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Author Topic: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation  (Read 67776 times)

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #56 on: October 14, 2021, 01:24:30 PM »
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Good. Another MAGA scumbag goes to jail.

Kentucky man who sought to 'occupy' the US Capitol during Jan. 6 riot will go to jail



A Kentucky man who said he entered the U.S. Capitol with his cousin during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., to "occupy the space" was sentenced Wednesday to 45 days in jail for his role in the violent insurrection.

Robert "Bob" Bauer, 44, of Cave City was initially charged the week after the deadly riot in January with entering and remaining in a restricted building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Federal prosecutors later added two more charges: disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct at the grounds and in a Capitol building.

But under a plea deal, Bauer and his cousin ended up facing only the charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

That charge is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison, a maximum $5,000 fine and up to a year of supervised release.

The Department of Justice had recommended Bauer serve 30 days in jail and pay $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol, according to court documents, while Bauer and his attorney requested no jail time and one year of probation.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ended up sentencing both Bauer and his cousin, Edward Hemenway of Winchester, Virginia, to a term of 45 days in jail along with 60 hours of community service and the $500 restitution amount.

Both men will be allowed to turn themselves in to the Bureau of Prisons to start their sentences, Chutkan said.

While she noted neither Bauer nor his cousin assaulted any officers at the Capitol, Chutkan said they took photographs of themselves in the building and "clearly celebrated" their presence at the riot.

US Capitol riot arrests: What we know about the Kentucky people charged

"There has to be consequences" for those who play a role in trying to "disrupt the peaceful transfer of power," Chutkan said.

The Capitol riot resulted in the deaths of five people, with hundreds of police officers injured and at least four officers who defended the building later dying by suicide.

Some of the 600-plus defendants charged in connection with the events of Jan. 6 have received jail time or probation, while handfuls of others — including over a dozen Kentuckians — still await sentencing.

Bauer's attorney, Meredith M. Ralls, wrote in a memo prior to Wednesday's sentencing that he cooperated with federal investigators and took responsibility for his actions "immediately after January 6 by posting on Facebook."

"His remorse did not come after being apprehended, but before being apprehended. He even took steps to 'out' himself to authorities," Bauer's attorney wrote. "While many people post on social media out of pride, Mr. Bauer took a fatalistic attitude and posted his January 6 activities so that he would be found by law enforcement. He knew that FBI agents would be looking for people who were involved in the Capitol breach, and he did not want to hide from them as they sought those involved."

Chutkan pushed back Wednesday on Ralls' claim that Bauer posted to social media to alert the authorities, noting many other Jan. 6 defendants had posted photos and videos to Facebook.

"I don't think they were crying out to be apprehended," Chutkan said, asking why Bauer did not just call the FBI if he wanted to alert them.

Bauer, offered a chance to speak during the hearing, told Chutkan when he returned to his cousin's home after the riot, "we turned on the news."

"We didn’t see everything that went on that day," Bauer said. "When I saw ... all that chaos and all that violence, that’s when I realized the true gravity of it."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth C. Kelley said although Bauer took responsibility for his actions, he was well aware of "Do not enter" signs at the Capitol and observed officers getting attacked by the crowd as they pushed inside.

After spending 17 minutes inside the Capitol, Bauer also posed for a photo on top of a government vehicle while raising his two middle fingers in the air, Kelley said.

"Each rioter’s actions, from the most mundane to the most violent, contributed to the violence and destruction at the Capitol on Jan. 6," Kelley told the judge Wednesday. "... He had opportunities to leave the Capitol, but he chose not to leave."

The FBI had initially received an anonymous tip about Bauer and his wife's attendance at the Capitol riot that sought to disrupt Congress in certifying President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to a criminal complaint.

In separate interviews with the FBI, both Bauer and his cousin said they walked down Pennsylvania Avenue with a crowd of people from the "Stop the Steal" rally.

Hemenway told the judge neither he nor Bauer were "really 100% Trump supporters," and he then choked up when describing Bauer losing his job as a result of his criminal case.

"We are ashamed and wholeheartedly regret it," Hemenway said.

When they arrived at the Capitol grounds, Bauer's wife refused to go in and went back to the hotel room, while Bauer and Hemenway went inside the Capitol, according to the complaint. Bauer's wife was not charged in the riot.

