A man with a big tattoo of Richard Nixon* on his back and a close friend of Donald Trump, Roger Stone, walks everywhere with an entourage, including Oath Keeper bodyguards. The morning of January 6, he was seen walking with them, but he did not appear to be involved with the afternoon’s attack on our Congress and failed coup. Who are these bodyguards?
*Nixon originally misspelled. Feel free to point out any others, because proofing isn’t my strong suit!
They belong to an over-the-edge conservative group that trains rigorously, according to The Washington Post:
‘[A]N INSTRUCTOR COACHED THE THREE MILITIA MEMBERS AND OTHERS ON HOW TO “DROP” ADVERSARIES BY SHOOTING THEM IN THE HEART, LUNGS, OR HEAD. THE INSTRUCTOR, A FLORIDA RESIDENT NAMED ANDREW SMRECEK, WHO DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A FORMER MARINE CORPS RIFLEMAN.’
On January 6, a well-trained line of Oath Keepers “wearing camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection, and Oath Keepers insignia” made their way through the crowd of angry rioters allegedly. Then, they marched single-file up the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building and they forced their way inside on January 6.
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They are committed to Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” which he calls “Stop the Steal.” Stone has urged Americans to fight to keep Trump in office. He frequently travels to Stop The Steal events with his Oath Keepers.
The self-styled citizen militias focused on recruiting members of law enforcement and the military:
‘[THEY HAVE] AN APOCALYPTIC VISION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAREENING TOWARD TOTALITARIANISM. ITS MEMBERS HAVE PROVIDED SECURITY TO SOME CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS AND CAUSES IN RECENT YEARS.’
In a training video, Andrew Smrecek’s company shirt displayed its name “Combat Art Training.” The inactive Marine’s slogan is “Keep Fighting Communism.” During his training sessions, he drills people, according to The Mother Jones publication on:
‘[HOW TO SHOOT FOES] TO STOP A THREAT…[AIMING AT THE COLLAR LINE AND CAUSE] MASSIVE HEMORRHAGING [OR] A SUCKING CHEST WOUND….[THINK ABOUT]…A HEADSHOT [CLOSE RANGE AND TO AIM] IN BETWEEN THE EYES…[AT] THE SQUISHY STUFF.’
The FBI just indicted four Oath Keepers in Florida and arrested three of them for their attack of our iconic Capitol Building on January 6. The total number of Oath Keepers arrested was up to 16 with the latest conspiracy charges
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes usually appeared as “Person One” in government documents. However, he was still free of any charges. Conversely, he has accused lawyers of trying to spin a “nonexistent conspiracy,” the Washington Post reported. He spoke at a March Republican rally in Laredo, Texas:
‘I MAY GO TO JAIL SOON, NOT FOR ANYTHING I ACTUALLY DID, BUT FOR MADE-UP CRIMES. [TRUMP SUPPORTERS OF SHOULD] NOT COWER IN FEAR. [EVEN THOUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT] WAS TRYING TO GET RID OF US SO THEY CAN GET TO YOU.’
Rhodes allegedly told members of a GoToMeeting group six days after the election:
‘WE’RE GOING TO DEFEND THE PRESIDENT, THE DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT, AND WE CALL ON HIM TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T, GUYS, YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN A BLOODY, BLOODY CIVIL WAR AND A BLOODY — YOU CAN CALL IT AN INSURRECTION OR YOU CAN CALL IT A WAR OR FIGHT.’
‘I’M WILLING TO SACRIFICE MYSELF FOR THAT. LET THE FIGHT START THERE. THAT WILL GIVE PRESIDENT TRUMP WHAT HE NEEDS, FRANKLY. . . . WE WANT HIM TO DECLARE AN INSURRECTION, AND TO CALL US UP AS THE MILITIA.’
These are some of the indicted Oath Keepers:
Faced multiple counts in an indictment: Joseph Hackett, 51, chiropractor of Sarasota, Fla.;
Jason Dolan, 44, of Wellington, Fla.; and
Resort security guard and 17-year Marine William Isaacs, 21, of Kissimmee, Fla.; and
And the fourth member remained unidentified.
Charged co-defendants included: Ohio militia founder and bar owner Jessica Watkins, 38;
Former Navy intelligence officer Thomas E. Caldwell, 65, of Berryville, Va.;
Florida car dealer Kelly Meggs, 52; and
Jon Ryan Schaffer, an Indiana rock musician (the only defendant known to have pleaded guilty.)
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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