On Monday, four members of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers were escorted to prison after a jury found them guilty of seditious conspiracy charges for their roles in trying to block the peaceful transfer of power during the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In addition to the seditious conspiracy charges, the four supporters of former president Donald Trump were also found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official act of Congress and conspiracy to destroy federal property.
As noted by Politico’s Kyle Cheney, the guilty verdict against Ed Vallejo, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel significantly improves the U.S. Department of Justice’s record in prosecuting seditious conspiracy cases.
The development comes as members of another right-wing militia group, the Proud Boys, are also on trial for their role in fomenting the deadly riots at the Capitol that forced lawmakers and their staffs to flee for their lives as the MAGA mob stormed the building.
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As Cheney observes on Twitter, the guilty verdict “has to produce anxiety” for Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who himself is facing seditious conspiracy charges.
“Like [Oath Keeper Ed] Vallejo, he wasn’t even in DC on Jan. 6, but jurors agreed Vallejo participated in the seditious conspiracy from a Comfort Inn in Arlington, where he babysat a stockpile of weapons,” Cheney wrote.
Read Cheney’s threat below:
This gives the government a better record on seditious conspiracy. At its first trial — featuring Stewart Rhodes — only Rhodes and Meggs were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, while Jess Watkins, Thomas Caldwell, Kenneth Harrelson were acquitted of the charge.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 23, 2023
For TARRIO in particular, this verdict has to produce anxiety. Like Vallejo, he wasn’t even in DC on Jan. 6, but jurors agreed Vallejo participated in the seditious conspiracy from a Comfort Inn in Arlington, where he babysat a stockpile of weapons.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 23, 2023