Bauer and Hemenway told the FBI after rushing into the building with the crowd, one Capitol Police officer greeted them with a hug and handshake and told them, "It's your house now," according to the complaint.

Bauer told the FBI he “believed that the policeman was acting out of fear," the complaint said.

Photos taken on Bauer's phone and included in court documents show the two men inside the Capitol, and at some point in the Crypt, or basement, of the building. In one photo, they're seen giving the middle finger.

In a video from Bauer's phone obtained by the FBI, Bauer is in the Capitol chanting, "Our house! Our house!" with a large crowd behind him.

Bauer, in his police interview, said he went into the Capitol to "occupy the space" and had no intention of assaulting law enforcement or hurting anyone.

Hemenway, meanwhile, told the FBI he entered the building out of "stupidity" and "curiosity."

Bauer said people in the crowd were angry about officials who were alleged pedophiles (a debunked conspiracy theory) and about losing their businesses during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to the complaint.

In the memo submitted prior to the sentencing hearing, Bauer's attorney said the man and his wife "originally came to the D.C.-Virginia area to visit family, and decided to attend the protest on the Ellipse as part of that trip."

"Mr. Bauer only decided to turn from the Ellipse and head towards the Capitol when then-President Trump directed the crowd to proceed in that direction," the memo said. "Mr. Bauer did not come to D.C. prepared for a riot ... yet he understands that he is nonetheles responsible for following that group."

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2021/10/13/us-capitol-riot-kentucky-man-robert-bauer-sentenced-insurrection-case/8434252002/

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #56 on: October 14, 2021, 01:24:30 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #57 on: October 14, 2021, 01:29:04 PM »
REVEALED: Police warned Secret Service that Trump supporters might 'come armed' on Jan. 6

A newly uncovered email shows that Washington's Metropolitan Police Department warned federal law enforcement agencies on Jan. 5 that Donald Trump supporters who planned to attend his "Stop the Steal" rally the following day were being urged on social media to "come armed."

"Social media reporting is urging individuals attending the events on January 6 to come armed. No threats have been identified," the email stated.

CNN reported Thursday that the email "provides additional evidence that law enforcement dramatically misread the situation in the critical days before the riot," adding that the document "could prove useful to a House committee investigating the riot."

The email, obtained by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), was sent from the FBI's field office in DC to the Secret Service, according to CNN. It provided a short summary of a Metropolitan Police Department briefing.

"The email noted that eight firearms were recovered and five arrests were made at a pro-Trump event in November 2020," CNN reported. "Further, the document shows how local law enforcement knew DC-area hotels were sold out, indicating that a large crowd would be in the city around that time. The extremist Proud Boys group is also highlighted in the document, although it says 'the number expected' to attend the rally was 'unknown.'"

The email is among numerous documents uncovered recently that suggest the Capitol insurrection was not an intelligence failure.

https://www.rawstory.com/revealed-dc-police-warned-secret-service-that-jan-6-protesters-were-being-urged-to-come-armed/

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #58 on: October 14, 2021, 11:05:00 PM »
Another MAGA scumbag is arrested and also needs to be kicked out of the Army. Insurrectionist anti American traitors are not allowed.   

Capitol rioter who joined Army after insurrection arrested at Fort Bragg



An active-duty soldier has been arrested at Fort Bragg on charges that he participated in the Capitol insurrection.

Spc. James Phillip Mault, 29, of Brockport, New York, joined the Army in May, the Fayetteville Observer reports.

Mault is accused of spraying a chemical agent at police who were attempting to stop a mob of Capitol rioters from entering the building on Jan. 6, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint.

Col. Joe Buccino, a Fort Bragg spokesman, confirmed that Mault was arrested at the base on Oct. 6.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, Buccino said "it was important to note that Mault joined the Army in May, several months after the incident."

"This thing he allegedly did happened before he was a soldier," Buccino said.

In addition to spraying police with a chemical agent, Mault is accused of ripping down a barricade that allowed rioters to access the Capitol grounds. Although his actions were captured in numerous videos, Mault denied assaulting anyone or damaging property when he was first interviewed by FBI agents on Jan. 18.

