He was definitely involved in weird, niche, gun culture stuff, but he wouldnt then have had the resources to be any kind of major player back then. He was worried about getting a restraining order because he wanted to keep his guns. I had no future. They settled first in a rundown crappy house in Evergreen, Dakota said, which also served as a halfway house for Oath Keepers members; meanwhile, Rhodes professed to be scouting for a property in the area to develop into a compound that would become a rally point for the group. Hed come home and there would be no food in the house, because my mom was struggling to figure out how to pay the bills, and she would always be selling silver or something like that, and hed tell us about the fancy restaurants he had been to while he was away. He described attending human tracking classes, participating in militia drills and driving with Rhodes to conventions and meetings with other Oath Keepers chapters. One time he racked his pistols and almost shot our puppy in front of all the children.. AND veterans/former members of those services," and that others who support the organization's mission can become associate members. Dakota: Youre lucky, Im not abusive, I know what abusive people are actually like.. When we first got to Montana, there were no birth certificates, the kids had never been to schools or to doctors. Mack is also the founder of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), and established the "County Sheriff Project" movement, both of whom reaffirm what they claim is the constitutional power to refuse to enforce federal laws. Nobody else does that.. Hatewatch: How did he come to found the Oath Keepers? In the 21 months since the Capitol insurrection, more than 900 people have been arrested and charged with crimes. Sequoia: Its a very high-turnover place. Sequoia was completely outside the system? The conversation shed important new light on the psychology of the Oath Keepers founder and provided the untold story of the impact of his public activities on his family. [4] Turn on gas." Those allegations reflect patterns in domestic abuse that researchers have repeatedly demonstrated. [133], In June 2019, Oregon Governor Kate Brown sent the Oregon State Police to bring 11 absent Republican state senators back to the State Capitol. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime. He hopes to continue developing as a writer, but also feels an obligation to spend time in the political sphere, calling it a duty.. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan. "[86] Impeachment managers also said that an Oath Keeper member noted that they were "'awaiting direction' from Mr. Trump about how to handle the results of the vote in the days that followed the election," and that another alleged member, Jessica M. Watkins, wrote a text message saying, "[i]f Trump asks me to come, I will. But then when he realized he didnt have to do it, he started talking about it as a good thing. Our whole lives were about escape, Tasha said. Oath Keepers Boss Stewart Rhodes' Kids Say They Thought He Would 'Kill My case has been unsealed. It was an inevitability that he would turn Oath Keepers into his private army. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Stewart Rhodes Parents. [42], Rhodes is reported to have taken inspiration from the notion that Adolf Hitler could have been stopped if German soldiers and police had refused to follow orders. Caldwell also allegedly received directions in navigating the Capitol, including "Tom all legislators are down in the Tunnels 3floors down" and "Go through back house chamber doors facing N left down hallway down steps. 489. I think they just didnt want to deal with a restraining order. [68] SoRelle is charged with tampering with documents for destroying and hiding potential evidence into the criminal investigation of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, entering Capitol grounds, and obstruction of an official proceeding. About the perceived failure of the government's response to the unrest, the organization's founder, Stewart Rhodes, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "We thought they were going to do it right this time, but when Monday rolled around and they didn't park the National Guard at these businesses, that's when we said we have got to do something." My lawyer is an incredible badass and everything is wonderful. The committee's belief was that members of the organization have information about the preparations of the event, and what led to the ensuing violence. Sedona Adams: Everything ran on donations. On June 1, Minuta was sentenced to 54 months in prison and Vallejo to 36 months. [155] St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told the newspaper that the Oath Keepers' "presence was both unnecessary and inflammatory. August 20, 2015. Rhodes has maintained that he never set foot inside the building; however, federal charging documents cite encrypted messages from Rhodes showing he was inside the Capitol grounds and led the planning efforts for Oath Keepers to use force to stop the presidential certification by Congress. Stating that they were engaged in civil war he asked President Trump to declare a nationwide insurrection to be opposed by a federalized National Guard to engage with the protestors. The indictment against Rhodes and his 10 co-conspirators for seditious conspiracy is the most severe charge levied against any of the alleged rioters. [89] The FBI claimed that during the incursion Caldwell sent and received Facebook messages with "known and unknown Oath Keepers members," including sending the word "Inside," which received responses including, "All members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in. Hed promise to do it, and then he wouldnt even call them. Because any