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Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes' potential January 6 testimony could provide lawmakers a link between the far-right organization and the Trump campaign, said legal analyst Glenn Kirschner on Saturday.
The House select committee investigating last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol, where a group of former President Donald Trump's supporters rioted to pressure lawmakers to block the electoral college certification for Joe Biden, is expected to focus on the role of the far-right groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys had on the riot.
The Oath Keepers, founded by Rhodes in 2009, are known as a far-right militia and anti-government that often targets members of law enforcement and veterans. They are labeled an "extremist group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and members are accused of helping plot the January 6 riot.
Rhodes was charged in January with seditious conspiracy for his role in the riot. He did not enter the Capitol building himself, but he and other leaders were accused of "organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary combat tactics; bringing and contributing paramilitary gear, weapons, and supplies...to the Capitol grounds."
Rhodes will agree to testify to the committee if they allow him to do so in-person at the U.S. Capitol rather than in jail, his attorney James Bright told Politico on Friday. He added that Rhodes "wants to confront" the lawmakers investigating the riot.
Bright told Politico that even though it may be difficult to make arrangements in time for Tuesday's hearing, he hopes lawmakers would schedule a separate day for Rhodes to provide his testimony. He previously sat for a deposition with the committee, but did not answer some questions, according to CBS News.
His testimony could prove a link between Trump's team and the Oath Keepers, Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor who is now a legal analyst, said during his show Justice Matters on Saturday.
He predicted that a Rhodes testimony "could be the opening of negotiations" between Rhodes' legal team and the Department of Justice. However, if he were to testify "fully and truthfully," he could "prove an important link in the chain" between the Oath Keepers and Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon—and even Trump himself.
"We have to wait and see if the Department of Justice is able to build that chain of incriminating evidence," the legal analyst said.
New Testimonies See Committee 'Gaining Momentum'
Kirschner said he sees "justice is gaining momentum" with not only the news of Rhodes' possible testimony, but other recent and prospective testimonies, as well.
On Friday, White House legal counsel Pat Cipollone testified before the committee in a private meeting. The committee subpoenaed him after the testimony of aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified that Cipollone tried to fight Trump's efforts to overturn the election results. Lawmakers on the committee said his testimony was consistent with other witnesses, potentially bolstering their case against Trump.
Bannon, who served as a strategist for the former president, may also testify before the committee. Trump is reportedly considering waiving his claim of executive privilege, the validity of which is debated by legal experts, for Bannon, opening the door for a possible testimony, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more