Secret recording played at trial shows Oath Keepers allegedly planning for violence in DC

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Tue Oct 4, 2022, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: CNN Politics

CNN — Federal prosecutors played audio recording in court on Tuesday of an alleged November 2020 Oath Keepers planning meeting that discussed plans to bring weapons to Washington, DC, and prepare to “fight” on behalf of former President Donald Trump. The meeting lasted about two hours and was secretly recorded by an attendee, FBI agent Michael Palian told jurors during the second day of the trial of far-right militia Oath Keepers leaders on seditious conspiracy charges.

The attendee, Palian said, sent a tip to the FBI later that month but was not contacted by agents. They then resubmitted the tip in March 2021, was interviewed with agents and gave them the recording. The recording, which is primarily of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, is the first major piece of evidence that prosecutors have used to establish a plan by the far-right group to allegedly descend on Washington and oppose the transfer of power.

“We’re not getting out of this without a fight. There’s going to be a fight,” Rhodes said in the recording played in court. “But let’s just do it smart and let’s do it while President Trump is still commander in chief,” Rhodes said. Rhodes repeatedly said that people should put pressure on Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, and that the Oath Keepers would be “awaiting the president’s orders.”

“If the fight comes, let the fight come. Let Antifa go – if they go kinetic on us then we’ll go kinetic back on them. I’m willing to sacrifice myself for that,” Rhodes said in the recording. “If things go kinetic, good. If they blow bombs up and shoot us, great. Because that brings the President reason and rationale” to invoke the Insurrection Act.


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/politics/oath-keepers-secret-recordings-trial-day-2/index.html

---

Headline updated.

Previous headline -

Secret recording played at trial shows Oath Keepers allegedly planning for January 6

[Midnight Writer]

1. I'm grateful "antifa" didn't take the bait and stayed clear of the insurrection.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. The general chatter was "The chuds are having another fascist rally and protest in DC

stay away & watch them try and fight the cops Hahahaha" and that's exactly what happened.

[thucythucy]

2. So someone sent a tip into the FBI about all this

in November 2020 but the informant wasn't contacted until March 2021, and only when said informant took the initiative and contacted the FBI again?

I suppose there's a reasonable explanation for this. I mean, it's not as if the Oath Keepers have ever been known to condone violence.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. The feds were loath to do anything about those clowns as a policy. They were still trying to

figure out the structure of "antifa" and being pushed by Trump in that failed effort. They were sure there was a connection to the PNW eco/tree movement from the 90's. The Feds are basically low achiever accountants with guns.

[ancianita]

6. They do infiltrate many militia groups, though. At least they try. If they READ, the FBI

would have known that Trump knew absolutely zero about antifa; they would have known that antifa is what all anti-fascists are.

[LiberalFighter]

5. There needs to be an investigation as to why the tip was ignored or not reviewed.

[Ligyron]

8. See text above.

Who investigates the FBI anyway?

Some IG thing? IDK

[BumRushDaShow]

9. "There needs to be an investigation as to why the tip was ignored or not reviewed."

From the OP -

Federal prosecutors played audio recording in court on Tuesday of an alleged November 2020 Oath Keepers planning meeting (snip). The meeting lasted about two hours and was secretly recorded by an attendee (snip)

The attendee, Palian said, sent a tip to the FBI later that month

Bill Barr didn't step down until December 2020

They then resubmitted the tip in March 2021, was interviewed with agents and gave them the recording.

Merrick Garland was confirmed March 2021.

[msfiddlestix]

16. That makes complete sense, ty! 👍🌷 🌿🌷😆

[BumRushDaShow]

17. YW

We see how Barr blatantly obstructed the Mueller probe and doing this was one of his later obstructions of GOP malfeasance on the way out the door.

IOW, like we saw with him under Shrub with Iran-Contra, Barr is the GOP "fixer".

[msfiddlestix]

18. Yeppers.. n/t

[Marthe48]

7. If FBI had no covert action after 11/20/20

after knowing at least at a glance that right wing maniacs were planning and plotting, they failed. I hope they had some covert action in place, and do not want to tip their plan.

But reality kicks in and it seems that the FBI and other entities are willing to give right wing white people a lot more latitude than they give left wing groups of any color.

Who at this point doesn't understand that if we tip over the U.S. into facism, we arer all going to lose the freedom and privilege we treasure. Make no mistake, there is a battle going on right now for the soul of this country. If oath keepers and other fascist groups impose their beliefs on this country, we all pay, won't matter race, sex, religion, just who has a gun, and who's willing to use it. We will be an ulitmate death cage meetup. I do not want that. Who would?

[tinrobot]

11. Don't forget who was ultimately in charge of the FBI

They're part of the Executive Branch, and the head of that branch was plotting the coup. It was probably a little more complicated than just "let's investigate this".

And yes, it is a big problem, this whole episode has exposed a lot of holes our democracy.

[KS Toronado]

10. I'm betting the recording came from

the FBI's own undercover agent. Who else would record an entire speech when you show up just
expecting the same old bullshit you hear at every meeting?

[BumRushDaShow]

12. That's what I'm thinking

someone undercover who had infiltrated some time earlier.

[Ligyron]

13. I guess our hope lies in the fact that most of what they actually DO is illegal.

But then as you indicate, we have to somehow compel organizations and entities whose sympathies often lie with the law breakers to actually take meaningful action.

Then we have to hope justice can steer it's way through the roadblocks and mines the RW GOP has emplaced in the enforcement branches and judiciary over the years as evidenced by that Trump enabling Judge Cannon clown here in Florida. Come to think of it, the Governor and both our Senators are clowns too.

Anyway, the problem is, it used to be possible to shame these people into eventual compliance but now they're just brazenly blatant about ignoring both propriety and the law and they've gotten worse and worse since Trump got in.

I guess our side just has to be persistent in confronting this. My Dad used to have a framed item on the wall at his business addressing that quality which ended in "Persistence alone is Omnipotent".

Persistence takes time though and I hope we have enough of it.

[GoldandSilver]

14. Antifa only exists in the minds of some Republicans.

Anyone against fascism (only repugs seem be infatuated with dictatorships at the moment) can be thought of as Antifa but it’s not a bona fide thing as a real organization. Just more made up shit from the repugs shit factory.

This week the repugs rolled out (again) the fear mongering idea that 87,000 armed IRS agents are about to descend upon struggling families and take what little money they have away from them. The truth is that the IRS has been limping along, unable to cope with their day to day tasks due to defunding intended to benefit the wealthy who seem to think cheating on their taxes is an obligatory game that is routinely rigged in their favor.

The Oarh Keepers are a dangerous bunch of guys with guns that can’t stop playing Army. I’m so sick of this crap. If I wanted to live under a fascist government I’d moved to a place like Turkey or Brazil.

Too bad some “tree hugger” didn’t bring a legally purchased AR-15 to the January 6 party to stand in the back and mow down the a$$holes that broke into the Capitol. (I don’t really believe that, but fanticizing about the demise of those dumb goons sometimes helps me cope!)

[ck4829]

15. K&R