Text messages between Oath Keepers founder and lawyer not protected, U.S. judge rules

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Text messages between Oath Keepers founder and lawyer not protected, U.S. judge rules

Chris Gallagher
Thu, October 13, 2022 at 1:56 PM·2 min read

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors will be allowed to introduce potentially incriminating messages between the leader of the Oath Keepers and the far-right group's general counsel, a judge ruled on Thursday, saying the texts were personal in nature and do not fall under attorney-client privilege.

Prosecutors had briefly shown the court a December 2020 message from founder Stewart Rhodes to lawyer Kellye SoRelle before the defense objected last week. Rhodes is one of five Oath Keepers on trial for their alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"This will be DC rally number three. Getting kinda old. They don't give a shit how many show up and wave a sign, pray, or yell. They won't fear us till we come with rifles in hand," Rhodes said in the Dec. 29, 2020 message to SoRelle, according to testimony by FBI Special Agent Byron Cody.

Prosecutors filed a motion this week seeking to admit messages sent between Rhodes and SoRelle in December 2020, arguing there was no evidence of an attorney-client relationship between the two before Jan. 6, 2021. The defense responded that SoRelle was a licensed attorney and had done pro bono work for the Oath Keepers in 2020 at Rhodes' request.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/text-messages-between-oath-keepers-175627175.html

[JohnSJ]

1. SoRelle is a participant. She has been indicted in the insurection. This should be appealed

"Federal prosecutors in part allege the Granbury attorney destroyed and hid potential evidence to obstruct the criminal investigation into the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, indicting her on a charge of tampering with documents.

.....


The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in part alleges SoRelle destroyed and hid potential evidence to obstruct the criminal investigation into the Capitol attack, indicting her on a charge of tampering with documents. She is also charged with conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s win during the 2020 elections, as well as being inside the Capitol during the insurrection."

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/01/texas-oath-keepers-kellye-sorelle/

She is NOT an innocent