The Oath Keepers is a chapter-based organization whose members pledge to uphold their oaths to the U.S. Constitution. Its documented public record is dominated by federal prosecutions arising from the breach of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The seditious conspiracy verdict
A federal jury in the District of Columbia found Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 57, of Granbury, Texas — described by the Justice Department as “the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers” — and Kelly Meggs, 53, of Dunnellon, Florida, “the leader of the Florida chapter of the organization,” guilty of seditious conspiracy and other charges. The department stated that their actions “disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.”
Three further defendants described as leaders and associates of the organization — Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell — were found guilty of related felony charges. The verdict followed an eight-week trial and three days of deliberations. Rhodes was additionally convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents and proceedings; Meggs of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering.
Separate Justice Department releases record guilty pleas to seditious conspiracy by the leaders of the organization’s Alabama and North Carolina chapters and by a member of its Georgia chapter, which together document a structure organised into state chapters.
Relevance to digital political discourse
The Oath Keepers appears in this record chiefly through the prosecutions above, which are the part of its history established by primary documents.
Sources
- 01.
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Leader of Oath Keepers and Oath Keepers Member Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy and Other Charges Related to U.S. Capitol Breach. Source for the jury verdict against Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, described as founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, and Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida chapter; for the related felony convictions of Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell; for the eight-week trial and three days of deliberations; and for the additional counts on which Rhodes and Meggs were convicted. justice.gov press pages render client-side; text confirmed from the archived capture.
- 02.
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Leader of Alabama Chapter of Oath Keepers Pleads Guilty to Seditious Conspiracy and Obstruction of Congress. One of several departmental releases documenting guilty pleas by state chapter leaders and members, indexed in the Justice Department's press release API. Cited for the existence of the chapter structure across states, not for text quoted here.