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'''Oath Keepers''' "[[American Patriots|Guardians]] of the [[Republic]]" is a nonpartisan organization of civil servants and [[veteran]]s, or any other [[American]] who has taken an [[oath]]. Memebership as a [[Citizen]] Associate Member, is available to anyone else subject to taking an oath to defend the [[Constitution]]. The group is founded by and run by [[Stewart Rhodes]], formerly a U.S. Army paratrooper from [[Montana]]. 

The organization's motto is "Not on our Watch." Its website is dedicated to "the memory of John William Adams (1925–2006), Marine and Oath Keeper extraordinaire."

{{cquote|To support and defend the [[Constitution]] against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us [[God]]." }}

{{cquote|There is at this time a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But many others do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people, and understand what that means.<ref>https://www.oathkeepers.org/declaration-of-orders-we-will-not-obey/</ref>}}

==J6 insurrection==
Faced with mounting criticism and exposure over the [[J6 protests|January 6, 2021 false flag attack]] on the [[U.S. Capitol]], the [[Biden regime]] DOJ issued a press release on January 13, 2022 in preparation for the [[2022 Midterm elections]]:
<ref>https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-oath-keepers-and-10-other-individuals-indicted-federal-court-seditious-conspiracy-and</ref>
{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}
{{quotebox-float|Office of Public Affairs

'''Thursday, January 13, 2022
Leader of Oath Keepers and 10 Other Individuals Indicted in Federal Court for Seditious Conspiracy and Other Offenses Related to U.S. Capitol Breach'''
Eight Others Facing Charges in Two Related Cases

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday, which was unsealed today, charging 11 defendants with seditious conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

According to court documents, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 56, of Granbury, Texas, who is the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers; and Edward Vallejo, 63, of Phoenix, Arizona, are being charged for the first time in connection with events leading up to and including Jan. 6. Rhodes was arrested this morning in Little Elm, Texas, and Vallejo was arrested this morning in Phoenix.

In addition to Rhodes and Vallejo, those named in the indictment include nine previously charged defendants: Thomas Caldwell, 67, of Berryville, Virginia; Joseph Hackett, 51, of Sarasota, Florida; Kenneth Harrelson, 41, of Titusville, Florida; Joshua James, 34, of Arab, Alabama; Kelly Meggs, 52, of Dunnellon, Florida; Roberto Minuta, 37, of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel, 44, of Punta Gorda, Florida; Brian Ulrich, 44, of Guyton, Georgia and Jessica Watkins, 39, of Woodstock, Ohio. In addition to the earlier charges filed against them, they now face additional counts for seditious conspiracy and other offenses.

Eight other individuals affiliated with the Oath Keepers, all previously charged in the investigation, remain as defendants in two related cases. All defendants – except Rhodes and Vallejo – previously were charged in a superseding indictment. The superseding indictment has now effectively been split into three parts: the 11-defendant seditious conspiracy case, a seven-defendant original case, and a third case against one of the previously charged defendants.
In one of the related cases, the original superseding indictment, charges remain pending against James Beeks, 49, of Orlando, Florida; Donovan Crowl, 51, of Cable, Ohio; William Isaacs, 22, of Kissimmee, Florida; Connie Meggs, 60, of Dunnellon, Florida; Sandra Parker, 63, of Morrow, Ohio; Bernie Parker, 71, of Morrow, Ohio, and Laura Steele, 53, of Thomasville, North Carolina. The other case charges Jonathan Walden, 57, of Birmingham, Alabama.

The three indictments collectively charge all 19 defendants with corruptly obstructing an official proceeding. Eighteen of the 19 defendants – the exception is Walden – are charged with conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiring to prevent an officer of the United States from discharging a duty. Eleven of the 19 defendants are charged with seditious conspiracy. Some of the defendants are also facing other related charges.

As alleged in the indictments, the Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom are associated with militias. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as members, they explicitly focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel. Members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers were among the individuals and groups who forcibly entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The seditious conspiracy indictment alleges that, following the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election, Rhodes conspired with his co-defendants and others to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021. Beginning in late December 2020, via encrypted and private communications applications, Rhodes and various co-conspirators coordinated and planned to travel to Washington, D.C., on or around Jan. 6, 2021, the date of the certification of the electoral college vote, the indictment alleges. Rhodes and several co-conspirators made plans to bring weapons to the area to support the operation. The co-conspirators then traveled across the country to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in early January 2021.

