Stewart Rhodes

Stewart Rhodes

Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for leading a plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, and destruction of government property.

The Oath Keepers is a far-right militia group that promotes anti-government and anti-immigrant views. Rhodes, a former army paratrooper and Yale Law School graduate, founded the group in 2009 with the aim of recruiting current and former military and law enforcement personnel to defend the Constitution against what he saw as a tyrannical government.

Rhodes' sentencing is a significant blow to the Oath Keepers and other far-right groups that have been emboldened by Trump's rhetoric and false claims of election fraud. It also sends a clear message that attempts to undermine the democratic process will not be tolerated.