Oath Keepers attorney has been charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice
An attorney for the far-right, anti-government group the Oath Keepers has been indicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Kellye SoRelle, who was arrested in Junction, Texas, is latest person with ties to the group to face charges stemming from the insurrection. A grand jury in Washington, D.C., handed up an indictment charging her with four counts, including conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and obstruction of justice.
She is expected to make her initial appearance in federal court in Austin, Texas.
SoRelle is a lawyer and close associate of Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers. Rhodes and other members of the group are slated to go on trial at the end of September on seditious conspiracy and other charges for their alleged actions in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The government says they sought to use force to stop Congress' certification of Joe Biden's election win.
SoRelle took up Rhodes' position as head of the group after he was charged, according to some reports.
At the hearings from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, panel members brought forth evidence that Trump allies coordinated with members of far-right groups like the Oath Keepers.
"The best illustration for what the Oath Keepers are happened Jan. 6. We saw that stacked military formation going up the stairs of our Capitol," Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesman for the Oath Keepers, said at one of the hearings in July.
He described the Oath Keepers as a "violent militia" that has drifted further to the right.
He added the violence from Jan. 6 makes him concerned for the next election: "I do fear for this next election cycle because who knows what that might bring." [Copyright 2022 NPR]