loose talk or violation of operational security could damage our family, so we couldnt talk about our lives, or let unnecessary information slip out even to people inside the movement. Oath Keepers Leader Stewart Rhodes Arrested in Jan. 6 Inquiry - The New Sedona: I was worried that whatever animals were left behind, he would slaughter them. Research on their membership determined that two-thirds of the Oath Keepers are former military or law enforcement, and one tenth are active duty military or law enforcement. [141] He posted on the Oath Keepers' website in what he termed a National Call to Action: "Oath Keepers, in the wake of the horrific attack it is time to step up nationwide and defend our schools against the threat of mass murder. It was incorporated in 2009 by founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, a lawyer and former paratrooper. He had this vision of himself as a major figure in American history and needed to become that figure.. But then people started donating money occasionally, so he was making money off it, and also he started to travel to make speeches in different places. [156], St. Louis County police officer Dan Page was relieved of duty in 2014 after pushing and threatening with arrest CNN journalist Don Lemon on live television in Ferguson. "[165][166] Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the SPLC, said in an interview that the group has no history of political violence, but that, "The core ideas of these groups relate to the fear that elites in this country and around the world are slowly and steadily and nefariously moving us towards a one-world government, the so-called New World Order. The document said Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, did training scenarios with the older daughters where he did a mock attack and they had to fight him off. He "brainwashed" them into thinking the world was ending . So I need you, whenever you go to Virginia, to get it, because he would travel there all the time. ", "The Oath Keepers: The Little-known Militia Now Roaming the Streets of Ferguson", "Return of armed militia group Oath Keepers to Ferguson raises concern", "Oath Keepers: Who are white militia at Ferguson protests and why are they allowed to carry guns? Stewart was super gung ho about organizing them but not about participating because it would have shown he didnt really know what he was doing anymore, Dakota said. Dakota: It didnt impinge on our lives it deformed our lives. [139] The group aimed to block enforcement of contempt of court rulings against Davis, and said, "If the sheriff, who should be interceding, is not going to do his job and the governor is not going to do the governor's job of interceding, then we'll do it." Any military training events were usually pretty miserable. So we snuck our stuff in an overnight bag past him while he was pacing up and down through the one-room cabin. Rhodes charges include counts of sedition, conspiracy, obstruction of official proceedings, and tampering with documents or proceedings. 3 min read. We were going to leave early in the morning before he woke up. William Todd Wilson was charged separately.[97][98]. He frequently attacked his own sister in remarks, claiming that she grew up dependent on welfare, but in the early 90s, investigative reporters found this was a gross misrepresentation. He knew what he was doing. [5] The angrier he was, the more likely he was to force the door open or to order them not to use the lock I had installed on the bathroom door, the document continues. And then after a while they would realize that he just wasnt doing anything and drop out. So far, 396 of them have entered guilty pleas. [128] The group's spokesman, Joey Gibson, announced that the Oath Keepers would be providing event security,[129] confirmed to the San Francisco Examiner on August 18 by Stewart Rhodes. After their divorce he was continuing to hold Sequoias birth certificate, and the potential to get her birth certificate straightened out over her as a way to keep up contact. Adams allegations of physical abuse includes the description of an incident where Rhodes swung one of their daughters around by her hair because her room was messy. I honestly thought he might show up here and kill us all if he was released, Tasha said. They told Hatewatch about living with Rhodes, his motivations for creating the organization, and the reasons for his alleged participation in the riot on Jan. 6. He spent a lot of money on trips. Raw Story obtained Adams affidavit and other divorce documents from a source, not from the Lincoln County (Montana) District Court, where the documents were filed. She helped her husband start a far-right militia group. Now the Oath According to the Post, at a Dec. 12 pro-Trump rally in D.C., Rhodes told the crowd that if Trump did not use the Act to quell this insurrection by president-elect Bidens supporters in Congress, we are going to have to do it ourselves later, in a much more desperate, much more bloody war.. [77] He was found guilty of seditious conspiracy at the same trial as Stewart Rhodes in November 2022. Nolan had been released after the magistrate ruled prosecutors had not established it was him who gave an anonymous interview to The Gateway Pundit the previous month describing his activities on January 6, but prosecutors presented evidence in their brief to assert it was Nolan. When J6 happened, I knew Stewart wouldnt go into the Capitol, but would tell people to go in, Adams said of the attack, which a House select committee has spent more than a year investigating as hundreds of people have been arrested and charged with crimes. Rhodes, 57, is a Yale Law graduate who worked on Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign. A jovial Stewart Rhodes tries to woo jurors at Oath Keepers seditious Rhodes began calling on President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act just days after the 2020 election, in speeches and appearances on the right-wing conspiracy show "Infowars.". What would America be like with 'Dear Leader' in 2024. Sequoia: We had no idea how delayed the divorce papers were going to be. [121][122], In 2015, armed Oath Keepers in the Pacific Northwest attended two disputes between gold miners and federal authorities. "He always wants deniability, legally, so he'll never just hit you, but he'll accidentally hit you . Sequoia: I was definitely brainwashed to the extent that I thought the world was going to end. She called Rhodes from the courthouse and said she was filing for divorce and would attempt to obtain a restraining order. [16][17][14], Rogers is a state senator in Arizona, first elected in 2020. 