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Rhodes and eight other co-defendants are accused of plotting to
stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power in a failed bid
to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election
victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rhodes is due to go to trial in Washington, D.C. with four other
defendants on Sept. 27 for seditious conspiracy, a rarely
prosecuted criminal charge. A second set of four defendants head
to trial on Nov. 29.
"The idea that at the 11th hour, Mr. Rhodes wants to bring in
new counsel three weeks before this trial is set to begin,
months and months after trial preparation," said U.S. District
Judge Amit Mehta, at times sounding exasperated. "Here's the
thing: I'm not going to do it."
Rhodes, one of the most high-profile defendants of the more than
860 people charged over the Capitol riot, informed the court in
a Tuesday filing that he had "a complete, or near-complete
breakdown" in communication with his two original attorneys,
James Bright and Phillip Linder.
His new lawyer, Edward Tarpley, told Mehta he needs at least 90
additional days to get up to speed on the case, address motions
Rhodes wanted filed and collect additional potentially
exculpatory evidence.
The list of to-do items Tarpley cited should be done included
deposing witnesses whose names have not been mentioned in any
pre-trial motions or hearings, such as Cassidy Hutchinson, the
former aide to former President Donald Trump's White House Chief
of Staff Mark Meadows.
Tarpley also said the government dealt a blow to Rhodes' defense
plans when it charged Oath Keeper attorney and Rhodes' former
girlfriend Kellye SoRelle earlier this month in connection with
the Capitol attack.
During a sometimes contentious virtual hearing on Wednesday,
Rhodes' original attorneys expressed exasperation with their
client, saying some of his claims about their performance were
untrue.
"I've given 7 months of my life to Mr. Rhodes...I've missed
sporting events for my children. I've missed time with my family
for a man I don't know," Bright told the court.
Mehta ruled the trial will continue as scheduled.
"If Mr. Rhodes wants you in this case? That's fine," Mehta told
Tarpley. "Mr. Linder and Mr. Bright are going to be at that
table, representing Mr. Rhodes in this trial starting September
27. Period. Full stop. End of story."
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Josie Kao)
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