Free Republic

WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rhodes was on trial alongside Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell; Caldwell was the only one of the five who was not detained while awaiting trial. The jury is reading its verdict in the case. All five defendants face felony counts of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their duties....

The claim arrives in the form of a footnote in a 41-page motion to dismiss charges against members of the Oath Keepers. An attorney for a Jan. 6 defendant says in a recent court filing that at least 20 FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives "assets" were embedded around the U.S. Capitol on the day of the riot. The attorney, David Fischer, is seeking a dismissal of charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction charges against nearly a dozen members of the Oath Keepers and client Thomas Caldwell. The 41-page motion was filed Tuesday before U.S. District Judge...

Something to keep in mind about January 6 is when the Soothsayer came to warn Caesar about the Ides of March, he wasn’t warning about a conspiracy theory. He was warning about a conspiracy in fact. Last week, Fox Nation aired “Patriot Purge,” Tucker Carlson’s three-part series on the January 6 protest in Washington, D.C. No sooner had the program been announced than the regime media went nuts. The former conservative Anne Applebaum, writing for The Atlantic, said it was a “sinister” piece of anti-American propaganda. NPR described it as an “off the rails” “conspiracy theory.” CNN said that it...

Plotted to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory: Check. Discussed bringing weapons into Washington to aid in the plan: Check. Succeeded with co-insurrectionists, if only temporarily, in stopping Congress from carrying out a vital constitutional duty: Check. Accusations against Jan. 6 rioter Thomas Caldwell certainly seem to fit the charge of sedition as it’s generally understood — inciting revolt against the government. And the possibility of charging him and others was widely discussed after thousands of pro-Trump supporters assaulted scores of police officers, defaced the U.S. Capitol and hunted for lawmakers to stop the certification. Some called their...

A member of the right-wing paramilitary group the Oath Keepers in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot proposed a plan to transport “heavy weapons” in a boat across the Potomac River, prosecutors said in a Thursday court filing. Federal prosecutors made the allegation in a memo opposing a motion for release from the attorneys of Thomas Edward Caldwell, who along with fellow Oath Keeper members Jessica Marie Watkins and Donovan Crowl faces conspiracy charges in connection with alleged plans to lead a coup ahead of the deadly pro-Trump mob attack. Days before the attack, prosecutors in...

A Virginia veteran who was accused of being a member of the Oath Keepers and charged over the Capitol riot was released on bail on Friday, as the judge in his case questioned the strength of the charges against him. Thomas Caldwell, 65, was in poor health, Judge Amit Mehta noted, presiding over a Washington DC court. Federal prosecutors accused him of plotting for months in advance with fellow associates of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia.

A man who was charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot claims he’s worked for the FBI and holds top security clearance. An attorney for Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66, made the revelation in a court filing on Monday arguing for Caldwell’s release from detention pending trial. “He has held a Top Secret Security Clearance since 1979 and has undergone multiple Special Background Investigations in support of his clearances,” Caldwell’s attorney wrote. Caldwell, a Navy veteran, worked as a section chief for the FBI from 2009 to 2010, and he also ran a consulting firm that performed work for...