'Inherently cowardly': Stewart Rhodes' son explains why he rejected his Sequoia: We were gone for five hours and he didnt notice. For example, a 2020 report by the Center on Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Extremism characterized Oath Keepers-related social media accounts as proliferating, among other dangerous rhetoric, QAnon-related language, false and harmful remedies for COVID-19, and the conspiracy theory that Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci are attempting to control minds through mandatory vaccines., He could pivot 180 degrees in a heartbeat if he thought the public opinion of his circles was against him, Dakota said. Hatewatch: I recall him being standoffish with regard to the Malheur Occupation. Magazine in 2008, Rhodes asserts, "'It' (a full-blown totalitarian police state) cannot happen here if the majority of police and soldiers obey their oaths to defend the Constitution and refuse to enforce the unconstitutional edicts of the 'Leader'. The other two adult children, Sequoia and Sedona, declined to be interviewed for this article, but both have spoken critically about their childhood, and their upbringing by Rhodes, in other media outlets. You can cancel at any time. He didnt think it was weird that I picked up my moms dog, or that we got all our stuff in the car and snuck it out past him. If convicted, Rhodes faces up to 20 years in prison. It took three years to get everyone set up. Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for leading a far-reaching plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he . "Just Following Orders." [158], The group's activities in Ferguson led to them being labeled "vigilantes" by some journalists. [56][57] There is however an annual membership fee that all members must pay, and researchers have observed that the organization will accept essentially any member who pays this fee. When we moved to other places we would often bounce back to Las Vegas as a stopover in between. State Guard, Sheriff Posse/Auxiliary, Search & Rescue, EMT, other medical 1st responders, etc.) ", Conservative commentators have denied there was a reversal here, noted the article: "A 2022 opinion piece in the National Review argued that Thomas had praised 'the proper application of the laws' instead of affirmative action.". [123][124] In August, they patrolled the White Hope Mine in the Helena National Forest, about 20 miles from Lincoln, Montana; the U.S. Forest Service said the miners had engaged in illegal construction and tree-felling. Its hilarious because that is basically what Stewart ended up doing. Dakota: I dont think so, but he would have been sympathetic. [55], The organization states that full membership is open to "currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, police, fire-fighters, other first responders (i.e. Dakota Adams: Anything that they could put up a GoFundMe for anything that gets a GoFundMe link in front of the mailing list. Please do all you can to keep the kids from catching it, I believe its a bioweapon., Shortly after that, Rhodes sent his estranged children a package that included N95 masks, but by the time it reached them, he had already pivoted to a stance on the public health crisis that more closely aligned with the anti-government rhetoric he fostered among the Oath Keepers. We need to create an emergency. And so theyd find something. And we had to be on guard when we interacted with any of them. It was the longest time we ever spent in one place. Stewart Rhodes blew Oath Keepers dues on 'hookers' while his family ate In April they gathered in Medford, Oregon, at the request of the owners of the Sugar Pine Mine near Galice, after the owners were ordered to stop working the mine by the Bureau of Land Management. "[138], Kim Davis is a former county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, who gained international attention in August 2015 when she defied a U.S. federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. "[160], After three people were killed in protests in Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes tweeted, "The first shot [of a civil war] has been fired brother. On June 22, 2019, a session of the Oregon Senate was canceled when the State Capitol was closed due to a warning from the Oregon state police of a "possible militia threat". This image provided by Tasha Adams shows Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes with Oath Keepers members in California in 2014. His strongly sympathetic, albeit brief, position on masking and other proactive health measures included writing an open letter to governors asking them to declare pandemic health emergenc[ies], cancel public gatherings and church services, mobilize national guard units and distribute essential equipment and supplies to local hospitals., Following backlash to his letter from within the group, including the resignation of Chuck Baldwin as the Oath Keepers chaplain, Rhodes and the Oath Keepers began advocating against lockdowns and masking mandates while promoting conspiracy theories. Sequoia: Everyone in the Liberty movement that he was a part of is obsessed with this stuff. Other people close to Rhodes have also described profit as being the animating force of the organization, and his own children describe the Oath Keepers as a "grift."