Pardoning Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes for Capitol riot plot would be ‘scary,’ judge says

By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press

Updated: 52 a few minutes ago Published: 4 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the seditious conspiracy case against members of the Oath Keepers said Wednesday it would be “scary” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, was pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the white camp. House after losing the 2020 presidential election.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to pardon the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago. Rhodes is serving an 18-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him and other members of the Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge stemming from the January 6, 2021 attack by a crowd of Trump supporters.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta hinted at the possibility of Rhodes receiving a presidential pardon in sentencing William Todd Wilson, a former member of the North Carolina Oath Keepers who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy.

“The idea that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved of his actions is frightening and should frighten anyone who cares about democracy in this country,” Mehta said.

Mehta is not the first judge at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., to criticize the possibility that Trump could pardon hundreds of Capitol rioters when he returns to the White House next month. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, Trump’s nominee, said at a hearing last month that it would be “beyond frustrating and disappointing” if the Republican president-elect issued blanket pardons to the Capitol rioters.

During this year’s campaign trial, Trump repeatedly called the Jan. 6 rioters “hostages” and “patriots” and said he would “absolutely” pardon the rioters who assaulted police “if They are innocent.” Trump also suggested he would consider pardoning former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a separate plot to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Trump to President Joe Biden.

More than 20 judges have presided over more than 1,500 cases against people charged in the January 6 riots. Many Capitol riot defendants have requested post-election delays in their cases, but judges have largely rejected their requests and moved forward with sentencings, guilty pleas and other hearings.

Wilson, 48, of Newton Grove, North Carolina, was one of several Oath Keepers who cooperated in the Justice Department’s investigation into the far-right extremist group – one of the most serious consequences arising from the siege of January 6.

Mehta sentenced Wilson to one year of home detention and three years of probation in lieu of prison. Prosecutors had recommended a year of incarceration for Wilson, a U.S. Army veteran and former firefighter.

The judge praised Wilson’s courage for admitting guilt when many of his co-conspirators did not.

“Setting the history books straight has cost you dearly,” Mehta told Wilson, who lost his military benefits after his guilty plea in May 2022.

Rhodes and his supporters gathered weapons and set up “quick reaction force” teams at a Virginia hotel, capable of transporting weapons to the nation’s capital if they were needed to support their plot. The weapons remained at the hotel, but Mehta said it was frightening to think that “an order from a madman” could have led to weapons being deployed during a riot.

“Just saying those words out loud should shock anyone,” the judge added.

Wilson did not testify at any of the trials of Oath Keepers leaders, members and associates charged in the Jan. 6 attack. Prosecutors said he damaged his credibility by making conflicting statements to investigators about his criminal conduct.

“What we want to hear from witnesses is the truth, unvarnished and without any attempt to curry favor with the government,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy.

Wilson expressed remorse and shame for his role in the Jan. 6 attack.

“Since then, I have lost a lot of things,” he said. “The mental burden this has placed on me is almost unbearable.”

Also Wednesday, prosecutors asked another judge to deny a convicted Capitol rioter’s request to attend Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony in Washington while she is under court supervision. The rioter, New Hampshire resident Cindy Young, was sentenced on November 21 to four months in prison and one year of supervised release.

Prosecutors argued that Young posed a danger to the nation’s capital and to the police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey gave Young until Dec. 24 to respond to prosecutors’ arguments.