BROKEN OATH: Ex militia member rats on leader allegedly texting Secret Service agent
A former Oath Keeper dropped a bombshell in the trial of the members of the far-right nationalist group for seditious conspiracy, saying that the founder and leader of the group, Stewart Rhodes, was in direct contact with a Secret Service agent.
According to the testimony of the leader of the North Carolina branch, John Zimmerman, Rhodes was coordinating with the agent during one of the white nationalist group’s rallies just months before the January 6 insurrection.
Politico reported:
One of the most intriguing aspects of Zimmerman’s testimony was his claim that during the September event, Rhodes seemed to have the phone number of an unidentified Secret Service agent and was coordinating with him about where the Oath Keepers could be and what they could do.
NEW: Former Oath Keeper testifies that Stewart Rhodes informed him that he was in contact with a Secret Service agent.
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) October 6, 2022
Zimmerman was one of three members of the militia who testified during the publicized trial, attesting to the movement’s involvement in the insurrection and attempts to overthrow the U.S. government.
According to the Associated Press:
John Zimmerman, who was part of the North Carolina chapter, told jurors that Rhodes claimed to have a Secret Service agent’s number and to have spoken with the agent about the logistics of a September 2020 rally that then-President Donald Trump held in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Zimmerman could not say for sure that Rhodes was speaking to someone with the Secret Service — only that Rhodes told him he was — and it was not clear what they were discussing. Zimmerman said Rhodes wanted to find out the “parameters” that the Oath Keepers could operate under during the election year
This comes after revelations that Lawyers for Trump member and Oath Keepers attorney Kelly S0relle exchanged text messages with former Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani’s son Andrew, and a call was made to a Jan. 6th rioter from the White House – during the insurrection.
This puts the Secret Service missing texts and refusal to cooperate with the January 6th investigation in a new light. https://t.co/YPk8avoFfI
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) October 6, 2022
It’s been reported that Rhodes tried to contact the then-President to have him invoke the Insurrection Act, pumping up the volume on the right-wing milita’s intended violence and control of the Capitol to prevent the certification of a free, fair, and democratically decided election that put Joe Biden in office.
While shocking, it’s certainly not surprising. Several members of the Oath Keepers have previously testified to Rhodes’ role in the attack on democracy, during their plea deal sentencing. Implicating Señor Eye Patch, and another slippery anti-democratic chaos agent: Roger Stone.
Over two dozen members of the Secret Service have been persons of interest in Congress’s investigation of the January 6th attempted coup. Electronic records subpoenaed by the January 6th select committee were “erased” during routine data swiping maintenance – allegedly.
The trial is still ongoing, and whether Zimmerman’s claims are true or not, it still raises concerns and questions in light of the USSS’ stonewalling of those investigating their role in what has been called the worst attack on American democracy in two centuries.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