[46]. Stewart would morph to reflect his audience and he was very comfortable in a patriotic, American Christianity skin. Sequoia: When Obama took office people wanted some way to restrain him. Two trials were planned for them. The allegations against Rhodes included gross violations of his childrens privacy. But what he wanted was collapse, so he could be the king of the collapse, with his own little army, so it was always going to go the way it did. Rhodes and his ex-wife, Tasha Adams, have three other children who are still minors, and are not included in this interview. That was all - that was it. Tasha and her attorney twisted over 23 years of facts in an attempt to accomplish Tasha's true goal of keeping the children from me, Rhodes court filing said. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime. By Ryan J. Reilly WASHINGTON In the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes tried to get the organization's general counsel, Kellye SoRelle,. Hatewatch: Before Stewart founded the Oath Keepers, would you say that he was a political person? We were home-schooled in theory, but I had to teach myself how to read and do math. Stewart Rhodes - Wikipedia He has written various attacks on the practice in other opinions over the years, writing in 2013, The worst forms of racial discrimination in this Nation have always been accompanied by straight-faced representations that discrimination helped minorities.. We felt that we were running for our lives. [47], In 2009, Oath Keepers was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in Nevada,[48] but there is no record of it receiving tax-exempt status from the IRS, making any donations to the organization non-tax deductible. Oath Keepers resides in a jail cell. Following his arrest, Insider spoke with Rhodes' estranged wife, Tasha Adams. [24][25], By September 2021, twenty members had been indicted for federal crimes related to the 2021 Capitol attack, with four pleading guilty. Was he disappointed when Ron Paul failed to become president? Sequoia: I dont remember ever meeting him. The document said he routinely pitted the children against each other in stick fighting, leaving them bruised. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2004 and made his first foray into politics working for Libertarian Ron Paul, of Texas, serving in his D.C. office and later working on his 2008 failed presidential campaign. According to the documents, the co-conspirators coordinated travel across the country to enter Washington, D.C., equipped themselves with a variety of weapons, donned combat and tactical gear, and were prepared to answer Rhodes call to take up arms at Rhodes direction.. In the petition, the family members also cite an incident in 2016, during which Rhodes allegedly attacked one of his daughters, grabbing her by the neck and choking her. He was going to release an open letter to school Trump on the Constitution. His estranged wife Tasha Adams said that he is a "complete sociopath." Adams. But he would often get there too late because of his laziness and poor time management and sometimes the momentum would already be fizzling out., Like his mom, Dakota has been keeping tabs on Oath Keepers and Rhodes since the separation, as well as learning as much as he could about cult ideology to better understand his upbringing. '"[146][145], On June 10, 2017, the Oath Keepers participated in providing security in a "March Against Sharia," which were rallies coordinated by ACT for America. We thought that they were going to be delivered that day. The affidavit which Rhodes said in his own court filing twisted over 23 years of facts also alleges that Rhodes abuse included the familys pets. There was an open Zoom. In the early 1990s, Rhodes was a member of the United. Was he always a supporter of Trump? Im divorced, Adams said. Swiss Underwater Robot with Tail of a Fish Collects Environmental DNA, Biden strongly disagrees with SCOTUS affirmative action ruling. [157] The YouTube video contained a disclaimer stating that Page's opinions did not reflect those of the local chapter or national organization. He continually tells the children about rape and murder in detail far too graphic for their ages, telling them about the mechanics of rape and how little children are often kidnapped and tortured and chopped up. It was hard to get all the records together., It was just a nightmare, she added. He saw an opportunity to direct the energy of Paul's Libertarian supporters into something new, and he founded the Oath Keepers after the election of . Sean Stewart is Rod Stewart's third child and his second with his ex-wife Alana Stewart. I remember guys coming over to read books about revolutionary history aloud to us. But he asked Sedona for a key after our mom changed the locks because he wanted to get into the house. I have a very particular perspective from the inside of Crazy-town and I feel like I have to be the first person to speak up if nobody else is, and if other people are then I have to add my voice, Dakota said. I only met him a couple of times. 