Oath Keepers Leader Ordered to Remain in Jail as He Awaits Trial Over Capitol Riot

Elmer Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right group Oath Keepers, has been ordered to remain in jail as he awaits trial.

Rhodes has remained in custody since his arrest earlier this month on sedition charges in connection with the fatal Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Per a report from the Associated Press on Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson has determined that there are no bail terms that would ensure both the safety of the public and Rhodes’ attendance in court.

Rhodes founded Oath Keepers in 2009, as detailed in this Southern Poverty Law Center extremist profile, and quickly started recruiting both current and former military officers, as well as cops and veterans. During a January 2021 Infowars interview, Rhodes urged others to raise “local militias in your towns and counties.” 

Rhodes, who was arrested earlier this month, has pleaded not guilty to the sedition charges. An unsealed indictment saw Rhodes and 10 others indicted in federal court in connection with the Capitol riot, which was notably preceded by Donald Trump’s presidential election loss.

After the election, per court documents, Rhodes conspired with others to “oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power.” Mentioned in the docs were D.C. travel plans that began in late December 2020, with Rhodes said to have ultimately “entered the restricted area of the Capitol grounds and directed his followers to meet him at the Capitol.”

Following word that Rhodes would remain in custody until trial, his estranged wife Tasha Adams—per Raw Story—shared photos alleging to show “escape tunnels” the Oath Keepers leader had constructed in the backyard of a rental house. Adams also spoke with regional Texas outlet WFAA about her ongoing concerns over Rhodes, saying he has “nothing to lose.”