The Dipshits Who Took the Fifth
The Select Committee’s final report was released. In it were 11 recommendations including keeping Trump from ever becoming president again per the 14th Amendment of the Constitution which bans those who’ve “engaged in an insurrection” or offered “aid and comfort to the enemies” from running for office. They also included transcripts of interviews. 32 of them invoked the fifth amendment which guarantees that they cannot be compelled by the government to provide incriminating information about themselves. All of these guys are in trouble because of Trump and ironically he’s on record for saying that nobody pleads the fifth unless they’re guilty.
The takeaways after reading through the 32 transcripts is that the public has had a hard time fully absorbing the severity of the attack. It was a serious, existential threat that America underwent on January 6, 2021. They found it hard to believe because an actual coup has never been tried before in the United States so nobody believed it could ever really happen. That and the ones who planned it were such buffoons that people have had a hard time taking any of them seriously.
The timing of the release of this report could be problematic for the DOJ because it tells the story of the insurrection in detail but given that so few people actually read the Mueller Report, it’s safe to assume that they’ll be able to find jurors that didn’t read the Select Committee’s final report, either. The Select Committee’s lays everything out but it doesn’t have prosecutorial powers so it can’t give all of these dangerous clowns what they deserve. They can only tell the story so the public knows what happened and make laws to ensure that this can’t ever happen again. Only the DOJ can put these traitors in jail. They possess the authority to search and seize, arrest and interrogate, and put them on trial.
Everybody involved in the below depositions conducted themselves with the upmost professionalism. With very few exceptions, witnesses behaved themselves (it’s hard to act like a know-it-all big shot when you’re scared shitless and don’t have Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham egging you on and treating you like a super star with a gullible, loyal, obedient audience. The attorneys were mostly professional, except for the cheap ones who were out of their league. Committee members and staff who asked the questions were very fair and respectful.
Throughout these testimonies it becomes clear that none of the militia groups who were at the Capitol on January 6 were well organized with well defined leadership. None of them have an articulated mission or credo. They don’t have any established programs, objectives, or goals, nor do they hold regular meetings. Chapters aren’t regulated or even tracked. Basically, if you’re a chauvinistic white male, or identify as a chauvinistic white male who has a lot of free time, and you like guns, violence, bullying people, and hanging around other pissed off, pumped up white chauvinists, you can declare yourself a member of any of these groups. No rules, no structure, just “be there” to shoot the shit, drink beer in the woods, do target practice, and show up whenever there’s trouble or “The People” need to take on the government at a moment’s notice.
Here are the people who were deposed by the Select Committee who all pleaded the fifth, from dumbest to smartest:
Enrique De La Torre
He refers to himself as the most mysterious man in the world. He’s not. He’s an idiot. He took the fifth even when asked his age, where he lived, and what level of education he had achieved.
Shawna Martin
She’s a 53 year old vagabond who lives for the Lord and QAnon, going from place to place saving people on her motorcycle. She became a member of the Panhandle Patriots in Idaho when a couple of them stopped to help her fix her bike. They invited her to join so she signed up. Why not? They like to sing karaoke. Shawna runs a church out of her house. She felt called to go to Washington on January 6 to “witness” Congress certifying the vote to make sure they were honest. She also went to share the word about God and take on Antifa and help patriots if they got hurt even though she’s not a medic. While Trump was speaking at the Ellipse, she “patrolled” the Capitol, keeping an eye out for Antifa. She took the fifth when she suspected that the questioner was trying to “control the narrative” or whenever she was asked about other people. She did her deposition via teleconference at the border where she was once again on patrol, looking for child traffickers.
Christopher Barcenas
He joined a chapter of the Proud Boys in Miami right before the 2020 election. He thought it was a fraternity type thing where you get to hang out with “like minded” guys, drink beer and help old ladies across the street. He thought the rallies were going to be like music festivals but with speakers. He refused to say who the president of his chapter was. He was in DC for the Million MAGA March on November 14, 2020 and back again and January 6 for the insurrection. The only trusted news source is Tucker Carlson.
