• GET OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!
  • The Right Wing
  • Religious right
  • GO AD FREE!
  • MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION
  • GET OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!
  • The Right Wing
  • Religious right
  • GO AD FREE!
  • MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION
  1. Home
  2. / Home

Paramilitary 'Oath Keepers' leader says she waited for Trump to 'activate' them before Capitol attack: DOJ

 David Badash
and
 The New Civil Rights Movement
11 February 2021
The leader of the paramilitary "Oath Keepers" group now indicted on conspiracy and other charges says she had waited for President Donald Trump to "activate" them and stood by for his direction before coming to storm the Capitol on January 6.
CNN reports the Dept. of Justice "is now making clear" that Oath Keepers leader Jessica Watkins, "who planned and led others in the Capitol siege to attempt to stop the Biden presidency — believed she was responding to the call from then-President Donald Trump himself."

In a filing Thursday federal prosecutors write, "As the inauguration grew nearer, Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump."

CNN calls it "the most direct language yet from federal prosecutors linking Trump's requests for support in Washington, DC, to the most militant aspects of the insurrection."

Prosecutors add that Watkins' "concern about taking action without [President Trump's] backing was evident in a November 9, 2020, text in which she stated, 'I am concerned this is an elaborate trap. Unless the POTUS himself activates us, it's not legit. The POTUS has the right to activate units too. If Trump asks me to come, I will. Otherwise, I can't trust it.' Watkins had perceived her desired signal by the end of December."


 
From Your Site Articles
  • Armed militia groups are taking Trump's civil war rhetoric literally ... ›
  • Radical right-wing paramilitary group recruits Texas cops for 'bloody ... ›
  • US authorities arrest 'Oath Keeper' on conspiracy charge in ... ›
  • There's a growing body of evidence showing the Republican Party has a paramilitary wing - Alternet.org ›
  • 'Bloody civil war': Inside the heavily armed contingency force hovering over the Oath Keepers Jan. 6 prosecution - Alternet.org ›
  • Oath Keepers' founder under increased scrutiny as part of Capitol riots investigation - Alternet.org ›
  • Oath Keepers leader reveals militia are being trained by police in '60 Minutes' interview - Alternet.org ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • US Capitol riots: Members of extremist Oath Keepers group planned ... ›
  • Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason – Mother Jones ›
  • Police, soldiers bring lethal skill to militia campaigns against US ... ›
  

Alternet

All Rights Reserved

View Non-AMP Version