Trump's Personal Militia

From Laura Italiano's 7-1-22 BUSINESS INSIDER article entitled "Oath Keepers Will Tell a Jury They Believed Donald Trump Would Turn Them Into His Own Personal Militia on January 6":

When nine accused leaders of the Oath Keepers go on trial this fall to face seditious conspiracy charges for their role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, jurors in the government's first big, showcase trial will hear a defense argument that will sound outlandish to many.

Jurors will be told that the far-right extremists believed President Donald Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act as they gathered at the Capitol — 100 strong in their camo-colored tactical gear — and turn them into his own, ultra-loyal federal militia [...].

James Lee Bright, a lawyer for Rhodes, acknowledged that most people will be shocked to learn the Oath Keepers thought they'd become a federal militia. "They believe what?" Bright imagined people thinking. "These guys are fucking crazy."

He nonetheless hopes to convince jurors that the pro-Trump, anti-government group had two lawful — and non-seditious — reasons to be at the Capitol on January 6.

Reason one: They were an invited security force for rally planners and participants, including Roger Stone, Ali Alexander, Latinos for Trump, and Virginia Women for Trump.

Reason two: They were awaiting Trump's orders [...].

"While I understand where they got the idea from, what they're saying is mostly nonsense," Joseph Nunn, an attorney for the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's law school, said [...].

"[I]t's just not plausible," [Nunn] said. For one, there's no framework for it. Would a federalized Oath Keepers militia be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice? Could they be court-martialed?

And ultimately, as desperate as he was to stay in power, Trump didn't go there, most likely because "there were some people in his ear, explaining to him that he couldn't do things," Nunn said.

To read Italiano's entire article, click HERE.