The Oath Keepers trial is a major test of the Justice Department’s ability to hold Jan. 6 rioters accountable. Here’s how it has gone
CNNNov 18, 2022
A US jury is set to deliberate federal seditious conspiracy charges for the first time in over a decade, as government prosecutors attempt to argue that members of the Oath Keepers plotted to oppose the peaceful transfer of power by force in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol riots.
Five members and supporters of the Oath Keepers militia, including founder Stewart Rhodes, also face multiple lesser charges such as obstructing officers and destroying government property. The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) hasn't successfully prosecuted anyone for sedition since 1995 when a group of Islamic militants was convicted of plotting to plant bombs in New York City.
This trial is a major test of the DOJ's belief that far-right extremists plotted against the peaceful transfer of power. If the jury sides with the prosecution, then the DOJ can strongly dispel claims that the riot wasn't as bad as the federal government has consistently argued.
The government has unsurprisingly painted a completely distorted picture of events. If heated, hyperbolic rhetoric amounted to sedition, most of modern America would find themselves charged. Discourse surrounding revolution is deep-rooted in the country's history and culture, and cherry-picking such sentences to claim that a major conspiracy was afoot shouldn't be taken seriously.
There is a 28% chance that the Insurrection Act will be invoked before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.