"Mault described being caught up in the crowd and the mass of people pushed him closer and closer to the Capitol Building. Mault claimed to have no choice but to move forward because of the press of people behind him," the complaint states.

An anonymous tipster identified Mault to the FBI, pointing out the decal on his hard hat from the Ironworkers Local 33 Rochester, New York. Mault, who became known to online investigators as #IronWorkerGuy, told FBI agents he "wore his hard hat from work because he was aware of ANTIFA attacking Trump supporters after events in Washington, D.C. and the helmet would provide some level of protection."

One video from the insurrection reportedly shows Mault cheering on his friend, Cody Mattice, after Mattice was pepper-sprayed by police.

"And you f***ing took it like a man! I f***ing love you dude!" Mault screams in the video.

Mault and Mattice, who was also arrested last week, allegedly traveled from New York to Washington with several other friends on a bus driven by Mault's father.

Mault and Mattice are charged with assaulting law enforcement, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct inside a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and an act of violence inside Capitol grounds, according to a Department of Justice news release.

https://www.rawstory.com/military-capitol-riot/

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #58 on: October 14, 2021, 11:05:00 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #59 on: October 14, 2021, 11:14:19 PM »
'We ain't playing nice no more!' New video shows ‘zip-tie guy’ Capitol rioter storming building with his mother



A newly released video shows "zip-tie guy" Capitol rioter Erik Munchel and his mother making their way through a crowd of insurrectionists as they entered the building and proceeded upstairs to the Senate chamber on Jan. 6.

The 50-minute video, taken from a cellphone attached to the front of Munchel's vest, was recently unsealed by a federal judge, the Tennessean reports.

"(I'm going to) take my weapons off before I go in there," Munchel can be heard telling his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, as they stand outside the Capitol, in a montage from the video published by the newspaper.

But apparently Munchel never did so, because later in the video as they approach the Capitol he says, "This is probably the last time I'll be able to enter the building with armor and weapons."

Munchel is accused of carrying a taser inside the Capitol, and he and Eisenhart wore tactical military gear.

At one point, Eisenhart can be heard telling her son, "This sh*t is on the news, that guy was saying."

"Oh yeah, duh," Munchel responds. "They are going to use this against us as hard as they can. But we ain't playing f*cking nice no godd*mn more."

"I guess they thought we were playing," Munchel yells later in the video. "This is our godd*mn country!"

As Munchel and Eisenhart push their way through the crowd, one fellow rioter announces that "Congress is shut down."

"Tear gas package was thrown in the Congress," the rioter says, as the crowd cheers and Eisenhart laughs.

"Oh my God. That is one of my best days to know that they got tear-gassed," Eisenhart says.

Still outside the Capitol, other fellow rioters comment that Eisenhart and Munchel look "ready to go" in their military gear, and ask if they are members of the far-right Proud Boys.

"No, we're not Proud Boys," Eisenhart responds.

"We're proud Americans," Munchel adds.

As they pass another rioter who is walking away from the Capitol, Eisenhart asks, "Did you get flash-banged and pepper-sprayed?"

"I got maced," the man responds. "I punched two of them (police officers) in the face."

"Good," Eisenhart responds. "While everyone else was on the couch, you guys were training and getting ready."

"Absolutely," the maced rioter says.

After they enter the Capitol, Munchel appears to have second thoughts. "What's your goal here, mom?" he says.

After they walk upstairs and head down a hallway, Munchel can be heard telling other rioters, "Don't vandalize anything, or y'all are Antifa."

Then Munchel discovers a pile of zip ties that would result in iconic photos from the insurrection showing him hopping over seats in the Senate gallery while carrying a handful of the plastic tactical handcuffs.

"Zip ties! I'm gonna get me some of them motherf*ckers!" Munchel says in the video, as both he and Eisenhart grab some of the restraints.

Munchel has said he picked up the handcuffs after a Capitol police officer left them behind, but prosecutors allege he could have used them to take lawmakers hostage.

After they enter the Senate gallery, Munchel can be heard shouting, "I want that f*cking gavel!"

Nashville's Channel 5 reports that, "After passing through the gallery, the pair quickly begin looking for an exit, with little comment on their way out."

