Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes arrested, charged in Jan. 6 conspiracy

[BumRushDaShow]

5. And a bunch of them served as "body guards"

for Roger Stone.

Extremism

March 10, 2021
Roger Stone’s Latest Mess: His Oath Keeper Bodyguards Arrested in Capitol Attack
The arrests could cause new legal trouble for the longtime Trump adviser.

Dan Friedman
Reporter


Roger Stone has an Oath Keeper problem. In recent days the FBI arrested two men, Joshua James, the owner of a cleaning services company in Alabama, and Roberto Minuta, a Newburgh, New York, tattoo artist, for taking part in the seditious attack on the US Capitol. Both men are members of that far-right militia. They each were part of a group of Oath Keepers that provided security for Stone, the longtime Trump adviser, the day before the assault, when Stone was in Washington, DC, whipping up support for the January 6 protest. That brings to at least five the number of Oath Keepers arrested in relation to the attack who also appear to have guarded Stone at Stop the Steal events. The Justice Department has alleged that three of these militia members helped plan the Capitol onslaught and were part of a conspiracy to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory.

This could create legal problems for Stone, a self-described political dirty trickster, who last year received a pardon from President Donald Trump related to his conviction for lying to Congress in 2017 during the Trump-Russia investigation. Prosecutors are reportedly investigating Stone’s communications with extremists involved in the Capitol attack. The arrested Oath Keepers will likely face pressure to cooperate with prosecutors and reveal any information they may possess about any involvement Stone or other Trump associates may have had in plans or preparations to invade the Capitol.

Stone has repeatedly denied having advance knowledge of the attack. He says he was not present at the January 6 rally held at the Ellipse and that he did not participate in the ensuing march on Congress by thousands of Trump supporters. He also maintains that he did not know the Oath Keepers who provided security for him at events in Washington, DC, and in Florida in the weeks before the attack.

The Oath Keepers—a loosely organized far-right outfit composed of former law enforcement officers and military personnel—provided security for Stone at several events on January 5. And Minuta and James were part of that detail, which possibly included about a dozen members of the group. Minuta was arrested on Saturday in Newburgh, where last May he gained notoriety for refusing to follow COVID-19 restrictions and close a tattoo parlor he owns there. James was arrested Tuesday in Alabama. Both face charges related to entering the Capitol on January 6.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/roger-stones-latest-mess-his-oath-keeper-bodyguards-arrested-in-capitol-attack/