Oath Keepers leader and 10 others charged with 'seditious conspiracy' - CNNPolitics
By: Katelyn Polantz, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, and Tierney Sneed (CNN)
These are the first indictments for "seditious conspiracy" related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Will there be more coming? Stay tuned, folks!
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S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Justice Department has charged 11 defendants with seditious conspiracy related to the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, including the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes.
The new indictment, handed down by a grand jury on Wednesday and made public Thursday, alleges that Rhodes and his co-conspirators engaged in a conspiracy to "oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force, by preventing, hindering, or delaying by force execution of laws governing the transfer of power."
Prosecutors have previously said that Rhodes used Signal during the attack to communicate with other members of the Oath Keepers who were at the Capitol.
"All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything," Rhodes allegedly wrote. "So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They've had enough," he allegedly said on Signal at 1:38 p.m. that day, shortly after the siege had begun.
The charges mark a dramatic change in the Justice Department's January 6 probe. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a speech last week commemorating the Capitol attack that the department was "committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law -- whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy."
Rhodes has also been of interest to the House's January 6 investigation, which issued subpoenas in November for him and his organization for a deposition and documents related to the events of that day.
CNN reported in July that Rhodes gave a voluntary interview to the FBI and that investigators seized his cell phone. He has denied all wrongdoing.
According to previous court filings submitted by the Justice Department in other cases, Rhodes said at a November 2020 online meeting, "We're going to defend the president, the duly elected president, and we call on him to do what needs to be done to save our country. Because if you don't guys, you're going to be in a bloody, bloody civil war and a bloody -- you can call it an insurrection, or you can call it a war or fight."
Rhodes' lawyer, Jonathan Moseley, confirmed the arrest.
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For the right-wingers who keep bellowing about no seditious conspiracy charges, here they are.
Interestingly, though, the alleged statement by Rhodes seems to exonerate Trump from the Oath Keepers' conspiracy. I wonder...
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Oh...wow. Finally someone is indicted for conspiracy to commit sedition...aka treason
There are 11 defendants subject to this indictment. There could be more coming.
A question that arises is if there is one overarching conspiracy or possibly several unrelated conspiracies. We still have a lot to learn about this whole event.
It is starting to sound to me like it was Trump's people, and other extreme right wingers, that lit the match under these domestic terrorist group(s). They brought forth the idea, then backed away and let them do what they wanted.
It's good to finally see the charges, but sedition and treason are 2 different charges. Words do matter.
Thank-you.
Trump did publicly invite them to come to D.C. on January 6th, and he promised it would be "wild".
You have just ruined a bunch of Liberals day.
Not necessarily. I doubt Rhodes was privy to everything that was going on behind the scenes that day
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Plus, keep in mind that Trump would not be a part of the planning. He's not that smart and has too big a mouth for anything that sensitive. But that does not mean he was not aware of something.
Trump knew everything. He may not have planned it all, except for his plans for Pence to name him president, but he was kept abreast of it all.
he had to have plausible deniability. it was an unrehearsed rendition of the new reality show traitorous apprentice, (dis)organized by the top contestants.
It may have been an effort by Rhodes to provide Trump "plausible deniability" for the putsch, even though it was an encrypted email.
Has Trump ever had plausible anything? He has always been the, believe what I tell you, not what you see with your own eyes, type of guy.
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Technically, I think people have demanding “insurrection” charges. Insurrection is how they keep describing January 6. So that complaint probably still stands.
Sedition is technically a different crime, although they are very closely related. To oversimplify, Sedition is basically inciting someone to commit Insurrection. Sedition is the speech; Insurrection is the act.
Although I think we should be careful not to get too hung up on the word “incitement” because under Brandenburg that has to be an “imminent” act of violence. But I don’t think Sedition is handled the same way. Sedition seems to also cover long-term planning. Like I think the guys who planned the bombing of the World Trade Center were convicted of Sedition.
This seems more correctly applied to these conspirators.
Insurrection would be the next level of organization, violence with firearms and the ability to hold a facility hostage
and uniformed police and military support ala a mutiny. None of that happened.
You're probably right about that.
This is the Federal Code in regards to insurrection:
"Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States." 18 U.S. Code § 2383
You have to love the circular definition. The crime of insurrection is defined as being involved in an insurrection. Great. Very helpful.
but potentially 20 years for sedition, only 10 for insurrection.
It is what it is. (The ultimate circular response.)
I noticed that. Interesting indeed.
There is a lot still to be learned, or, at least, revealed to the public, since the DOJ undoubtedly knows much more than has been released so far.
Well one would hope that's always the case. Investigations aren't supposed to be spectator events.
Very true.
Excellent.
hopefully the DOJ will fuck those domestic terrorists up permanently.
oh look, it's the TDS poster boy. he appears to have gotten a bit over zealous at his last meeting with trump though.
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He poked himself in the eye with a fork while eating soup.
looks like he caught a mushroom dick in the eye...
Now all they have to do is convict, using due process and the presumption of innocence.
There goes claim of nobody charged with sedition...
What ever puts these human pos's behind bars for a very long time works for me. If they have to pull a Capone to accomplish it, then by all means do it.