Munchel and Eisenhart are awaiting trial of charges of obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted area and violent entry related to the insurrection. They were released from jail pending trial in March.

Recently, federal prosecutors asked a judge to bar Munchel from consuming any alcohol, after he was evicted from an apartment where he had been couch-surfing, and violated the conditions of his pretrial release.

Watch the video from the Tennessean and Channel 5's report below:

https://www.rawstory.com/zip-tie-guy-capitol-riot-video/

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #60 on: October 14, 2021, 11:18:35 PM »
Steve Bannon thinks he's above the law. He's about to find out that he's not when he gets arrested.

House Capitol attack committee seeks contempt charges after Steve Bannon defies subpoena
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2021/oct/14/capitol-attack-house-committee-investigation-bannon-biden-us-politics-live

January 6 panel moves to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/politics/steve-bannon-deposition-deadline/index.html

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #60 on: October 14, 2021, 11:18:35 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #61 on: October 15, 2021, 12:27:32 AM »
'Be very careful — you're not president anymore': Former Bush AG warns Trump against obstructing Capitol riot probe

On Thursday's edition of CNN's "The Lead," former George W. Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales warned former President Donald Trump that his power to obstruct the House's probe of the January 6 Capitol riot is significantly diminished now that he's no longer in office.

"Trump faces an order to provide documents within 30 days after the Biden White House rejected his attempt to blanketly assert executive privilege," said anchor Jake Tapper. "What happens if Trump doesn't supply?"

"I think we'll find ourselves in somewhat the same position," said Gonzales. "You know, if Trump were a sitting president, there would be a great deal of deference given to the president in terms of making himself available for deposition or to provide testimony. Not so with respect to a former president."

Gonzales then turned to address Trump directly.

"I think if I were advising President Trump, I would say be very careful here because you are not president anymore, and the privileges and protections that you enjoyed while in office simply do not exist when you are out of office," said Gonzales. "So it remains to be seen."


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #62 on: October 15, 2021, 10:59:30 PM »
'Traitors get shot': Capitol rioter accused of threatening kids could be first to stand trial



A gun-toting Capitol rioter from Texas — who's accused of threatening to kill his children if they turned him in — could soon become the first person to stand trial on charges stemming from the insurrection.

Guy Wesley Reffitt, an oil worker with ties to the Three Percenters militia group, appeared in federal court on Friday and sought to have his case moved from Washington to Texas, invoking Watergate.

However, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich rejected Reffitt's motion for a change of venue, saying he had "not come close" to demonstrating that such a move is necessary.

After Reffitt, through his attorney, declined to waive his right to a speedy trial, Friedrich scheduled the proceeding for Nov. 15.

"(A)ppears Guy Reffitt will be the 1st #CapitolRiot defendant to go to trial on November 15 – one month from today," WUSA9's Jordan Fischer reported. "Witnesses and exhibit lists are due to the other parties by November 1."

"Parties need to be prepared for opening statements on November 17," Fischer added. "Trial is expected to take 5 days. Guy Reffitt says it is his desire to go to trial on November 15 knowing he has not received all of the evidence the DOJ says may be available in his case."

Reffitt is accused of transporting a rifle and a semi-automatic handgun from Texas to Washington — where he allegedly planned to use them during the insurrection. According to federal prosecutors, he illegally carried the handgun on Capitol grounds. Prosecutors also allege Reffitt played a "significant and dangerous role" at the front of the first group of rioters to challenge a police line trying to secure the building.

After returning home to Wylie, Texas, Reffitt allegedly told his son and daughter: "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot."

https://www.rawstory.com/guy-wesley-reffitt/

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #62 on: October 15, 2021, 10:59:30 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: 1/6 Insurrection Investigation
« Reply #63 on: October 16, 2021, 05:14:36 AM »
The Oath Keepers were instrumental in taking part in the 1/6 insurrection.   

Dozens of Oregon law enforcement officers have been members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia

An analysis by OPB of hacked data uncovers police officers, sheriff’s deputies and military in Oregon who had joined the far right militia group since 2009.

In early summer 2018, it looked as though Oregon voters might get a chance to ban assault weapons in the state.

