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Stewart Rhodes, the founder and chief of the Oath Keepers, in contrast his far-right extremist group with the Proud Boys throughout his sentencing listening to Thursday afternoon, saying there was a significant distinction.
“In contrast to different teams just like the Proud Boys, who search battle and search to road struggle, we deter,” Rhodes stated, in keeping with a tweet from Politico’s Kyle Cheney.
Rhodes, who was discovered responsible of a number of costs, together with seditious conspiracy, in reference to the January 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced on the listening to to 18 years in jail. Prosecutors reportedly had sought 25 years however bought the decide to comply with an elevated sentence due to “terrorism enhancement” penalties.
Rhodes is the primary individual charged within the January 6 assault to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy. His sentence was additionally the longest handed down to this point within the lots of of circumstances involving folks charged within the Capitol riot, the Related Press reported.
Prosecutors stated that Rhodes organized an “armed drive” and “orchestrated after which led this conspiracy,” in keeping with Cheney.
Newsweek reached out to Rhodes’ legal professional, Phillip Linder, by way of e mail for remark.
Rhodes referred to as himself a political prisoner on the listening to. However Decide Amit Mehta informed him, “What we can’t have, we completely can’t have, is a gaggle of residents who as a result of they did not like the end result [of the 2020 presidential election] had been then ready to take up arms with a view to foment a revolution. That is what you probably did. You aren’t a political prisoner, Mr. Rhodes.”
The decide continued, “You, sir, current an ongoing risk and a peril to this nation, to the republic and to the very material of our democracy.”
Earlier this 12 months, 4 members of the Proud Boys, one other far-right extremist group that was concerned within the January 6 riot, had been discovered responsible of seditious conspiracy. They included the group’s former chief, Enrique Tarrio. Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Ethan Nordean had been additionally convicted on that cost in addition to others.
Michael McAuliffe, a former elected state legal professional and federal prosecutor, informed Newsweek on Thursday, “The testimony by Rhodes at his sentencing seems to be in direct contradiction to the proof at trial and the jury’s verdict.
“Rhodes is dealing with probably the most important sentences of all of the January sixth prosecutions, so it is not stunning he’s trying to blunt the sharp edges of his prior conduct,” he stated.
“Such statements that his group, the Oath Keepers, really deters violence probably won’t in any method cut back his sentence,” McAuliffe stated earlier than Rhodes obtained 18 years.
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