Oath Keepers leader says no plan to attack US Capitol

WASHINGTON: Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes denied in his sedition trial that his organization planned the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol, calling those who entered the building "stupid."

He admitted under questioning by prosecutors that he has a history of opposing authorities and backing civil disobedience to the government.

But said he did nothing unlawful on the day supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the seat of the US Congress and condemned those of his group who "went off-mission" and entered the building.

Rhodes, on trial with four others for conspiracy to mount an armed rebellion against the US government, rebuffed questioning from Justice Department prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy, who sought to show that, from President Joe Biden's victory over Trump in the November 2020 election, he planned to bring his group to Washington to forcibly overturn the voting result.

The eyepatch-wearing Yale law graduate and the former soldier told the court that about 100 members of his militia-like group were in Washington on January 6 only to provide security to rallies and rally speakers.

"It was not part of our mission for that day to enter the Capitol for any reason," Rhodes said.

Rakoczy showed plentiful text messages between Rhodes and his followers that called for action if Trump himself failed to act to prevent Congress's certification of Biden as the next president on January 6.

She outlined a long history of Rhodes and his group showing up heavily armed in tense situations involving law enforcement, adding to the tensions.

And she noted he bought $17,000 worth of arms and ammunition on his way to Washington for the January 6 event and had told followers that "the final defence is us and our rifles."

But Rhodes challenged Rakoczy repeatedly to prove that he specifically called for violent action on January 6, saying it was only a consideration for after January 20, the day Biden was inaugurated as president.

"This is the first time that we have had an election .. that was so blatantly unconstitutional," he said, without explaining what was unconstitutional about it.