It was barely two months since a shooter had killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The proposed Oregon ballot measure met stiff legal challenges and was kept off the ballot, but not before militia groups like the Oath Keepers used the proposed gun restrictions as a rallying cry to bring hundreds of people out to a gun rights rally in Salem.

And those recruitment efforts by the Oath Keepers appear to have had some effect.

Not long after the pro-gun rally in Salem, Portland police officer Joseph Webber appears to have joined the Oath Keepers militia, an anti-government, anti-immigrant extremist group that was thrust into the national security spotlight for its role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection.

According to data leaked earlier this month and reviewed by OPB, Webber — who is still a Portland police officer — is among more than two dozen current and former police officers, sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers, and members of the military in Oregon who appear to have joined the Oath Keepers militia since the group was founded in 2009. OPB compared data in the Oath Keepers leak against public records, social media and state law enforcement certification information to verify the information.

Reached by phone on the same number appearing in the leaked database, Webber denied joining the group before hanging up. He didn’t respond to follow-up text messages.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he expects officers to follow the bureau’s conduct and professionalism policies whether on or off duty. Potentially applicable policies include a prohibition against associations with people advocating criminal behavior or actions which might discredit the bureau or city.

Lovell told OPB this case has been referred to internal affairs for investigation.

The hacked Oath Keepers data was sent to the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, which provided the information to journalists and researchers. In several cases across the country, journalists and citizen sleuths have been able to confirm law enforcement and military members using the leaked data. New York City police officers and a detective in the Hudson County prosecutor’s office were in the leaked data, prompting investigations from those two agencies.

The data include names, membership join dates and contact information for nearly 40,000 people across the country who at one point paid dues to the organization, including more than 1,000 names in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Except where people paid the approximately $1,000 for a lifetime membership, it’s not clear from the data if people are still members.

Oath Keepers in Oregon law enforcement

The earliest law enforcement officer in the state to join was Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Phillip Farrell, who signed up in 2009, according to the hacked records. Farrell retired from the Sheriff’s office in 2014 and, until 2019, worked as an instructor at Oregon’s corrections officer academy, according to his LinkedIn, where he recently liked a cartoon of a U.S. Border Patrol agent on horseback. The cartoon — a reference to recently controversial actions taken by Border Patrol — stated the agent is not a villain and that the Haitian immigrant depicted is a lawbreaker, not a victim.


In this screenshot from retired Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy Phillip Farrell's LinkedIn, a cartoon depicting U.S. Border Patrol and a Haitian immigrant says the Border Patrol officer is not a villain and the Haitian immigrant depcited is a lawbreaker, not a victim.

Farrell did not respond to multiple phone calls and text messages.

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese, who did not take office until after Farrell retired, called membership in an anti-government organization like the the Oath Keepers reprehensible.

“MCSO has a number of policies addressing members’ behavior(s) that may bring discredit to the Office of Sheriff and/or could be criminal, discriminatory or harassing in nature,” department spokesperson Chris Liedle added in an email.

In some cases, people who signed up for the Oath Keepers listed skills or experience they could contribute to the group.

"I currently work in a highly stressful environment,” one recently retired corrections officer from Oregon wrote. “I am professionally trained in restraint applications, use of chemical agents, taser deployment, basic first aid and firearms. I have the skills to de-escalate highly volatile situations.”

Current Nyssa, Oregon, police officer Nicholas Codiga joined the Oath Keepers in 2015, according to the leaked data. Codiga, who used to work for the Warm Springs Police Department, also appears to have shared content mocking Indigenous people on his social media accounts. In one Facebook post, a man who appears to be Codiga is photographed putting his face through a cutout that has long black braids, an orange prison jumpsuit and is holding a “WSPD detention center” sign.

OPB reached Codiga by calling the phone number in the leaked data. After confirming his identity, he hung up as soon as a reporter mentioned the Oath Keepers.


In this screenshot from Nyssa police officer Nicolas Codiga’s Facebook account, a man who appears to be Codiga is photographed putting his face through a cutout that has long black braids, an orange prison jumpsuit and is holding a “WSPD detention center” sign. Codiga, worked previously for the Warm Springs Police Department.

