Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes — who was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack — used a new jailhouse interview to push “deep state” conspiracy theories and claimed that his trial can be used as a blueprint for how federal prosecutors will convict former President Donald Trump.
“They’re going to do the same thing to President Trump that they did to me,” Rhodes told The Washington Times during the interview conducted at the D.C. Department of Corrections Central Detention Facility, claiming that special counsel Jack Smith and the federal government is working to turn Trump’s close allies against him by scaring possible witnesses who may want to defend the former president.
“You’re going to get railroaded. You’re going to be found guilty if you try to go to trial,” Rhodes said, seemingly sending a warning to Trump. “So everyone’s been demoralized and more likely to take a plea deal and agree to ‘test-a-lie’ against President Trump.”
“They threatened [witnesses] with life in prison,” Rhodes claimed. “That’s what’s going to happen to President Trump.”
Trump has not been charged with any crime in relation to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
But last month, a federal grand jury indicted Trump for his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in connection with Smith’s investigation.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts related to the mishandling of classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements, becoming the first ever former U.S. president to face federal charges.
Smith is also conducting a separate inquiry into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. No charges have been filed in that case, at least, not yet.
The founder of the extremist, anti-government militia group also claimed he was convicted based on his words and not his actions on Jan. 6 — and argued that Trump will be too.
“I didn’t enter the Capitol, but I was still found guilty by a D.C. jury of obstructing an official proceeding even though I didn’t even go inside,” Rhodes said. “And I was found guilty of seditious conspiracy, although they had zero evidence of an actual plan. They just used my speech. It will be the same thing with President Trump.”
