Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four codefendants face jury

Fresno CA

Description

Of the more than 870 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, 17 have been accused of seditious conspiracy, the high crime of using force to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from then-President Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Members of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers — including the group's founder Stewart Rhodes — have been charged with this offense, the most serious that any of the Jan. 6 defendants face. They will be the first group to go to trial on the charge. Jury selection begins Tuesday. Rhodes, of Texas; associates Kelly Meggs and Kenneth Harrelson, of Florida; Jessica Watkins, of Ohio; and Thomas Caldwell, of Virginia, will square off against the Justice Department prosecutors with a consistent record of getting judges and juries alike to convict Jan. 6 defendants at trial. Only one defendant in a Jan. 6 case so far has been fully acquitted of the charges brought against him at trial.