The Nyssa Police Department also hung up on OPB immediately after a reporter identified themselves. Nyssa City Manager Jim Maret said Codiga is transferring to a different law enforcement agency next month, but declined to say where. Maret said he didn’t know of a city policy prohibiting membership in militia groups.

Coos County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Shane Shobar joined the Oath Keepers in 2013 and wrote to the group, “I come from a long line of military members that have served from WWII to present time.”

Reached by phone, Shobar said he is no longer a member.

“That was years ago, and it was just co-workers and I talking about it, but that was it,” Shobar told OPB. He said patriotism motivated him to join. Asked if he thought being a member of an anti-government militia might conflict with his role as a law enforcement officer, Shobar said he didn’t give it any thought.

Shobar is currently a defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit, along with Coos County Sheriff Craig Zanni and jail medical staff, over allegations that an inmate’s medical needs were ignored, leading to the person suffering kidney failure, nerve damage and permanent incontinence.

Zanni, who has been sheriff of Coos County since 2010, did not respond to multiple emails requesting comment.

Joining the Oath Keepers is as easy as submitting your name and contact information along with payment, which ranges from $50 to $1,500. The group also asks for a copy of a member’s DD214, verifying their military service, or other proof that they are a first responder. According to the Oath Keepers’ website, prospective members are then “vetted” and gain access to a “members only” online forum.

Former military police officer and current corrections officer at Snake River Correctional Institution Jerod Edmondson told OPB that when he joined the Oath Keepers in 2014, it was because he thought it was a veterans organization. He said he is not still a member and wasn’t aware of the group’s anti-government views when he joined.

Edmondson appears to have shared content on his Facebook page calling for “all illegals” to be deported, suggesting George Soros paid protesters “to riot and burn down Ferguson,” and that Muslim members of Congress are trying to destroy the country from within.


A Facebook screenshot of former military police officer and current corrections officer at Snake River Correctional Institution Jerod Edmondson. The post calls for “all illegals” to be deported, suggesting George Soros paid protesters “to riot and burn down Ferguson,” and that Muslim members of Congress are trying to destroy the country from within.

Edmondson is among six current and former Oregon corrections officers who appear to have joined the militia.

The Oregon Department of Corrections said employees have constitutionally protected speech rights that include off-duty political speech.

“The speech interests of our employees, while significant, are not absolute and there are limitations, including for off-duty speech and/or conduct,” DOC spokesperson Jennifer Black said in a statement. She added speech could be an issue if it affects the department’s mission or “business interests.”

Ties to extremism

The Oath Keepers militia was founded by Army veteran and Yale Law School graduate Elmer Stewart Rhodes in 2009. The group recruits people with experience in law enforcement and the military to prepare for what the organization characterizes as an inevitable armed conflict with the U.S. government.

The organization has been involved in or planned a number of criminal and violent actions over the past decade, according to University of Albany Assistant Professor Sam Jackson, who wrote a book on the Oath Keepers.

“It’s really problematic if you have members of law enforcement saying, for example, that they’re not going to comply with federal court orders because they think those federal court orders are unconstitutional,” Jackson said.

The Oath Keepers gained national attention in 2014 when the group helped back Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy in an armed standoff with federal officers. Three months later, Lake Oswego police officer Vaughn Bechtol appears to have joined the organization. Bechtol is one of six Oregon law enforcement officers who joined in the months following the Bundy Ranch standoff, according to the hacked data.

"I read their mission statement at the time about military and law enforcement officers upholding their oath of office. I felt that lined up with my values,” Bechtol told OPB in an email. “As I did more research into the group after signing up, I realized they did NOT represent my values. I have never participated in any events, meetings, or discussions with any member of that group and I firmly stand against what they represent now after the atrocities of Jan. 6.”

Lake Oswego Police Department policies don’t explicitly mention militia groups but include multiple prohibitions against on- or off-duty behavior which would discredit the department.

“We expect our officers to share the responsibility of embodying our values while serving our community,” Assistant City Manager Madison Thesing said in a statement.

Thesing said violations of policy are investigated but did not specify if this incident would be.

“Some people might have joined Oath Keepers with a minimal understanding of the group,” Jackson said. “But if you had any real level of engagement with the group you would see their promotion of conspiracy theories, their calls to prepare for violence… Do we really want members of our law enforcement community to be absentmindedly joining civic organizations even if they ... aren’t a pernicious extremist organization like the Oath Keepers? I would hope that the people who we are entrusting with firearms and arrest privileges have better discernment than that.”

