Judge says ‘crazy’ Oath Keeper should not be pardoned

Left: DC District Judge Amit Metha (District Court). Right: President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File). Inset: Stewart Rhodes on January 6, 2021 (DOJ).

A U.S. district judge made clear Wednesday that he fears the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump might grant a pardon to one of the architects of the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who sentenced Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison after the Oath Keeper founder was found guilty of seditious conspiracy, made comments Jan. 6 while condemning one of Rhodes’ allies for his role, reports Politico.

“The idea that Stewart Rhodes could be acquitted is frightening and should frighten everyone who cares about democracy in this country,” the judge reportedly said.

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According to The Washington Post, Metha, a Barack Obama appointee, sentenced 44-year-old William Todd Wilson to one year of house arrest and three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Trump has already stated on his “first day” in office that he intends to pardon everyone involved in the riots, although he has not yet outlined any specific plans to do so. As president, he can pardon anyone accused of a federal crime.

Rhodes, who founded the Oath Keepers in 2009, was convicted in November 2022 of conspiring to use violence to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in order to keep Donald Trump in power. At trial, prosecutors presented to jurors evidence of a scheme between Rhodes and his co-defendants – Florida Chapter leader Kelly Meggs, Ohio State Regular Militia founder Jessica Watkins, retired Navy Lieutenant Commander Thomas Caldwell and Florida Oath Keepers member, Kenneth Harrelson – submitted for hoarding a lot They discovered a cache of weapons in a hotel room in Arlington, Virginia, and tried to get a boat to take them across the Potomac River to the to bring Capitol.

On Wednesday, Metha said the order to distribute the weapons “came from a madman.”