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Three more Oath Keepers sentenced for roles in January 6 attack: ‘I was just another idiot’
Three more Oath Keepers sentenced for roles in January 6 attack: ‘I was just another idiot’
Three members of a far-right anti-government extremist group who joined a mob inside the US Capitol on January 6 were sentenced to federal prison after their convictions on a range of charges connected to the attack. The hearings in US District Court in Washington DC follow the 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted by a jury on a treason-related charge of seditious conspiracy after a nearly two-month trial last year. His is the longest sentence, to date, related to the assault at the Capitol on 6 January 2021. Kelly Meggs, another member of the Oath Keepers who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in that same case alongside Rhodes, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 25 May. Jessica Watkins, a US Army veteran who was convicted of several other charges in that same trial, was sentenced to eight and a half years. A jury found Watkins guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress and guilty of conspiracy to obstruct. “My actions and my behaviors that fateful day were wrong, and as I now understand, criminal,” she told US District Judge Amit Mehta on 26 May. “Violence is never the answer.” Federal prosecutors argued that Watkins mobilised a group in Ohio alongside the Oath Keepers, and joined a mob in Washington DC in tactical gear to upend the results of the 2020 presidential election, fuelled by Donald Trump’s false narrative that the election was stolen and rigged against him. “I was just another idiot running around the Capitol,” she said on 26 May. “But idiots are held responsible, and today you’re going to hold this idiot responsible.” Prosecutors argued that she marched from the former president’s rally at the Ellipse and breached the halls of Congress in a military-style stack formation, encouraging members of the mob to push through law enforcement. According to messages and recordings shared at trial, Watkins declared the group “stormed the Capitol” on a radio-like communication app on the day of the attack. Judge Mehta, noting her apologies, said that her efforts that day were “more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others’.” “And you led others to fulfill your purposes,” he added “And there was not in the immediate aftermath any sense of shame or contrition, just the opposite. Your comments were celebratory and lacked a real sense of the gravity of that day and your role in it.” Kenneth Harrelson was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with documents or proceedings. He was sentenced to four years in prison on 26 May. In his plea for leniency, Harrelson, weeping as he spoke, apologised to US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who testified during the trial that the Oath Keepers that the group failed to support law enforcement and ignored his warnings that they were endangering officers’ lives. “I am responsible and my foolish actions have caused immense pain to my wife and children,” Harrelson told Judge Mehta on Friday. The judge noted that, in evidence from federal prosecutors, “there is not a single word in a single communication that anyone would consider extremist, radicalized” or “encourages anyone to engage in violence.” Read More Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years in prison for January 6 sedition Who are the Oath Keepers?
2023-05-27 04:49
Investigators found fire and safety hazards on land under I-10 in Los Angeles before arson fire
Investigators found fire and safety hazards on land under I-10 in Los Angeles before arson fire
State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in an arson fire last weekend
2023-11-19 16:46
Why are soap operas still airing during SAG-AFTRA strike? Soap actors allegedly fall outside its jurisdiction
Why are soap operas still airing during SAG-AFTRA strike? Soap actors allegedly fall outside its jurisdiction
Even if the guild proceeds with a strike, cast members involved in these daytime dramas will be obligated to continue working
2023-07-18 14:18
Man who is accused of bringing guns to the Wisconsin Capitol grounds is facing a misdemeanor firearm charge
Man who is accused of bringing guns to the Wisconsin Capitol grounds is facing a misdemeanor firearm charge
A man who is accused of bringing guns to the Wisconsin Capitol grounds twice in one day earlier this month has been charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a firearm in a public building, records show.
2023-10-18 14:59
Bosnian Serb lawmakers pass law recriminalizing libel which critics say threatens free speech
Bosnian Serb lawmakers pass law recriminalizing libel which critics say threatens free speech
The Bosnian Serb parliament has passed a law recriminalizing libel which critics say will restrict freedom of expression and silence critical media
2023-07-20 22:18
Factbox-Who are the Republican candidates running for U.S. president?
Factbox-Who are the Republican candidates running for U.S. president?
WASHINGTON Ten Republican candidates are seeking their party's nomination to take on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden in
2023-09-06 21:48
Schools egged, businesses harassed: Japan suffers Chinese backlash over Fukushima release
Schools egged, businesses harassed: Japan suffers Chinese backlash over Fukushima release
A wave of online harassment and vitriol directed at Japanese people following the release of treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima has sent tensions between Japan and China soaring, prompting Tokyo to summon the Chinese ambassador.
2023-08-29 16:51
Canada Says No Sign India Tensions Are Impacting Military Ties
Canada Says No Sign India Tensions Are Impacting Military Ties
A top Canadian navy official said there’s no sign the diplomatic standoff between India and Canada over the
2023-10-16 18:20
A net of justice is tightening around 2020 election deniers and may be closing in on Trump
A net of justice is tightening around 2020 election deniers and may be closing in on Trump
It turns out that there is a heavy price for trying to steal votes, defaming defenseless election workers and invading the US Capitol to try to thwart a democratic transfer of presidential power. And accountability is moving ever closer to Donald Trump.
2023-09-01 12:26
Josh Efrid trolled over his bland expression as 'Mama June' star Pumpkin films video while vacationing in Florida: 'Josh looking at u like what!'
Josh Efrid trolled over his bland expression as 'Mama June' star Pumpkin films video while vacationing in Florida: 'Josh looking at u like what!'
'Mama June' stars Pumpkin and Josh Efrid filmed a video under the sun during their beach vacation in Florida which was hilariously trolled on social media
2023-07-05 09:57
Who is Jace Weeks? Texas man sentenced to 25 years in prison for 'pointless murder' of a man during drug deal
Who is Jace Weeks? Texas man sentenced to 25 years in prison for 'pointless murder' of a man during drug deal
The seller told his girlfriend to look for him if he did not return within 15 minutes following the deal
2023-07-25 05:25
Kenya's Ogiek people being evicted for carbon credits - lawyers
Kenya's Ogiek people being evicted for carbon credits - lawyers
Leaders of the Ogiek community say armed forest rangers are "pulling down houses with axes and hammers".
2023-11-09 18:52