Jury deliberates on Oath Keepers’ January 6 role in seditious conspiracy trial – live
GuardianNov 26, 2022
The Facts
A US jury is set to deliberate federal seditious conspiracy charges for the first time in over a decade, as government prosecutors attempt to argue that members of the Oath Keepers plotted to oppose the peaceful transfer of power by force in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol riots.
Five members and supporters of the Oath Keepers militia, including founder Stewart Rhodes, also face multiple lesser charges such as obstructing officers and destroying government property. The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) hasn't successfully prosecuted anyone for sedition since 1995 when a group of Islamic militants was convicted of plotting to plant bombs in New York City.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This trial is a major test of the DOJ's belief that far-right extremists plotted against the peaceful transfer of power. If the jury sides with the prosecution, then the DOJ can strongly dispel claims that the riot wasn't as bad as the federal government has consistently argued.
Establishment-critical narrative
The government has unsurprisingly painted a completely distorted picture of events. If heated, hyperbolic rhetoric amounted to sedition, most of modern America would find themselves charged. Discourse surrounding revolution is deep-rooted in the country's history and culture, and cherry-picking such sentences to claim that a major conspiracy was afoot shouldn't be taken seriously.