Nick Fuentes
24 year old virgin and Trump’s favorite Nazi. He gave the committee NOTHING. Fifth, fifth, fifth, fifth. At the end he got called out for being a notorious social media influencer who, when given the chance, refused to proudly assert his beliefs on the biggest platform ever.
Philip Luesldorff
QAnon kook and member of the far-right fringe paramilitary group, the First Amendment Praetorian. The committee wanted to ask him about providing security at the insurrection but he wouldn’t talk. The deposition from start to finish lasted 28 minutes.
Robert Patrick Lewis
QAnon kook and chair of the First Amendment Praetorian. The committee actually asked him if he believed there was going to be an Antifa Tet Offensive bent on destroying the global order where thousands of people would be killed.
Dion Cini
Unemployed forty something Proud Boy who peddles Trump trinkets and collectibles in a business he calls, Trump Swag. He is a devoted Trump cult follower. He was asked about his relationship with the head of the Proud Boys. Enrique Tarrio, and the “1776 Returns” plot to occupy buildings throughout DC on January 6. He was also asked about his communications with the Trump family, members of Congress and White House staff, and fundraising for Roger Stone for security for January 6. He pleaded the fifth over 100 times in an hour.
Alexander Bruesewitz
24 year old founder and CEO of a conservative “political consulting firm” in West Palm Beach, Florida - X Strategies. He started this company when he was 19. Genius, crook or weirdo? He was involved in producing the Stop the Steal rally but refused to answer any questions about Ali Alexander and Roger Stone, Lindsey Graham and Paul Gosar, and members of Congress who were also involved in producing the Stop the Steal rally. He was asked what was said in a meeting at the White House on January 5 but wouldn’t answer. He took the fifth 90 times in 40 minutes.
Mayra Rodriguez
Fake Republican elector from Michigan who sounds nice. She answered many questions except for the ones that would get her or her friends in trouble. She didn’t appear to really know an awful lot, she didn’t know any of the names they asked her about (the usual suspects) but did say that that there were about 20 “Trump people” at the GOP headquarters on December 14 when the electors showed up to cast their votes for Trump. She may have been duped. She never got a copy of anything she signed. The president of her GOP district club, Monica Palmer (the only who most likely duped her), got a call from Trump after the November election. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel was on the call and introduced them.
Kathy Berden
Republican National Committee member from Michigan. She took the fifth when asked if she was one of Trump’s electors. She refused to answer questions and took the fifth over 80 times in 46 minutes.
David Scott Kuntz
Member of the anti-government group, the Three Percenters and a former sheriff’s deputy. Membership in the Three Percenters is nothing formal — just bunch of guys who like to party on the weekends with their guns. If anybody needs armed protection, they’ll do it for free. His deposition was 86 pages long and his answers were mostly, “I don’t know.” His attorney finally invoked the fifth for him at the end. David is a big talker who ended up in DC on January 6 believing it was just another opportunity to drink beer with the guys, but he ended up having to talk to Congress and the FBI.
Garrett Ziegler
His first job straight out of college was working in the White House as a policy analyst for the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. When asked how he got that job he invoked the fifth. When asked what he did as a policy analyst he invoked the fifth. When asked if he worked for the Trump campaign under the direction of Peter Navarro while he was supposed to be working as a policy analyst he invoked the fifth. When asked if he took part in the writing of the Navarro Report he took the fifth. When asked if he and other policy analysts in the department worked on overturning the election he invoked the fifth. When asked if he personally investigated allegations of election-related bribery in Nevada he took the fifth. When asked if he ever assisted Patrick Byrne, Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell, and Emily Newman to get past security at the White House on December 18th, 2020 he took the fifth. When asked where he was on January 6 he took the fifth. When asked if he spoke to Peter Navarro or Steve Bannon on January 6 he took the fifth. When asked if he expected violence and then sent his wife and kids out of town on January 6, he took the fifth.
