Founder of right-wing Oath Keepers to await Capitol riot trial in Washington-judge

[February 03, 2022]  By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The detained founder of the right-wing Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, will be moved to Washington to await trial on charges of seditious conspiracy for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

Rhodes' attorneys had asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to permit Rhodes to stay in Texas, saying it would be too burdensome for them to have to travel back and forth to Washington to prepare for his trial, scheduled for July 11.

"It is not unusual for locally detained January 6th defendants to have counsel who are not in the Washington, D.C. area," Mehta wrote in his order. "The court will not grant Mr. Rhodes more favorable treatment than those similarly-situated defendants."

Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes poses during an interview session in Eureka, Montana, U.S. June 20, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

Rhodes, 56, is the most high-profile of the more than 725 supporters of then-President Donald Trump charged for their roles in storming the Capitol in a failed bid to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election.

Last month, a magistrate judge in Texas ruled that Rhodes should remain in jail pending trial. He is contesting that decision.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Howard Goller)

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