Judge orders Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes to remain in jail until Jan. 6 sedition trial

Source: NBC News

Judge orders Oath Keepers founder to remain in jail until Jan. 6 sedition trial

Federal prosecutors say Elmer Stewart Rhodes III helped organize “quick reaction forces” near Washington, D.C., in the leadup to the attack on the Capitol.

Feb. 18, 2022, 6:14 PM EST / Updated Feb. 18, 2022, 6:29 PM EST
By Ryan J. Reilly

WASHINGTON — A federal judge Friday ordered the founder of the Oath Keepers, who is charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, to remain in jail until trial, finding there were no conditions of release that could protect public safety.

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, who founded the right-wing organization, was arrested last month and charged along with 10 other individuals. Federal prosecutors said Rhodes helped organize "quick reaction forces" (QRFs) outside of Washington, D.C., that were on standby to come into the nation's capital at Rhodes' order on Jan. 6.

Rhodes' attorneys argued that he never ordered the armed men into DC because former President Donald Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act, which Rhodes believed would have allowed the Oath Keepers to help Trump secure the capital in a bid to hold onto power.

The danger of Rhodes' alleged conduct "cannot be understated," Judge Amit Mehta said during Friday's detention hearing, adding that the dangerousness of the alleged conduct weighed in favor of detention.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/judge-orders-oath-keepers-founder-remain-jail-jan-6-sedition-trial-rcna16857