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Oath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States constitution. It was incorporated in 2009 by founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, a lawyer and former paratrooper. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime. Three other members have pled guilty to this crime, and four other members have been convicted of it.
Richard Ivan Mack is the former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona and a political activist. He is known for his role in a successful lawsuit brought against the federal government of the United States which alleged that portions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act violated the United States Constitution. He is a former lobbyist for Gun Owners of America (GOA) and a two-time candidate for United States Congress. Mack is also the founder of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), and established the "County Sheriff Project" movement, both of whom reaffirm what they claim is the constitutional power to refuse to enforce federal laws. Further to this, he sits on the board of directors of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group.
Seditious conspiracy is a crime in various jurisdictions of conspiring against the authority or legitimacy of the state. As a form of sedition, it has been described as a serious but lesser counterpart to treason, targeting activities that undermine the state without directly attacking it.
Karen Fann is a former Republican member of the Arizona Senate, representing Arizona Legislative District 1. Fann became President of the Arizona Senate in 2019, and served until 2023.
Kelly Townsend is an American Republican politician. She was a member of the Arizona Senate representing District 16 from 2021 to 2023, and previously was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021, acting as Majority Whip from 2017 to 2018.
The Three Percenters, also styled 3 Percenters, 3%ers and III%ers, are an American and Canadian far-right anti-government militia.
Anthony Kern is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate, representing District 27 since 2023. He previously represented District 20 in the State House of Representatives from January 5, 2015 to January 11, 2021.
Mark William Finchem is an American far-right politician who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 11 from 2015 to 2023. He is the Arizona coordinator for the Coalition of Western States, an organization that opposes the activities of the Bureau of Land Management and supported the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.
David C. Eastman Jr. is a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, currently representing District 27. He originally represented District 10 from 2017 until 2022. His career has been marked by various controversial statements and political positions.
Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is the founder of Oath Keepers, an American far-right and alt-right anti-government militia. In November 2022, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering related to his participation in the January 6 Insurrection culminating at the main campus of the United States Capitol complex. On May 23, 2023 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, the longest sentence to date for those associated with the attack.
Wendy Rogers is an American far-right politician serving as a member of the Arizona State Senate from the 7th legislative district and the Republican Party. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021. Rogers was an officer in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1996.
On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob sought to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. According to the House select committee investigating the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. As of July 7, 2022, monetary damages caused by attackers exceed $2.7 million.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden by attacking the U.S. Capitol Building, disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes to formalize Joe Biden's victory. By the end of the month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened more than 400 case files and issued more than 500 subpoenas and search warrants related to the riot. The FBI also created a website to solicit tips from the public specifically related to the riot and were especially assisted by the crowdsourced sleuthing of a group that calls themselves "Sedition Hunters." By the end of 2021, 725 people had been charged with federal crimes. By the second anniversary of the attack, that number had risen to 978. Those prosecutions are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.
Protect Democracy is a nonprofit organization based in the United States. A nonpartisan group, Protect Democracy seeks to check authoritarian attacks on U.S. democracy.
Look Ahead America is a conservative political advocacy group and nonprofit formed by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard in August 2017. The group's stated goals are to identify working-class and rural voters, to increase voter registration and mobilization, local community activism, and to advocate for increased transparency in the voting process such as forensic investigations of fraudulent vote claims and equipping poll watchers with cameras.
Kelly Meggs is an American convicted felon who previously led the Oath Keepers' Florida chapter. He was found guilty of seditious conspiracy following his forced entry into the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Liz Harris is an American politician from Arizona. A Republican, she was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from January 2023 to April 2023. Harris was elected in November 2022 from the 13th legislative district, which includes much of Chandler, Arizona.
Yavapai County Preparedness Team, often known as YCPT, is an U.S. nonprofit organisation registered as a 501(c)(3) organiation in Yavapai County, Arizona and founded by militiaman Jim Arroyo.
Jessica Marie Watkins is an American militia founder and former Oath Keeper leader, Army veteran and bar owner who took part in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
References
- 1 2 "In Arizona, ballot drop box vigilante surveillance is shut down, but their wary worldview remains steadfast". The Globe and Mail. 2022-11-07. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ "Senior Oath Keeper Official Brags They Have 'Active-Duty' Law Enforcement Members". HuffPost. 2021-04-19. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ Broadwater, Luke; Rosenberg, Matthew (2021-01-29). "Republican Ties to Extremist Groups Are Under Scrutiny". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (2022-10-14). "Fringe groups plan to watch AZ ballot drop boxes". Arizona Mirror . Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ Teirstein, Zoya (2023-05-17). "Boots on the Ground". Grist . Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ Services, Howard Fischer, Capitol Media (2022-10-27). "Lions of Liberty stopping its Operational Drop Box monitoring in Yavapai County | Arizona Capitol Times". Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (2022-10-26). "Two lawsuits filed to stop intimidation at ballot drop boxes". Arizona Mirror . Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ "Judge orders armed group away from Arizona ballot drop boxes". AP NEWS. 2022-11-02. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ ""60 Minutes" faces pushback for giving Oath Keepers a platform to push lies". Salon. 2021-04-19. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ "Oath Keepers: How a militia group mobilized in plain sight for the assault on the Capitol". www.cbsnews.com. 2021-04-18. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ↑ Crenshaw, Zach (2021-02-19). "Oath Keepers look to recruit in Arizona with alarmist 'Civil War' rhetoric". ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix (KNXV). Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2023-05-27.