According to the seditious conspiracy indictment, the defendants conspired through a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.; recruiting members and affiliates to participate in the conspiracy; organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary combat tactics; bringing and contributing paramilitary gear, weapons and supplies – including knives, batons, camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection and radio equipment – to the Capitol grounds; breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the electoral college vote; using force against law enforcement officers while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; continuing to plot, after Jan. 6, 2021, to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power, and using websites, social media, text messaging and encrypted messaging applications to communicate with co-conspirators and others.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a large crowd began to gather outside the Capitol perimeter as the Joint Session of Congress got under way at 1 p.m. Crowd members eventually forced their way through, up and over U.S. Capitol Police barricades and advanced to the building’s exterior façade. Shortly after 2 p.m., crowd members forced entry into the Capitol by breaking windows, ramming open doors, and assaulting Capitol police and other law enforcement officers. At about this time, according to the indictment, Rhodes entered the restricted area of the Capitol grounds and directed his followers to meet him at the Capitol.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., as detailed in the indictment, Hackett, Harrelson, Meggs, Moerschel and Watkins, and other Oath Keepers and affiliates – many wearing paramilitary clothing and patches with the Oath Keepers name, logo, and insignia – marched in a “stack” formation up the east steps of the Capitol, joined a mob, and made their way into the Capitol. Later, another group of Oath Keepers and associates, including James, Minuta, and Ulrich, formed a second “stack” and breached the Capitol grounds, marching from the west side to the east side of the Capitol building and up the east stairs and into the building.

While certain Oath Keepers members and affiliates breached the Capitol grounds and building, others remained stationed just outside of the city in quick reaction force (QRF) teams. According to the indictment, the QRF teams were prepared to rapidly transport firearms and other weapons into Washington, D.C., in support of operations aimed at using force to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power. The indictment alleges that the teams were coordinated, in part, by Caldwell and Vallejo.
The charge of seditious conspiracy carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Northern District of Texas and the District of Arizona.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Dallas and Phoenix Field Offices. These charges are the result of significant cooperation between agents and staff across numerous FBI Field Offices, including those in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Alabama and Georgia, among other locations.

In the one year since Jan. 6, more than 725 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 225 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.}}
Nothing needs to be proven in a court of law prior to the November 2022 midterm elections. It is sufficient for the politically weaponized [[Biden]] DOJ and the conspiracy theory-driven [[mainstream media]] to allege a plot of insurrection for [[propaganda]] purposes in an election year.<ref>https://www.independentsentinel.com/politicized-doj-sharpens-the-knives-against-11-insurrectionists/</ref>

==Biden regime human rights abuses==
After more than one year in detention without bail in the [[DC gulag]], the Biden regime Department of Justice under [[Merrick Garland]] successfully coerced plea bargains from several Oath Keepers.

'''Joshua James''', 34, of Arab, Alabama, admitted to engaging in seditious [[conspiracy]] and pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington on March 3, 2022. James admitted to helping lead a group of two tactically equipped teams into the Capitol and organizing a cache of weapons in a hotel just outside the city. He also pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding.
As part of his plea, James agreed to cooperate with federal investigators, including testifying in front of a [[grand jury]]. James agreed that Elmer [[Stewart Rhodes]] instructed himself and others to be prepared and called upon to use lethal force if necessary to keep [[Donald Trump]] in office. <ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/02/jan6-seditious-conspiracy-guilty-plea/</ref> James agreed to pay $2,000 under the agreement for the damages to the Capitol. The maximum penalty for seditious conspiracy is 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and 3-year supervised release, along with other fees and penalties. <ref>https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/oath-keeper-pleads-guilty-seditious-conspiracy-jan-attack/story?id=83212947</ref> James made no statement in court other than to answer the judge’s questions. The sentencing date has not been set, pending cooperation from the defendant. The plea marks the first successful use of a [[sedition]] charge in decades. <ref>https://goodwordnews.com/oathkeeper-joshua-james-pleads-guilty-to-seditious-conspiracy-in-capitol-riot/</ref>