Mike Flynn
Disgraced general and Trump’s former national security advisor for less than one month who got pardoned by Trump. He refused to submit documents per his subpoena and pleaded the fifth. When asked if he ever communicated with any officials at the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security or Department of Justice between November 3, 2020, and January 20, 2021 regarding election fraud or other irregularities in the 2020 election, he took the fifth. When asked if he ever had any discussions with Attorney General Bill Barr or tried to contact him in connection with the 2020 presidential election he took the fifth. When asked if he worked on the election at Lin Wood’s estate with Sidney Powell and Patrick Byrne and used his son’s room as “election central” for white boards and computers he took the fifth. When asked if he was at the meeting at the White House on December 18 he took the fifth. When asked if he coordinated with any militia groups he took the fifth. When asked if he told Trump that he could seize voting machines and use the military to hold on to power, he took the fifth.
Bianca Garcia
Founder and president of Latinos for Trump. She took the fifth on every single question such as did she go to the White House with Enrique Tarrio, did she know Trump, what did she say when she called John Cornyn’s and Ted Cruz’s office, what did she say when she called the White House four times (twice to a land line and twice to a cell phone) on one day and then again on another day, what was she doing in a parking garage the day before the attack with Enrique Tarrio, Stewart Rhodes, Josh Macias, and Kellye SoRelle, and did she help arrange for security for January 5 and 6.
Enrique Tarrio
The proud playboy got stabbed on election night along with 3 other Proud Boys. He wasn’t at the Capitol on January 6 because he had spent the night in the DC jail (January 4 and 5) after being arrested on a misdemeanor then found in position of two AR magazines. After he was set loose the judge told him he had to stay clear of DC. When the committee asked what he did for a living he said he printed t-shirts. Someone asked him if that’s the business he got two PPP loans for. His lawyer jumped in, “Objection!” He’s not nearly as smart as Stewart Rhodes, leader of the rival militia group, the Oath Keepers, but he’s much better looking. The play boy is very immature (38 and lives with his mom). When asked to comment on Trump referencing the Proud Boys during a debate with Biden, “Stand back and stand by,” Tarrio said he thought Trump gave them a shout out for having his back by going to his rallies. When committee member Zoe Lofgren asked him to comment on a photo he posted of her with the caption, “This cunt is blind in one eye,” he said he didn’t remember doing that. Like Stewart Rhodes, he thinks Antifa is real. He was asked about some of his merchandise such as RWDS (Right Wing Death Squad) patches on his online store, “1776 Shop.” The committee was curious if he used the proceeds of his business to finance Proud Boys activities. His lawyer piped in, concerned that the committee was trying to make his client out to be a secret financier. He’s just a boy! “You know, the Proud Boys didn’t do an insurrection. It’s not what they do. They drink. They had their picture taken. They look for Anifa at night, that’s true. They’re basically, you know, a satirical kind of goofy group of people who have political ideas and discovered Antifa, and that became a free occupation.”
Enrique Tarrio was also the state director of Latinos for Trump for Florida so he worked with Bianca Garcia. She invited him to speak at her event on January 5 but then cancelled. He went to the White House at her invitation but swears it was just for a regular tour.
At the end of the deposition, Tarrio told the committee, “….. one thing, regardless of however you feel about Donald Trump as a President, there is one thing that he did that is great. Everybody’s more involved now. Everybody knows who their local Congressman is, who their local mayor is. Everybody. It’s an energy I’ve never seen before. Like I said, when I joined — when I got involved, I got involved in, like, GOP clubs, and there was literally wheelchairs and oxygen tanks.” He’s right about that. Looks like he may not be the dumbest guy at the rally.
