Founder of right-wing Oath Keepers to await Capitol riot trial in
Washington-judge
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[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."
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![](../images/020322pics/news_q67.jpg)
Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes poses during an
interview session in Eureka, Montana, U.S. June 20, 2016.
REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/stclara_lda_SPONSOR_090519.png) 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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