PROBE SOUGHT OF FUNDING OF OATH KEEPERS' DEFENCE

U. S. prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to launch an ethics inquiry into whether defence lawyers for prominent members of the right-wing Oath Keepers are improperly allowing a lawyer allied with ex-president Donald Trump to help pay their legal fees.

The Justice Department's court filing cited media reports alleging that the legal fees for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes are being paid by Defending the Republic, an entity controlled by Sidney Powell, a lawyer who played a key role in Trump's attempt to overturn his election defeat. The group is also paying fees for Oath Keeper defendants Kelly Meggs, Connie Meggs and Kenneth Harrelson, it said.

The payments, if true, could violate professional conduct rules in D.C.