Tarrio’s attorney is representing other insurrectionists, too, none of them violent. He says they’re all naïve, newly politicized, and not part of an organized effort. They showed up on their own with maybe some friends. Most of them had never been to the Capitol before. He said they’re all unsophisticated with a proud mentality that made the dumbest mistake of their lives. Most of them regret going. He warns that there are a lot more of them everywhere. They’re frustrated and mad, but don’t understand why.
The end of the deposition was more of a group therapy session where Tarrio and his attorney kept throwing out ideas on how to heal the country and make the people who stormed the Capitol feel heard. Fox News may make them feel smart, but they don’t make them feel heard.
Ryan Kelley
Former MAGA candidate for governor of Michigan. Co-founder of American Patriot Council with Jason Howland. They started the organization in 2020 in response to the government’s response to COVID. Their mission was to “stand up for our rights.” They had a “crime watch” list on their website — names of people they deemed were criminals, people like Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Ryan Kelley was running against her at the time of his deposition. The organization is only two people. They “organized” on Facebook — mostly telling people to show up for rallies such as the one at the Michigan state capital on April 30, 2020 where armed militia men stormed the capital to demand that the Senate vote no on extending the rate of emergency declaration because of COVID. He denied promoting the Stop the Steal rally. He doesn’t know who posted about it on his Twitter page. He was very cooperative, even chatty, until he was asked to identify himself in a video during the riot at the Capitol where he was waving people in. Anytime he was asked, “Is this you?” he pleaded the fifth.
Jeffrey Clark
An unremarkable environmental attorney working in the Department of Justice who was thrust into fame with Trump’s plot to take over the government when plucked from obscurity and feeble attempts were made to make him the attorney general. Clark was deposed on February 2, 2022. His attorney Harry MacDougald accused the Select Committee of being embarrassingly illegal. He said his client had absolutely nothing to do with January 6 and any accusations that he was was paranoid fantasy. Jeffrey Clark pleaded the fifth for every single question. The FBI raided his house nearly 5 months after this deposition on June 23, 2022. He is now under criminal investigation.
Julie Fancelli
Publix heiress who financed the insurrection with a $3 million budget. She gave $250,000 to Charlie Kirk for buses, $200,000 to Alex Jones, $300,000 to Women for America (they got the permit for the event), $200,000 to Tea Party Express, $150,000 to Rule of Law Defense Fund, $60,000 to Junior and Kimberly Guilfoyle for a speaker fee (Kimberly demanded she release a statement saying she wasn’t paid). She stayed in touch with Kimberly Guilfoyle and Alex Jones. The committee asked a lot of questions about Roger Stone but she wouldn’t answer any. She paid for a private jet to take him to DC. She gave $2 million to Trump. Some funding went to Save the US Senate, a PAC for Trump that Junior started during Georgia’s Senate runoff election in December 2020. She took the fifth 350 times in 5 hours.
Charlie Kirk
College dropout who started his own conservative college organization, Turning Point USA. He voluntarily turned over more than 8,000 pages of documents that were associated with himself and Turning Point USA, mostly email communications among employees arranging bus transportation to and from the January 6 Ellipse rally, but he wouldn’t voluntarily sit for a deposition so he had to be subpoenaed. Once they got him in a room they asked him why he deleted text messages, where the Telegram communications were, what was his role in January 6 since Julie Fancelli donated a total of $1,250,000 to his organization, and what was his reason for not attending the rally, was it because he knew there would be violence? Why did he deny being involved with January 6 when they had proof with them such as one of his tweets from January 4: “This historic event will likely be one of the largest and most consequential in American history. The team Trump Students and Turning Point Action are honored to help make this happen, sending 80-plus buses full of patriots to 6 DC to fight for this President (he only ended up sending 7 buses). They also had footage of his livestream show from the morning of January 6 where he said, “Well, and let me tell you my sources — and won’t name, won’t say any names — are saying the Vice President is prayerfully considering possibly at the very 20 end of this sending it back to the State legislatures for clarification, which is something, an idea that was floated out there exclusively on the show. I can confirm that he (meaning the Vice President) has been presented with this and that he is considering it.” The only question he answered was what city and state he lived in.
