosecutors asked for 25 years
Prosecutors had asked Mehta to sentence Rhodes to 25 years behind bars and to apply the enhanced terrorism sentencing penalties.
“This is terrorism,” prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy said Thursday.
“It’s not blowing up a building directly or telling someone to do it, but in light of the threat of harm and the historic nature of trying to stop the certification of an election for the first time in United States history,” Rhodes et al. The Oath Keepers leaders should be punished more harshly, he said.
Rhodes, who was charged with leading dozens of others in a coordinated plot that culminated in the January 6 siege, was also found guilty of obstructing official procedure and tampering with documents.
Of those Rhodes led, 22 have already been convicted of various federal crimes by jury or by plea. Eight, including Rhodes’ co-defendant Kelly Meggs, who will also be sentenced later Thursday, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
Rhodes repeats false accusations about the 2020 election
Rhodes, before being sentenced, said he was a “political prisoner” and vowed to continue “exposing the criminality of the regime” in prison.
“I would like to start by saying that I am a political prisoner and, like President Trump, my only crime is to oppose those who are destroying our country,” Rhodes told Mehta in court.
For 20 minutes, Rhodes again litigated allegations that the 2020 presidential election was unconstitutional, shouting that he “couldn’t leave that under oath” during his military service and “couldn’t ignore the Constitution.”
The leader repeatedly defended his actions and those of his supporters on January 6, saying that “no Oath Keepers were involved in any of the fighting” and that the violence at the Capitol was “committed by other people.”
“I think this country is incredibly divided, and this prosecution, not just of me but of all J6ers, is making it worse,” Rhodes said.
He continued: “I think every J6er is a political prisoner and they’re all being overcharged. It’s going to make people feel like this government is even more illegitimate than before.”