Judge prohibits Oath Keepers founder, released from prison by Trump, from visiting Capitol
Stewart Rhodes, who is serving an 18-year sentence for seditious conspiracy, was spotted at the Capitol on Wednesday engaging with lawmakers and reporters.
TroibNews 
A federal judge has issued an order restricting Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes — who was recently released from prison by President Donald Trump — along with several of his top associates, from entering the Capitol without prior permission.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's ruling appears to respond to Rhodes' decision to conduct interviews at the Capitol on Wednesday, shortly after Trump commuted his 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square … without first obtaining the permission from the court,” Mehta stated in his order, which extended to other Oath Keepers whose sentences were commuted by Trump.
While at the Capitol, Rhodes spent several hours conducting interviews with various reporters, meeting allies at a Dunkin’ Donuts, and engaging with Republican lawmakers. In 2022, a jury convicted Rhodes of seditious conspiracy, determining that he played a key role in an effort to violently disrupt the transition of presidential power from Trump to Joe Biden. Testimonies indicated that Rhodes and other Oath Keepers leaders gathered a significant stockpile of firearms at a hotel in Arlington, Virginia, prepared to transport these weapons into Washington if the situation escalated further.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a recording from January 10, 2021, in which Rhodes stated, “My only regret is they should have brought rifles” to the Capitol. He went on to say, “We could have fixed it right then and there. I’d hang fucking Pelosi from the lamppost.”
While Trump granted pardons to many individuals involved in the January 6 riots, he chose to commute the sentences of most defendants facing seditious conspiracy charges.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's ruling appears to respond to Rhodes' decision to conduct interviews at the Capitol on Wednesday, shortly after Trump commuted his 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square … without first obtaining the permission from the court,” Mehta stated in his order, which extended to other Oath Keepers whose sentences were commuted by Trump.
While at the Capitol, Rhodes spent several hours conducting interviews with various reporters, meeting allies at a Dunkin’ Donuts, and engaging with Republican lawmakers. In 2022, a jury convicted Rhodes of seditious conspiracy, determining that he played a key role in an effort to violently disrupt the transition of presidential power from Trump to Joe Biden. Testimonies indicated that Rhodes and other Oath Keepers leaders gathered a significant stockpile of firearms at a hotel in Arlington, Virginia, prepared to transport these weapons into Washington if the situation escalated further.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a recording from January 10, 2021, in which Rhodes stated, “My only regret is they should have brought rifles” to the Capitol. He went on to say, “We could have fixed it right then and there. I’d hang fucking Pelosi from the lamppost.”
While Trump granted pardons to many individuals involved in the January 6 riots, he chose to commute the sentences of most defendants facing seditious conspiracy charges.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