Roger Stone
Roger Stone’s deposition was super short. He’s done this before. Lots of times. He was subpoenaed and showed up to be deposed but he didn’t comply with turning over requested documents that were also subpoenaed. He pleaded the fifth to every single question. The committee asked questions about his working with the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Trump, Ali Alexander and other event producers for the Stop the Steal rally at the Ellipse and the attack on the Capitol. Even though he hired documentarians to film his role in all of it (he had a room at the Willard Hotel which was where the infamous war room was), he wouldn’t say a peep. He was invited to speak at both the Stop the Steal rally and at the Capitol building between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. along with Ali Alexander, Congressman Paul Gosar, Representative-elect Marjorie Greene, Representative-elect Lauren Boebert, and 12 others. He’s in a video where he says, “While I was supposed to speak at the Ellipse and lead a march from the Ellipse to the Capitol or speak at the Capitol, or at least allegedly was so, I decided I was not interested in doing any of those things.” He never left the Willard Hotel. He watched the insurrection on TV. Afterwards when he was invited to go on the Tucker Carlson show, he said he had gotten a call from the Secret Service offering to give him a ride to the Capitol.
Alex Jones
Conspiracy theorist responsible for a lot of suffering with the horrible things he has said on his YouTube show, InfoWars, and will soon be bankrupted because of it, pleaded the fifth even though the committee had tons of evidence that proved he was a big part of the insurrection (audio, video, clips of his own show, screenshots of texts). The only time he actually said anything besides “the fifth” was when he said he didn’t trust Adam Schiff because he “forges stuff.” The committee ended the deposition by saying they weren’t going to close it since the witness refused to cooperate. They would decide later what to do about it. They decided to refer him to DOJ for prosecution
Kelli Ward
Chairwoman of Arizona’s Republican Party. She’s pretty smart because she got through med school and became a doctor but she’s pretty stupid because she got caught up in the MAGA cult. She did not comply with the subpoena that said she had to turn in documents and wouldn’t answer any questions. She responded only with, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When shown the text she sent Mark Meadows and asked to verify it, “Do NOT concede,” she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked about the Maricopa County election fraud suit where she was the plaintiff she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked about her involvement in the Dominion Voting Systems case with Sidney Powell, she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked about her texting the chair of the Maricopa County Supervisors to tell him to stop counting the votes, that Trump would be calling him, and she wanted him to call Sidney Powell, she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked if she talked to Mike Flynn about seizing voting machines she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked about her calling on the Arizona state legislature and the governor to decertify the election, she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.” When asked about signing off on fake electors on December 14 she replied, “I rely on my Fifth Amendment privilege.”
Joshua Eric Macias
“Director of getting anything done,” co-founder of Vets for Trump. He didn’t have a big fancy attorney like Alex Jones and Kelli Ward had. His cheap ass, cut rate attorney actually said, “I’m not a potted plant here. I mean, I’m here, doing my job.”
Antonio Lamatta
QAnon weirdo who went to the Capitol to provide security for Joshua Macias, co-founder of Vets for Trump. He took the fifth when asked about who he met up with on January 6, Mike Flynn, the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, Alex Jones, and Stewart Rhodes.
Jim DeGraffenreid
Republican National Committeeman for the State of Nevada. He took the fifth about 190 times in 2 hours. The questions the committee asked were about stuff they already knew about him with dates and names. They referenced documents they had, asked if he changed any of them, questioned him about an alternate electors ceremony that fake electors had planned for December 14, and electors appealing to Supreme Court. They asked if any members of Congress contacted him before January 6, specifically Andy Biggs. He was asked if he was aware of a plan to convene alternate electors in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Georgia, Nevada or Arizona to cast electoral votes for Trump and Pence. He took the fifth. He even took the fifth when asked to verify his signature.
