January 6 attorney Jon Moseley described the charges against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes as “fantasy” driven by “public relations.”
Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was arrested on Thursday afternoon at his home in Texas, while on the phone with January 6 attorney Jon Moseley, who is representing Rhodes regarding his appearance before the January 6 House committee and in civil lawsuits related to January 6.
Rhodes was charged, along with Moseley’s client Kelly Meggs, with seditious conspiracy, and obstructing official proceedings, among other counts.
“After the Presidential Election, ELMER STEWART RHODES III conspired with his co-defendants… to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power,” the indictment reads:
“Rhodes and certain co-conspirators… planned to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power by January 20, 2021, which included multiple ways to deploy force. They 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’S call to take up arms at RHODES’S direction. Some co-conspirators also amassed firearms on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., distributed them among ‘quick reaction force’ (‘QRF’) teams, and planned to use the firearms in support of their plot to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power.”
However, Moseley told National File the charges against Rhodes and his client are a “public relations” stunt designed to distract people from the official failing narrative of the alleged insurrection on January 6.
“There is no new information in the indictment,” Moseley explained. “They discovered a new theory, but not new facts.”
“If they had some bombshell factual information, this would be different.”
Moseley also pointed out that this came only 10 days after Rhodes agreed to testify on behalf of his client, Kelly Meggs. Moseley had originally subpoenaed Rhodes to appear, and learned later that the Oath Keepers leader would be a willing participant.
“The goal is to cover themselves for the fact that the Oath Keepers have not been indicted, and now they’ve got him facing charges for sedition,” he added.
Before the indictment was unsealed, both the New York Times and Washington Post were privy to the charges that Rhodes, Meggs and others were facing, citing law enforcement sources, giving credence to Moseley’s arguments.
“All of the charges are basically fantasies. I’m saying that because I have the documents,” said Moseley.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald further noted that treason and sedition charges do not often lead to convictions, with only 12 Americans being convicted in this country’s history.
"The U.S. government has successfully convicted fewer than 12 Americans for treason in the nation’s history."
The last charge was 2010 — against members of the Hutaree Militia. The judge dismissed the case, saying it was based on protected speech.https://t.co/PEnF7WlRkL
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 13, 2022
Moseley told National File that he didn’t think it was a coincidence that Rhodes had agreed to testify that there was “no plan” and “no conspiracy” in Meggs’s trial, and was arrested shortly afterwards.
“Some things happen for multiple reasons, but I think the fact that Stewart Rhodes was going to testify is one of the reasons why he was indicted.”