Capitol rioter renounces militia membership -- now says she went to the Capitol only to maintain 'law and order'
A member of the Oath Keepers militia group who law enforcement says was training to storm the U.S. Capitol for at least two years, spoke out publicly for the first time in a courtroom this Friday, the Daily Beast reports.
Jessica Watkins says she plans to leave the far-right group, saying that her fellow Oath Keepers "have kind of turned my stomach against it."
"We're done with that lifestyle ... I did it out of love for my country but it's time to let all of that go," she said at the hearing that will determine if she'll remain free on bond until her trial.
Watkins, a 38-year-old Army vet, "is among several Oath Keepers who have been charged with conspiring and recruiting others to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory. She pleaded not guilty during Friday's detention hearing," reports the Daily Beast.
Prosecutors argued that Watkins' loyalty to the Oath Keepers was reason enough to keep her jailed until her trial, but she's not insisting that she doesn't want to be affiliated with the group. Watkins also promised to stay away from social media if released. Her lawyers argued that she's a trained media and only went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to help maintain "law and order."
Read the full report over at The Daily Beast.