Federal Judge Shuts Down GOP’s Welcome Tour for Worst Jan. 6 Offenders
The Oath Keepers involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection are facing new restrictions from a federal judge, just days after they had their prison sentences commuted by Donald Trump.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Stewart Rhodes and seven other members of the far-right militia can’t enter Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol without the court’s permission.
Rhodes was originally sentenced to 18 years in prison, one of the toughest sentences handed down as a result of January 6, and given the heavy charge of seditious conspiracy. Unlike other January 6 rioters, Rhodes was not pardoned but had his sentence commuted, along with other defendants convicted of seditious conspiracy.
“My only regret is they should have brought rifles,” Rhodes said in a January 10, 2021, recording played at his trial in 2022. “We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I’d hang fucking Pelosi from the lamppost.”
On Wednesday, following his release from prison, Rhodes was spotted in the Capitol complex, sitting down in a Dunkin’ Donuts and casually speaking to reporters. The far-right militant also met with several Republican members of Congress, drawing the ire of Democrats.
“It’s just incredibly sad that this is someone who House Republicans feel should be welcomed in this building, someone who doesn’t support the rule of law, someone who actively worked against the peaceful transfer of power in our country,” Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar told Politico.
Now, at least, Rhodes and several of his far-right compatriots will be restricted from the site of their crimes four years ago. Many of their supporters, however, will be under no such restrictions, and Trump has effectively told them that they don’t have to worry about legal trouble.