A federal judge on Friday barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes from entering Washington, D.C., without court approval. The decision came days after former President Donald Trump commuted Rhodes’ 18-year prison sentence for orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued the order two days after Rhodes visited the Capitol, where he met with at least one lawmaker, engaged with others, and defended his actions related to the January 6 riot. Rhodes had been released from a Maryland prison just one day earlier.
The order extends to seven other individuals convicted of charges tied to the Capitol attack, which disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump. It prohibits them from entering the Capitol building or its surrounding grounds without prior court permission.
Rhodes was previously convicted of seditious conspiracy, one of the most serious charges brought in connection with the Justice Department’s investigation of the Capitol riot. He was found guilty of leading a plot that culminated in his followers storming the Capitol in an effort to keep Trump, a Republican, in power.
Rhodes did not personally enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 and has called it “stupid” for members of the Oath Keepers to have done so.
“My guys blundered through doors,” Rhodes said during a visit to Capitol Hill earlier this week.
Trump’s clemency order, issued Monday, marked a dramatic shift in the Justice Department’s largest prosecution effort. It freed several individuals convicted of violent actions, including assaults on police officers, and far-right extremist group leaders involved in efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power after Trump’s election loss.
Trump defended the pardons, stating the defendants had already served “years in prison” under what he described as “inhumane” and “disgusting” conditions.
AP