Patrick Casey
Co-founder of the Groyper Army with Nazi Nick Fuentes, and co-founder of America First. Groypers are obnoxious white supremacists. Casey had a falling out with Fuentes who has been in the news since he dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago over Thanksgiving weekend. The committee tried to get him on record for promoting the Stop the Steal rally to his large online following, but his attorney made sure he would not answer their questions based on his fifth and first amendment rights. He wouldn’t answer if he was at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. They couldn’t get him to admit that he was anti-Semitic but they were able to get him to admit that he believed in the great replacement theory. He believes that immigrants need to assimilate and by assimilate he means take on his white supremacist values.
John Eastman
Trump was one of John Eastman’s clients. Trump gave him permission to talk publicly about the memoranda that he wrote regarding the role of the vice president in counting electoral votes as his attorney but he wasn’t allowed to talk about it with the Select Committee so he took the fifth. He pleaded the fifth when asked about meeting with Trump and Pence in the Oval Office on January 4, and again when asked if he had spoken to Senators Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz about changing the outcome of the election. He was asked if he had spoken with any other members of Congress. He took the fifth. He also took the fifth when asked to confirm the things he said on Steve Bannon’s podcast about everything hinging on Mike Pence, and again when he was asked if he stayed at the Willard Hotel from January 3 to January 8 (where the war room for the attack was). He took the fifth when asked if he wrote the memo that starts off with, “7 States have transmitted dual slates of electors to the President of the Senate.” Regarding Mike Pence, did he write “At the end, he announces that because of the ongoing dispute in the 7 States, there are no electors that can be deemed validly appointed in those States,” and so President Trump would have a majority of the electors counted and, “Pence then gavels President Trump as re-elected,” and, “On the bottom of page 4, did you advise the President of the United States that even if the 7 states did not send alternate slates of electors, Vice President Pence, nonetheless, could still refuse to count electors from those States and declare that Trump wins?” When asked to defend all of his claims of election fraud such as faulty voting machines, lost ballots, dead people voting, he pleaded the fifth. When asked if he knew whether the Trump electors met in states to send their alternate elector votes, he pleaded the fifth. The Select Committee referred him to DOJ for prosecution.
Jenna Ellis
The Trump attorney who sat next to Rudy when he farted during a televised congressional hearing refused to answer whether or not she had ever been in communication with Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Ali Alexander, Doug Mastriano, Eric Trump, Boris Epshtyn, Alex Bruesewitz, Anew Giuliani, Peter Navarro, or Joanna Miller. She also refused to answer what roles a long list of people played in the Trump campaign. She wouldn’t explain a part of an email she received which read, “Our legal and recount efforts are proceeding on two separate tracks: One is through the judicial branch, and the other is through State legislatures. Both of these tracks will provide the relief that we are seeking — that no legal vote is counted.” She wouldn’t answer whether she had encouraged legislatures to take some action that by majority vote would change the electors sent to the electoral college. She wouldn’t answer if she coordinated meetings and calls between Trump and state legislators. She refused to say whether or not she sent Trump a memo that read, “Six states currently have 23 electoral delegates in dispute,” or sending talking points to Jeanine Pirro at Fox News about Mike Pence, or whether or not she helped plan the Stop the Steal rally and attended a meeting at the Willard Hotel.
Michael J. McDonald
Former cop and city council member in Las Vegas and Chair of the Nevada Republican Party for 10 years. He was shown a copy of a text he wrote on November 4, 2021 and then asked if he had participated in a phone call with Trump, Eric Trump, Mark Meadows and Rudy that read, “We are on it. I have been on the phone this morning with the President, Eric Trump, Mark Meadows, and Mayor Giuliani. There is a major plan. We are meeting at the hotel with attorneys and national staff in about 2 minutes.” He took the fifth. He also took the fifth on all questions about alternate electors in Nevada.
