Data collected by the investigative nonprofit organization Distributed Secrets Denial and presented in a report published Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) International Human Rights Center on extremism, shows that many of the 38,000 members are law enforcement and response professionals. for emergency. Veterans, Soldiers, Elected Officials, Government Employees, Religious Leaders, and Businessmen – Books A patch.
Founded by Stuart Rhodes in 2009, the Oath Keepers is a loosely organized conspiracy theory group whose members swear to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign or domestic,” spreading the belief that the federal government seeks to deprive citizens of liberties while positioning their followers as protectors against Tyranny.
The data raises concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military, which are tasked with enforcing law and protecting the United States and its citizens.
Don’t worry a little
According to the report, it is particularly alarming that civil servants are also members of extremist groups, as lies about the 2020 presidential election continue to fuel threats against lawmakers and institutions.
The leaked membership lists include at least 370 people who are currently law enforcement officers, including local police chiefs and mayors. According to the report, more than a hundred personnel are currently affiliated with the military, and there are about 80 members applying for or already occupying public positions since the beginning of August.
These include mayoral candidates, members of municipalities and school boards, as well as representatives and senators.
This proves nothing
The presence of a person’s name in the Oath Keepers database does not prove that the person has engaged in extremist activities, has been an active member of the group, or is involved in the group’s ideology. Some of the people on the list told The Associated Press that they were briefly members of the group years ago but no longer belonged to it. Others said they had never been members of the dues payout.
Their views were too extreme for me
Sean Mobley, Mayor of Otero County, Colorado, told the Associated Press in an email.
More than two dozen people associated with the Oath Keepers, including founder Stuart Rhodes, have been arrested and charged so far in connection with the January 6 attack. He and four other ward guards will stand trial this month on charges of sedition and conspiracy.
Rhodes and his comrades assert their innocence and say they do not plan to attack the Capitol.
The movement grew under Obama
The Oath Keepers movement grew rapidly within the broader anti-government movement during Barack Obama’s presidency, but January 6 attacks Rachel Carol Rivas, deputy director of research for the Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Project, an Alabama-based legal aid service, told The Associated Press.
It was too much to relate to the events of January 6th for many
He said.
Among the elected officials whose names appear on the membership rolls is South Dakota Representative Phil Jensen, who was re-elected in the Republican primary in June. Jensen told the Associated Press that he paid a one-year membership fee in 2014 but did not attend any meetings or renew his membership.
“In 2014, they seemed like a very strong conservative group, I can’t say that anymore,” he said.
According to the ADL, they have found the names of at least 10 people who are now police chiefs and 11 who serve as mayors. All of the police chiefs and mayors who responded to the AP said they no longer had any connections to the group.
(Cover Image: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
