Far-right Oath Keepers first to be charged with seditious conspiracy in Capitol attack

Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers holds a radio as he departs a Trump rally in Minneapolis
FILE PHOTO: Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes holds a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. Picture taken October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

By Sarah N. Lynch and Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON – U.S. prosecutors on Thursday charged the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, Stewart Rhodes, and 10 alleged members of the group with seditious conspiracy for their role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

They said Rhodes had warned his group to prepare for a “bloody and desperate fight” in the days leading up to the assault, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump tried to stop Congress from certifying his election defeat.