'''Brian Ulrich''', of Guyton, Georgia, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2022 to seditious conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding. Both charges carry a maximum punishment of twenty years in prison.  Ulrich agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in the investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. <ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/04/29/oath-keepers-pleads-guilty-jan-6/9587967002/</ref>

'''William Wilson''', leader of the Oath Keeper’s North Carolina division, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding for his part in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot on May 4, 2022. 
<ref>https://www.scribd.com/document/572927252/Oath-Keeper-William-Todd-Wilson-Plea-Agreement#from_embed</ref>
<ref>https://www.scribd.com/document/572927549/Statement-of-Offense-William-Wilson#from_embed</ref>

'''Mark Grods''', 54, of Mobile, Alabama pleaded guilty to federal offenses that include conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting on June 30, 2021 
<ref>https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/alabama-oath-keeper-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-charges-related-jan-6-capitol-breach</ref>

'''Jason Dolan''', 45, of Wellington, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding September 15, 2021. <ref>https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1433071/download</ref>
<ref>https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/florida-man-pleads-guilty-oath-keeper-affiliated-conspiracy-case-related-jan-6-capitol</ref>

==Former Oath Keeper Select Committee Testimony<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1a7d_4ghLw</ref>==
Former Oath Keepers spokesperson and [[Donald J. Trump]] supporter Jason Van Tatenhove testified at the Seventh Hearing on Investigation of January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol on July 12, 2022.<ref>July 12, 2022. [https://www.c-span.org/video/?521495-1/seventh-hearing-investigation-january-6-attack-us-capitol Seventh Hearing on Investigation of January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol]. ''C-SPAN''. Retrieved May 26, 2023.</ref> Van Tatenhove worked as the group’s media director from 2015 to 2016, during that time he allegedly watched the group become more and more extreme. Van Tatenhove, also claimed that the group is a dangerous militia and it was 'exceedingly lucky that there has not been more bloodshed'. Oath Keepers allegedly drifted further into what [[conspiracy theorist]]s{{Failed verification}}  call the [[alt-right]] world, this was where he realized he could no longer continue to work for them. <ref>https://www.axios.com/2022/07/12/oath-keepers-jan-6-capitol-riot-trump-panel</ref>

==Oath Keeper Trial==
On September 27, 2022, jury selection started in the trial of Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, and Thomas Caldwell. Five members of the Oath Keepers are standing trial for seditious conspiracy, using force to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from then-President Donald Trump to Joe Biden. <ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-jan-6-trial/</ref>

On November 29, 2022, after nearly three full days of deliberations, Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other offenses in connection with the alleged Jan. 6 "attack" on the U.S. Capitol. The three other defendants; Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell, were acquitted of the charges but found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding as well as a mix of other charges. Sentencing was scheduled for April, 2023. <ref>https://www.npr.org/2022/11/29/1139454126/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-seditious-conspiracy-verdict-trial</ref> <ref>https://www.oann.com/video/tipping-point-video/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-found-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy/</ref>

On May 25, 2023, Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to eighteen years in prison for his part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. <ref>https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/oath-keepers-founder-sentenced-18-years-jan-6-seditious-conspiracy-cas-rcna85852</ref>

On May 26, 2023, Jessica Watkins was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy, and obstruction of officers during the riots. <ref>https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/26/oath-keepers-jessica-watkins-sentenced-capitol-attack</ref>

== See also ==
* [[5 U.S.C. § 3331|Oath for federal officials]]
* [[28 U.S.C. § 453|Oath for federal judges]]
*[[Mueller show trials]]
*[[The indictment of 12 Russian nationals, 13 July 2018]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-oath-keepers-and-10-other-individuals-indicted-federal-court-seditious-conspiracy-and Oath Keepers Seditious Conspiracy Charges]
* [http://oathkeepers.org Official website]
* [https://plus.google.com/u/0/105704077843332512159/ Google+ page]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/OathKeepersOK YouTube channel page]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/163945586998396 Facebook page]
* [https://twitter.com/#!/Oathkeepers Twitter page]
* [http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-founder Stewart Rhodes interviewed by [[Jack Spirko]] on [[The Survival Podcast]] Episode 602]

[[Category:Oath Keepers]]
[[Category:Veterans]]
[[Category:Military]]