Members of the Oath Keepers provide security to Roger Stone at a rally the night before groups attacked the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S., January 5, 2021. (Picture taken January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)
Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.On the eve of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, Roger Stone walked out on stage before hundreds of cheering Trump supporters in Washington, D.C., flashed his signature Nixon Victory pose, and then danced to the Deplorable Choirâs girlpop anthem âRoger Stone Did Nothing Wrong.â But several members of his posse stayed backstage, their faces covered, wearing military tactical gear. They were members of Oath Keepers, a far-right militia steeped in anti-government conspiracies. And on that night, they appeared to be working as Stoneâs security detail, according to photos taken that day and observers of the event.âThis is nothing less than an epic struggle for the future of this country between Dark and Light, between the godly and the godless, between Good and Evil,â Stone bellowed to the crowd on January 5. âAnd we will win this fightâor America will step off into a thousand years of darkness. We dare not fail!â âI will be with you tomorrowâshoulder to shoulder!â he added.Oath Keepers were also photographed escorting Stone in a golf buggy to an earlier speech by the Supreme Court. In those images, they are wearing âAll accessâ passes on lanyards. Stone, a onetime adviser to former President Donald Trump, spoke at protests the day before the official âStop the Stealâ or âSave Americaâ rallies, which were scheduled to take place as lawmakers gathered to certify the results of the 2020 election on January 6.And over the years, he has made no secret of his habit of fraternizing with extremists. Heâs been photographed drinking with the Proud Boys, a far-right street gang, who acted as his security at a political event in Salem, Oregon, in 2018. When Stone was arraigned on federal charges linked to the investigation into the Trump campaignâs ties to Russia, Proud Boys rallied at the federal courthouse in D.C., with signs that read âRoger Stone Did Nothing Wrong.â During court proceedings in 2019, Stone admitted to having extensive ties to Floridaâs Proud Boy chapter, including the groupâs self-styled chairman, Enrique Tarrio. But Stoneâs association with Oath Keepers just one night before the deadly insurrection may have been a particularly bad look for the long-time Trump ally, who received a pardon for witness tampering and lying to Congress.Court documents unsealed last week revealed that three other members of Oath Keepers, Thomas Caldwell, 66, Donovan Crowl, 50, and Jessica Watkins, 38, have been charged with conspiracy in addition to obstructing government proceeding, unauthorized entry, and disorderly conduct in connection with their actions on January 6. The defendants have yet to respond to the charges. To date, theyâre the only individuals of the more than 145 people arrested to receive conspiracy chargesâwhich means prosecutors believe their actions at the Capitol were premeditated and planned. According to federal court documents, Caldwell helped organize eight to ten individuals, who were dressed in tactical gear, and helped push the crowd up the Capitol stairs and through the doors. Once inside the Capitol, Caldwell allegedly received a Facebook message (itâs unclear from who) informing him that lawmakers were in the tunnels under the building. âSeal them in. Turn on the gas.â the person wrote. But just because Stone was photographed by Reuters and other agencies with Oath Keepers on January 5 doesnât necessarily connect him to their actions at the Capitol the next day, according to Seth Waxman, a former federal prosecutor based in Washington, D.C. âA red flag, yes. Proof of Stoneâs involvement, no,â said Waxman. âUnder conspiracy law, a person must take some affirmative act in furtherance of the conspiracy to be held accountable.âStone didnât deny that Oath Keepers were acting as his security detail on January 5 but insisted he had nothing to do with what transpired at the Capitol the following day.âSince I never left my hotel room at all on January 6, and since I was not at the Capitol and know nothing about the events there, I urge you to be very, very careful,â he wrote to VICE News in a text message. Prior to the January 6 riot, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes had been spewing increasingly disturbing rhetoric with regards to the 2020 election. He also often echoes aspects of the QAnon conspiracy theory.During his regular appearances on Infowars, Rhodes has made it repeatedly clear that Oath Keepers were prepared to act on Trumpâs direction and take the âDeep Stateâ into custody. (Itâs also worth noting that Infowars host Alex Jones spoke to Trump supporters on the eve of the insurrection shortly before Stone did). Rhodes, who founded Oath Keepers in 2009 five years after graduating from Yale Law School, also stoked conspiracies about a âBenghazi-style attack on the White Houseâ before the 2020 election. Weeks later, he claimed to have armed men âalready stationed outside D.C. as a nuclear option in case they attempt to remove the president illegally.â Since the Capitol insurrection, Rhodes has doubled down on his rhetoric and used Infowars to call on militia members to prepare for violence against the âillegitimateâ Biden administration.
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January 6 also wouldnât be the first time Stone got close to a riot. In 2000, Stone helped lead Republican operatives in the so-called âBrooks Brothers Riotâânamed for the fact everyone was wearing suitsâwith the ultimate goal of securing George Bushâs victory by preventing the recount of the vote in an election office in Miami-Dade County.