Oath Keepers’ case goes to jurors
Panelists head home for holiday weekend
WASHINGTON — Jurors have gone home for the Thanksgiving weekend after deliberating most of Tuesday in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot case accusing Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four of his associates of a violent plot to stop the transfer of presidential power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.
Federal prosecutors are asking the jury to convict the defendants of seditious conspiracy — a rarely used charge that carries up to 20 years in prison and can be difficult to prove.
The jury began deliberating Tuesday after final arguments wound up late Monday.
Prosecutors spent weeks showing jurors messages, recordings and surveillance video they say show Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, and his band of anti-government extremists were prepared to take up arms to overturn Biden’s election victory over Trump.
Rhodes and two of his co-defendants — Thomas Caldwell, of Berryville, Virginia, and Jessica Watkins, of Woodstock, Ohio — took the witness stand and sought to downplay their actions and portray the riot as a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage instead of the result of a preconceived plot.
The others on trial are Kelly Meggs, of Dunnellon, Florida, and Kenneth Harrelson of Titusville, Florida.
Besides seditious conspiracy, all five defendants face other felony charges.
If found guilty of seditious conspiracy, they would be the first defendants convicted of the Civil War-era offense at trial in nearly 30 years.
Sen. Graham testifies
ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham testified Tuesday before a special grand jury that is investigating whether President Donald Trump and others illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia.
The South Carolina Republican’s appearance before the panel came after a legal fight that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Graham’s office said in a statement that he spent just over two hours with the special grand jury and “answered all questions.”
“The senator feels he was treated with respect, professionalism and courtesy,” the statement said.