Oath Keepers lawyer charged with assault on Capitol Hill

The legal adviser to the far-right group Oath Keepers has been charged with conspiracy in connection with the storming of the US Capitol, authorities said Thursday.

Kellye SoRelle was arrested in Texas on charges including preventing the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory, the Justice Department reported.

SoRelle, 43, is a close associate of Stewart Rhodes, the leader of Oath Keepers and who faces a trial later this month along with other extremists on charges of seditious conspiracy.

After Rhodes’ arrest in January, SoRelle introduced herself to the press as president of Oath Keepers.

Prosecutors accused Rhodes and his militia group of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of power and keep former President Donald Trump in office, buying weapons, organizing military-style training and laying out battle plans.

SoRelle told Associated Press last year, when his phone was seized by FBI agents as part of the January 6, 2021 investigation, which he had no knowledge of or involvement in the assault on the capitol. He added that the seizure of his phone was “unethical” and that the investigation was “a witch hunt.”

It is unknown if he has a lawyer to comment on his legal situation.

SoRelle was photographed with Rhodes outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 and was present at a meeting in an underground garage the night before the riot that is the focus of investigators.

The meeting included Rhodes and Enrique Tarrio, the former president of the Proud Boys, who he is also charged with seditious conspiracy along with other members of the extremist group.

Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper, founded Oath Keepers in 2009. The group recruits retired and current military, police and first responders who seek to “defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic.” A large number of Oath Keepers have already been charged in connection with the January 6th.

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