Fun with Stewart Rhodes

From Pilar Melendez's 5-25-23 DAILY BEAST article entitled "Oath Keepers Boss Goes on Unhinged Rant as He Awaits His Fate":

Moments before being sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes went on an unhinged, politically charged rant—and continued to pledge fealty to the former president whose rhetoric landed him in prison in the first place.

“I’m a political prisoner,” Rhodes, clad in an orange prison uniform, said from the podium in D.C. federal court on Thursday. “I feel like I’m the lead character in Kafka’s The Trial.”

Rhodes was found guilty in November of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering in connection with an insurrection that forced dozens of elected officials into hiding for hours and left several people dead. The far-right leader was convicted of the rare Civil War-era charge alongside Florida Oath Keeper leader Kelly Meggs, who is set to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon.

Prior to his sentencing, Rhodes stressed that he never entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 and noted that his only crime—like Donald Trump— was “opposing those who are destroying our country.”

“This country is incredibly divided..and this prosecution...is making it worse” he added, before saying he hoped Trump won again in 2024 [...].

Tasha Adams, whose divorce from Rhodes was finalized on Tuesday, told The Daily Beast she is “pretty happy” about Thursday’s sentencing. She said she wasn’t surprised by Rhodes’ rant and believes that his rhetoric was not directed at the judge but at conservative media and those who would maybe grant him a pardon.

Adams also added that it’s ironic Rhodes invoked Kafka—because her ex-husband has never read the Czech writer [...].

Prosecutors urged [Judge Amit] Mehta to give him 25 years in prison, the largest sentence in connection with the Capitol riots. Mehta also approved Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy’s request to apply a terrorism enhancement to Rhodes’ sentencing after Rakoczy argued that Rhodes set up an armed force outside D.C. and advocated for a civil war [...].

Throughout the landmark seven-week trial, prosecutors showed jurors audio recordings and text messages to prove that the Oath Keepers had planned to block the 2020 election certification just days after Biden was declared the new president. In these months-long discussions, Rhodes rallied the Oath Keepers to defend Trump and warned about having to “rise up in insurrection.” Jurors also watched videos of Oath Keepers on the day of the riots wearing combat gear and pushing through the MAGA crowd in a military-style formation.

“We’re not getting out of this without a fight. There’s going to be a fight,” Rhodes said in a recording of a Nov. 9, 2020, meeting revealed in court. “But let’s just do it smart, and let’s do it while President Trump is still commander in chief.”

To read the entire article, click HERE.