Mike Roman
“Special Assistant to the President” was his title in the White House from 2017–18. He was also part of the Trump re-election campaign. He took the fifth when asked if he interacted with Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Trump, John Eastman, Christina Bobb, Boris Epshteyn, Bernie Kerik, various election officials, Department of Homeland Security, or Department of Justice. He took the fifth when confronted with an email he sent from his official account where the first sentence read, “Election fraud is real” and then went on to accuse the Democrats of plotting to steal the election. He took the fifth when asked about interactions with state senator Doug Mastriano (they’re both from Pennsylvania — Mastriano was a state senator who ran for governor and was at the insurrection). He took the fifth when asked about his level of involvement in calling state reps in battle ground states to organize fake electors. He took the fifth when asked if he was involved in discussions about imposing Martial Law. When asked, “Is it accurate that Mr. Giuliani designated you as the lead for executing the voting by alternate electors in advance of December 14th in the meeting of the electoral college?” he replied, “The fifth.”
James Waldron
Former US Army colonel who spread misinformation about election fraud. He took the fifth on every single question. He was asked about what he knew about voting machines, if he contacted Mike Flynn and copied Bernie Kerik and Katherine Friess, what he knew about seizing voting machines, and if he talked with Mike Flynn about Martial Law. From the sounds of the other questions, he may have played a big role in the alternate ways of keeping Trump in power other than an actual violent coup. He was asked about knowing all of the usual suspects and if he met or communicated with members of the House and Senate. He wouldn’t budge. He just pleaded, the fifth, the fifth, the fifth, over and over and over.
Stewart Rhodes
Founder and president of the Oath Keepers, established in 2009. His was the longest deposition of all — 200 pages, 6 hours and 19 minutes and he was deposed from inside the Cimarron County Federal Detention Center in Oklahoma, awaiting trial. He couldn’t submit the documents the committee subpoenaed him because the FBI already had them. The Oath Keepers “worked” 12 MAGA rallies where they’d escort people back to their cars after the rallies were over in case Antifa showed up, armed of course. If the Proud Boys or any other militia group would show up at protests, etc., they all had their own perimeters and rules with no official alliances to one another. Rhodes said the election was not constitutional and would have been contested by the left if Trump had won. He was very talkative for 75% of the deposition and then took the fifth for all of the questions about January 6. He wouldn’t answer if he had been in communication with the other militia groups, members of Congress, Trump, the Trump campaign, event organizers, or the White House.
Rhodes believes that there is a federal statute that states that anyone 17 to 45 is considered part of an unorganized militia. The age goes up for those with prior military service to 65. They can be called up if the president invokes the Insurrection Act. He deployed his guys in 2016 and 2020 to be poll watchers. They didn’t find any election fraud and that’s because he thinks they were the deterrent. Rhodes said that the Oath Keepers coordinate with the Secret Service but it’s not a formal relationship. “They give us a point of contact and let us know: Please give us the courtesy of letting us know which event you’re going to be at so we can let you know like where the blue line is around on the outside. You can’t be armed past this point.” They cooperate with cops, too. “We also communicate with local law enforcement, sheriff’s deputies and police, working with Secret Service on the exterior of the buildings, and also out in the community.” You can identify members of the Oath Keepers by the helmets and goggles they wear in case Antifa shows up and throws bricks at their heads or dangerous liquids in their eyes.
Stewart Rhodes went to Yale Law School, worked for the “constitutionalist” Congressman Ron Paul and his campaign for president, worked on the platform committee for the GOP in Nevada, clerked for the Arizona Supreme Court for a year, then moved to Montana and practiced criminal defense law.
Stewart Rhodes is the smartest of all of the dipshit inssurectionists who took the fifth, and he was found guilty of all charges related to January 6, including Seditious Conspiracy, which means he could spend the rest of his life in jail. Real smart.