2008. People didnt like him anyways.. Everything [Stewart] did, the reason we lived where we did in Trego, backed up to a National Forest, was all to get away if necessary.. I had left the room and Stewart punched him in the head so hard that he was dizzy and sick afterwards, fell on his knees, and couldn't see in full color for two days. "[157] Page also denounced hate crime laws, disparaged Muslims, and espoused Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories (Page referred to Obama as "that illegal alien claiming to be president"). In 2011, Rhodes and his family moved to Montana, drawn to the Flathead area for its history with other anti-government militant groups, such as the Montana Freemen, Project 7 and the American Redoubt movement. "Him" is her estranged husband, Stewart Rhodes, founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government group whose members stand accused by federal authorities of having played a crucial. He says he even had his own set of childhood body armor, which Rhodes forced him to wear whenever the power went out, causing Dakota to think the house was being raided. Each defendant faced up to 20 years in federal prison. He described what they paid him to do, how he found partners using Craigslist, and that it was all basically a charitable act because some of these men were disabled.. Stewart Rhodes' Estranged Wife: Conviction Is 'First Time He's Ever Stewart Rhodes Wife. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook A 2018 affidavit, filed by Rhodes ex-wife, Tasha Adams, as part of her divorce proceedings, alleged that Rhodes emotional and physical abuse of their children included punching and choking them. (Photo courtesy of Ms. Adams) According to Adams, Rhodes's legal training gave him a knack for creating plausible deniability, even in his treatment of her and their children. Sequoia, Rhodes oldest daughter, similarly characterized Rhodes ambitions as wanting collapse, so he could be the king of the collapse it was always going to go the way it did, she said in an interview with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). As the oldest child, Dakota was the most involved in Oath Keepers. Rhodes also said that he would have killed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to a recording presented at trial. I feel very behind the curve as a person, Dakota said, adding that he wants to be able to take college classes and write without having to keep tabs on his father. [26][27], The organization was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in November 2021. Rhodes began calling on President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act just days after the 2020 election, in speeches and appearances on the right-wing conspiracy show Infowars. He has submitted that the militia groups were in D.C. awaiting Trumps invocation of the Act, which would have made their actions lawful. [12][13] According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the group is anti-government and extremist. Tasha, all six children and the familys dog piled into two cars and drove to Eureka. [117], On January 23, 2023, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, and Edward Vallejo were convicted of seditious conspiracy. [68], Dyer is a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who operated as a prominent advocate for the Oath Keepers, maintaining a popular YouTube channel and acting as a representative at Tea Party rallies. Susan Walsh/AP "'These laws and their proper application are all that stand between the first 17 years of my life and the second 17 years,' Thomas, then the EEOC chairman, said in 1983. Toggle Participation in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack subsection, Toggle Other antigovernment activities subsection, Toggle Other armed protest activities subsection, Toggle Policies, statements and actions on race and religion subsection, Participation in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, Trial of Rhodes, Meggs, Harrelson, Watkins, and Caldwell, Trial of Minuta, Hackett, Moerschel, and Vallejo, Threat of violence towards Oregon State Capitol, 2019, Military recruitment center presence, 2015, Kim Davis refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses, 2015, Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, 2018, Policies, statements and actions on race and religion, Opposition to Black Lives Matter and antifa. I watched and had to deal with this behavior where theres no consequences or accountability for Stewart ever. Rhodes was convicted in November of seditious conspiracy against the United States and other offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Twitter responded by banning his and the Oath Keepers' accounts. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Train falls into Yellowstone River carrying molten sulfur and asphalt, Billings rancher sentenced for defrauding BLM in grazing fee scheme, Shot putter runs 100-meter hurdles to save team from disqualification after teammates injured, Ashland man killed Monday morning in highway wreck near Broadus, Repairs could take months after bridge collapse dropped train into Yellowstone River, Were just ready for something new: The Fieldhouse isnt just closing, theyre looking for whats next, Billings man sentenced to 100 years for child sex, Steve Zabawa: Daines' support for 'Addiction Banking' Act out of step with Montana's needs and values, Billings man sentenced to more than 100 years for South Side homicide, Billings woman pleads guilty to criminal endangerment in infant's death, First of 10 train cars removed from Yellowstone River, Judge declares law, rule on updating birth certificates unconstitutional, Billings Clinic will lay off about 27 employees over the next 30 days, Montana property value spikes bring tax confusion, blame, 'Absolutely epic': Blackfeet release wild buffalo on tribal land, seditious conspiracy trial began Sept. 27, Oath Keepers founder's path to Jan. 6 Capitol riot, France rocked by third night of riots over police killing of teen, Video: City clears Downtown Lions Park homeless encampment, Something's Fishy!
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