Good morning from Washington, D.C.
Prosecution's closing arguments in the Oath Keepers trial begin with this opening line: "'We are not getting through this without a civil war. Prepare your mind body and spirit.' Those were the words of Stewart Rhodes on Nov. 5, 2020."
Thread.
AUSA Kathryn Rakoczy notes that the nation has had close and bitterly contested election before — but respected the peaceful transfer of power.
Not the defendants, she adds.
"The vice president of the United States fleeing for his safety."
AUSA:
"We are here today in this trial because these five defendants were the leaders of this conspiracy."
She calls Rhodes the "architect" of the plan.
"[I]f he still refuses to do his duty, we will have to do ours."
AUSA pivots to Oath Keepers Fla. chapter leader Kelly Meggs — and his chilling messages.
"I'm gonna go on a killing spree."
"Pelosi first."
She quotes Thomas Caldwell shortly after the election envisioning "civil war":
"If we lose him from the White House, our country is dead." https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1582390837509775361?s=20&t=lfLP47jVqeJpc-o48mLtGQ
“FBI Agent Hilgeman is asked about this text message from Tom Caldwell from Nov. 7, 2020. "Next step, I guess, if the Democraps throw out the Constitution, is Civil War." (Caldwell's lawyer tried to mitigate the blow of this by noting that the recipient was never interviewed.)”
AUSA notes that to find the defendants guilty that they do NOT need to find that they planned the breach of the Capitol in advance.
"The attack on the Capitol was an opportunity that the Defendants seized," a slide she showed the jury reads.
Nov. 7 — Major media outlets call the election for Biden.
That day, Rhodes calls for the "Serbian plan" — that included storming the seat of government.
The prosecutor quotes the words of a government witness Abdullah Rasheed, who listened in on an Oath Keepers call:
"It sounded like we were going to war with — we were going to overthrow the United States government and start shooting everybody."
Jessica Watkins, after the call.
"This is the moment we've been waiting for."
Watkins wrote in a message of what she imagined to be the consequences of Biden's election:
"We already have got our neck in the noose. They've just got to kick the chair out."
Gov't witness John Zimmerman testified that Rhodes urged people to take up arms if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act.
Caldwell, Nov. 16, 2020: "If we cannot get the president another term, we are well and truly fucked [...] It[']s kill or be killed I am afraid."
Next slide:
"What the Defendants Agreed to Do:"
"To oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force."
Rhodes:
"We reserve the right to alter or abolish the government."
Rhodes on Dec. 10, 2020:
"[E]ither Trump gets off his ass and uses the insurrection Act to defeat the ChiCom puppet coup, or we will have to rise up in insurrection (rebellion) Against the ChiCom puppet Biden.
AUSA: "This wasn't rhetoric. This wasn't ranting and raving."
AUSA: "You know that these [...] were real, sincere plans" because cooperating witnesses said so.
Jason Dolan testified: "It was a feeling like our country or—was slipping out of fingers and we needed to defend our country. Conquer or die."
A key witness testified against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and four of the group's members. He said that he joined as an outlet for his then-belief that the election was "stolen" from the former president.
Meggs on Jan. 3, 2021:
"We will gather and discuss wednesday (the big one) in person."
AUSA notes that the government doesn't need to prove "express" or written plans, only a common understanding.
She noted that they talked about bringing less lethal weapons.
"They talked about bringing cattle prods and pieces of wood."
Prosecutor pivots to the quick reaction force, quoting Caldwell's invocation of "1 if by land, 2 if by sea."
The QRF allegedly gathered in a hotel in Arlington, Va., preparing to ferry weapons across the Potomac if Trump called them.
AUSA: "I don't even know where to begin with Defendant Caldwell's testimony."
She calls much of it "patently absurd," like claiming his violent chatter was for a screenplay.
An Oath Keepers member charged with seditious conspiracy told a federal jury that his remark about "storming the castle" on Jan. 6 was merely a reference to The Princess Bride.
Adam Klasfeld