Judge rules Oath Keepers leader must remain in jail ahead of seditious conspiracy trial

A federal judge on Friday ruled that Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers leader charged with seditious conspiracy over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, must remain in jail while awaiting trial.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta denied Rhodes’s renewed request to be released, concurring with a federal magistrate judge’s order that he be denied bail because he would pose a danger to the community if allowed out of jail. 

During a virtual hearing that was interrupted for several hours on Friday due to technical difficulties at Rhodes’s jail, Mehta ran through the facts and allegations in the case, saying it supported keeping the Oath Keepers founder detained.

“All of that makes Mr. Rhodes still dangerous. It presents a clear and present danger in my view,” said Mehta, an Obama appointee. 

“Everything that has been said today and put before me demonstrates that … Mr. Rhodes is extremely sophisticated,” the judge added. “His ability to communicate and organize are the greatest threats.” 

Rhodes has pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and witness tampering. The sedition count carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. 

Prosecutors have alleged that Rhodes led a conspiracy to bring Oath Keepers members to D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, after weeks of urging his followers to prepare to use force to deny President Biden the White House.

According to the charging documents, Rhodes’s preparation included stockpiling tens of thousands of dollars worth of firearms and weapons equipment in the days before and after Jan. 6 of last year.

On Friday, Mehta raised it as a factor in his decision, saying he was concerned about “the timing and the quantity” of the firearms purchases, as well as the presence of an armed “quick reaction force” of Oath Keepers who waited outside of D.C. during the riot, awaiting orders to bring weapons to the Capitol.