Far-Right Trump Supporter Found Guilty in January 6 Attack Defends ‘Civil War’ Warning | US News
The leader of a far-right extremist organization, found guilty of orchestrating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol, has justified his call for “civil war”.
Stewart Rhodes, who established the group known as the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy following the 2021 incident, before Donald Trump granted him a pardon upon taking office on Monday.
Rhodes, among the over 1,500 individuals charged with federal offenses related to the attack who received clemency from Trump, visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday after being released just a day earlier.
Tear gas was deployed as Trump supporters clashed with police during the siege. File pic: Reuters
In an interview with Sky News, he was asked about a message he sent to followers of his anti-government militia prior to the riots, where he stated, “we’re not going through this without civil war”.
“If you don’t have fair elections, yes,” he replied.
“That’s not… that’s protected by free speech.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
King of the Apocalypse is available now on Sky Documentaries and NOW
A report from the nonpartisan States United Democracy Center found that accusations of fraud and other conspiracies regarding the 2020 election were “entirely unfounded”.
Rhodes asserted that his trial was a “show trial”.
“They refused to allow a change of venue,” he explained.
Approximately 1,500 individuals faced federal charges as a result of the 2021 siege. File pic: Reuters
“The judges portrayed the residents of DC as ‘the victims’, yet insisted on selecting the jury pool from that same victim group. A fair trial was impossible,” he stated.
Rhodes contended that the fatalities of police officers defending the Capitol were not related to the riot.
The Capitol Police previously indicated that officer Brian Sicknick died from injuries sustained while “physically engaging with protesters,” although the Washington medical examiner eventually determined that he died of natural causes: multiple strokes occurring hours post-confrontation.
Read more
Trump describes assaults on police during the riots as ‘minor incidents’
Ex-‘MAGA cult’ member turns down pardon from Trump after Capitol riot
However, the medical examiner noted that “all that occurred contributed to his condition”.
Three officers who defended the Capitol tragically took their own lives following the incident.
Jeffrey Smith and Howard Liebengood both ended their lives within a month of the attack, with Gunther Hashida following suit the subsequent July.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed that the assaults on officers during the January 6 riots were simply “minor incidents”.