Oregon Oath Keepers also participated in another armed federal dispute in 2015 at Sugar Pine Mine in Southern Oregon.

Codiga is one of two Oregon law enforcement officers who joined around the time of the Sugar Pine Mine standoff, according to the data.

Core to the Oath Keepers’ ideology are a list of 10 hypothetical orders they say they will not obey, including any orders to disarm Americans, to force Americans into concentration camps, to invade any states, to support foreign peacekeepers on U.S. soil, or to subject civilians to military tribunals.

The group has been closely aligned with extremist causes since its inception following the election of Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president. Oath Keepers founding member and former board member Richard Mack is the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group that believes county sheriffs are the highest government authority and have the right to ignore state and federal laws.

A number of Oregon sheriffs have aligned themselves with Mack’s movement over the years. In 2013, then-Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller led eight other Oregon sheriffs in sending a letter to then-Vice President Joe Biden stating they would refuse to enforce any new federal gun laws. More recently, sheriffs from across the state took a page from Mack’s movement and told Gov. Kate Brown they would not enforce state mask mandates, though no state officials asked law enforcement to enforce COVID-19 health guidelines.

Some on the leaked list of Oregon officials, like Shobar and his former colleague, retired Coos County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Robert Kramer, joined the militia in 2013. At the time, local chapters in Southern Oregon were taking on community service projects and championing popular local political issues, according to High Country News.

“I’m into defending the country but not physically overthrowing it at this point,” Kramer told OPB, adding that he only went to one Oath Keepers meeting.

Kramer, who retired in 2018, said he didn’t like that people were “stepping outside of the legal bounds” on Jan. 6., and he said the attacks on law enforcement at the Capitol “cut me a bit.”


Though Kramer said he is no longer a member of the Oath Keepers and was never active in the group, his views line up with at least one of their core beliefs: The U.S. government is waging a war against its own citizens.

“I really do believe with this administration and what they’re doing, they’re trying to push us into some kind of civil war,” Kramer said. “And I think they want to do that so they can come down hard on us.”

Present threat

Oath Keepers in Oregon told Gov. Kate Brown in a 2019 Facebook post that she was risking a civil war after she ordered the Oregon State Police to bring back 11 Republican senators who had fled the statehouse to block climate change legislation from passing. That same month, militia threats forced the state Senate to close for a day.

Approximately 22 Oath Keepers have been charged for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., though none of those people reside in Oregon. In the investigation’s largest single indictment, at least 18 Oath Keepers face conspiracy charges for their alleged role in plotting to thwart the certification of the Electoral College vote. Five have pleaded guilty and court documents suggest Rhodes, who hasn’t been charged, is a central focus of the investigation.

While some Oregon law enforcement officers joined the Oath Keepers years ago, the leaked data suggests others like Webber and retired Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy Todd Steward joined well after the militia group had firmly established itself and its views on the national stage.

Clackamas County Sheriff Angela Brandenburg told OPB she supports the state Legislature’s recently passed legislation HB 2936, which states “membership or participation in hate groups, racial supremacist organizations or militant groups erodes public trust in law enforcement officers and community safety.”

“The Legislature has made it clear to every law enforcement organization in the state that it is a conflict for law enforcement personnel to be a member or participate in these groups,” Brandenburg said. “My office will uphold this standard of conduct.”

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said officers have different backgrounds and life experiences. He said Webber’s potential membership in a militia is a reminder “that laws and our directives mandate that police do not act on any personal beliefs, but must uphold the Constitution at all times.”

Rep. Janelle Bynum was the chief sponsor of HB 2936, which strengthened law enforcement background checks and allows departments to check applicant social media accounts. But it’s not always possible to screen for something like membership in a militia organization.

“It’s not just a policing issue, it’s a community issue,” Bynum said. “What is an acceptable level of association with people who believe in white supremacy or racial superiority? The true change comes from within. Some of it you can mandate but not most of it.”

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/15/dozens-of-oregon-law-enforcement-officers-joined-far-right-oath-keepers-militia/