Stewart Rhodes and fellow member of Oath Keepers found guilty of sedition

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the Jan. 6 House select committee that has been investigating the insurrection, said guilty verdicts for several members of the Oath Keepers showed that the judicial system is working.

Raskin noted how some defendants – such as the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes – were convicted on some charges and acquitted on others.

The committee, which was formed in July 2021, has held several public hearings as part of its investigation into the insurrection. During its investigation, the members interviewed witnesses and reviewed documents and video footage to put together a more complete picture of what happened — as well as examine connections between former President Donald Trump and right-wing groups like the Oath Keepers.

“I would view this as a vindication, generally, of the work of our committee, but of course the other half of our work is forward-looking. What do we need to do to fortify American democracy against coups, insurrections, political violence and electoral sabotage in the future?" Raskin said.

Latest on Jan. 6 committee: The members are in active discussions about what to include in the panel’s final report but expect it will focus on issues beyond how Trump’s efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power fueled the violence that day. The report, which is slated for release by the end of the year, will effectively serve as the committee’s closing statement but with less than two months left before the panel expires, members are still deliberating over what it will contain and how those findings will be presented.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes was convicted Tuesday by a Washington, DC, jury of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating a far-reaching plan to stop the peaceful transfer of power after former President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The conviction is a win for the Justice Department, which argued that the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was more than just a political protest that got out of control — but rather a violent attack on the seat of American democracy and an effort to keep Biden out of the Oval Office by any means necessary.

Four other defendants also faced charges.

Here's a full rundown of the verdict:

Count 1: Seditious conspiracy

Stewart Rhodes: GUILTY

Kelly Meggs: GUILTY

Kenneth Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Jessica Watkins: NOT GUILTY

Thomas Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

Count 2: Conspiracy to Obstruct an official proceeding 

Stewart Rhodes: NOT GUILTY

Kelly Meggs: GUILTY

Kenneth Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Jessica Watkins: GUILTY

Thomas Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

Count 3: Obstructing an Official Proceeding

Stewart Rhodes: GUILTY

Kelly Meggs: GUILTY

Kenneth Harrelson: GUILTY

Jessica Watkins: GUILTY

Thomas Caldwell: GUILTY

Count 4: Conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties

Stewart Rhodes: NOT GUILTY

Kelly Meggs: GUILTY

Kenneth Harrelson: GUILTY

Jessica Watkins: GUILTY

Thomas Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

Count 5: Destruction of Government Property and Aiding and Abetting 

Kelly Meggs: NOT GUILTY

Kenneth Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Jessica Watkins: NOT GUILTY

Count 6: Civil Disorder and Aiding and Abetting

Jessica Watkins: GUILTY

Count 7: Tampering with Documents

Stewart Rhodes: GUILTY

Count 8: Tampering with Documents

Kelly Meggs: GUILTY

Count 9: Tampering with Documents

Kenneth Harrelson: GUILTY

Count 13: Tampering with Documents

Thomas Caldwell: GUILTY

A jury found five members of the right-wing militia group, the Oath Keepers, guilty of at least one charge each in the historic criminal trial following the events of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.

There are no cameras allowed during federal proceedings, but artist Bill Hennessy’s sketches provide a glimpse of the events.

The group's leader Stewart Rhodes and fellow group member Kelly Meggs were found guilty of the most serious charge, seditious conspiracy. Rhodes, Meggs and the three other defendants – Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell – were also convicted of obstructing an official proceeding.

The jury was made up of seven men and five women.

The rule of law and peaceful of transfer of power were on the line in the Oath Keepers trial, CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem noted on Tuesday – and the guilty verdicts sent a message.

"This is a really great day for the United States, for the rule of law, for the peaceful transfer of power and making sure that that is protected because that is essentially what was on trial," she said.

Kayyem added, "But the overall charge against, in particular, Stewart Rhodes, is monumental because it is saying to the world that this was, one word, conspiracy, more than one. It is not a bunch of guys vacationing and deciding to get a little bit disruptive. It was planned before, during, and possibly after to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power."

Kayyem also highlighted how the verdicts may impact other cases moving forward, sending a message to groups and individuals that participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol attack — potentially leading some to take pleas.

Kayyem said that the result is that others facing similar charges will get nervous. "And they will take more pleas or they will take pleas that are being offered by the Department of Justice."

Michael Fanone, a former Washington, DC, police officer who was at the US Capitol during the insurrection, said he hopes the guilty verdicts for several members of the Oath Keepers is a "learning tool" for others to recognize the seriousness of the insurrection.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and fellow group member Kelly Meggs were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge. All five defendants were also convicted of obstructing an official proceeding.

"I think the verdict speaks for itself," Fanone said. "The evidence that was put forth by the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Stewart Rhodes and at least one of his conspirators engaged in a seditious conspiracy to overthrow the United States government by means of violence."

He added that the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol did a good job making connections between former President Donald Trump and leaders of the Oath Keepers and other right-wing groups during its investigation and public hearings.

“So if I was the former president and many of his allies, I would be shaking in my boots seeing these verdicts coming down," Fanone added.

On the remaining charges, the jury acquitted Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and another defendant of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties, while convicting their three co-defendants of that charge. 

The jury also acquitted three of the defendants accused of destroying government property, while convicting Jessica Watkins, who was charged with civil disorder.

In addition, the four defendants charged with tampering with documents were convicted.

The court is in recess.

Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn thanked the Justice Department and jury for the verdicts in the historic trial of five alleged leaders of the right-wing militia group, the Oath Keepers.

Dunn was in the courtroom, sitting in the front row.

While the verdict was being read in the federal courtroom, the five defendants expressed little emotion.

All of them were convicted of at least one charge.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers who was found guilty of the most serious seditious conspiracy charge, among others, had his head down, writing notes to one of his attorneys, Ed Tarpley.

Members of the prosecution congratulated each other after the jury had left. None of the prosecutors commented on the verdict.

One of the defendants, Thomas Caldwell, and his wife prayed together several times before entering the courtroom.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes has been acquitted, along with two other defendants, of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, which was the vote in Congress to certify the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters stormed the US Capitol. 

The other two defendants were convicted of that charge.

The Justice Department has charged about 50 defendants with some form of conspiracy as part of its broader prosecution related to the insurrection, while prosecutors have applied the rare seditious conspiracy charge of which Rhodes was acquitted in fewer cases. 

The defendants in the Oath Keepers case face a range of other charges, including the destruction of government property, civil disorder, and tampering with documents.