One of the most high-profile individuals involved in the infamous January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol returned to the Capitol on Wednesday, days after being released by President Trump.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was seen in the Longworth House office building lobbying lawmakers on behalf of other insurgents who remain incarcerated.
Wearing a Trump 2020 hat, Rose told reporters that he had not been invited by any sitting members of Congress, and specifically insisted that he was seeking the release of fellow Oath Keeper James Brown. did. CBS News reported.
brown had been arrested Although he was charged in connection with the ransacking of the Capitol, prosecutors ultimately charged him in separate cases with possession of explosives, classified documents, and illegally registered firearms.
On Monday, hours after taking the oath of office, President Trump, 78, pardoned about 1,500 convicted and jailed Capitol rioters.
Rose was one of the most prominent people fired. He had been serving an 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy for about 20 months.
Prosecutors have accused the eyepatch-wearing troublemaker of planning violence on the day of the Capitol riot.
Rhodes and his allies in the Oath Keepers anti-government militia had amassed firearms and tactical equipment ahead of the January 6, 2021, unrest.
“My only regret is they should have brought a rifle,” Rose lamented. voice recording Obtained by federal investigators. “I should have brought my rifle. I could have fixed it on the spot. I'll hang it. [Nancy] Pelosi from a lamppost. ”
The Oath Keepers founder was caught entering the restricted Capitol grounds. He later denied ordering his crew to storm the Capitol itself, calling the idea “stupid” during his defense testimony.
Still, he spent thousands of dollars buying weapons ahead of the riot and was working with the Oath Keepers on the encrypted messaging app Signal.
“[Rhodes] They pushed Oath Keepers members and others to believe that a large enough mob could intimidate Congress and its members and impose the will of their co-conspirators rather than the will of the American people. blocked the certification of the President of the United States,” prosecutors said. he claimed.
President Trump defended his controversial decision to release the rioters, along with directing the Justice Department to dismiss about 450 cases still pending.
After approving the sweeping pardon, President Trump claimed, “They've already been in prison for a long time.” “These people have been destroyed.”
Many Republican lawmakers have responded cautiously to questions about large-scale amnesty for the Jan. 6 riot.
Asked about the move and whether to bring the rioters back to the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told reporters: “It was a terrible time, a terrible chapter in American history.” Ta.
“The president has made decisions. I don't doubt them,” he added. “We believe in salvation. We believe in second chances.”