WEBVTT

00:01.500 --> 00:03.566 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
JUDY WOODRUFF: All
right, and our other
major story tonight is,

00:03.566 --> 00:07.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
a federal grand jury has
convicted the founder of
the Oath Keepers militia,

00:07.433 --> 00:12.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
Stewart Rhodes, of seditious
conspiracy in the January 6
attack on the U.S. Capitol.

00:14.033 --> 00:17.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
A second defendant was
also found guilty. Three
others were acquitted.

00:17.633 --> 00:20.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Mary McCord is the director
of the Institute for

00:20.700 --> 00:25.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
Constitutional Advocacy and
Protection. She is also a
former Justice Department

00:25.000 --> 00:30.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
official. She monitored
the trial in Washington,
D.C., and she joins us now.

00:31.166 --> 00:32.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
So, Mary, before I ask
you about this verdict,

00:32.666 --> 00:36.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
remind us who Stewart Rhodes
is. What are the Oath Keepers?

00:36.800 --> 00:40.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
MARY MCCORD, Former Justice
Department Official: So,
Stewart Rhodes is the

00:40.400 --> 00:45.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
self-proclaimed leader
of an unlawful private
militia organization
known as the Oath Keepers.

00:47.433 --> 00:51.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
This organization has
been around since about
2009. Stewart and others
who are part of this

00:53.500 --> 00:57.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
organization attended other
standoffs against the federal
government, such as the standoff

00:57.266 --> 01:02.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
in Bunkerville, Nevada, back in
2015, I believe it was, or 2014,
and other standoffs out West.

01:06.300 --> 01:11.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
Stewart, particularly in
these last several years,
has been very vocal in
wanting to come to the

01:13.333 --> 01:17.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
defense of President
Trump. Initially, should
he have been impeached
and removed from office,

01:17.866 --> 01:21.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
Stewart Rhodes had tweeted
about the president
needs to only call up the

01:21.833 --> 01:25.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
Oath Keepers and they
would ensure that he was
not removed from office.

01:25.300 --> 01:30.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
He continued with that type
of rhetoric and planning
throughout 2020 and 2021 as the

01:32.866 --> 01:36.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Stop the Steal movement gained
momentum. And, as we now know,

01:36.766 --> 01:41.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
the jury has agreed
that he was involved in
a seditious conspiracy
with other Oath Keepers

01:43.933 --> 01:47.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
to actually use force
or violence to prevent
the execution of laws
of the United States,

01:48.900 --> 01:52.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and that law being the counting
of the Electoral College votes.

01:52.233 --> 01:54.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Mary,

01:54.266 --> 01:57.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
that's not a verdict we hear
about very often. What's
the significance of it?

01:57.433 --> 02:02.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
MARY MCCORD: So, it's
very significant because,
as you noted, it is not
charged particularly often.

02:04.400 --> 02:07.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
And it's often -- and it's
not always been successful in
the past. And that's sometimes

02:07.800 --> 02:12.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
because it's been charged
where what was conspired to
happen never actually happened.

02:12.700 --> 02:17.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
And I think one of the things
that made this perhaps an
easier case for the jury was not

02:19.733 --> 02:23.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
just that there was overwhelming
evidence of the planning to do
exactly what ended up happening,

02:25.466 --> 02:28.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
to use force and violence
to prevent the counting of
the Electoral College votes,

02:28.900 --> 02:33.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
but it also actually happened.
They did use force and violence

02:33.100 --> 02:38.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
to hinder and delay and
prevent the counting of
Electoral College votes.

02:40.033 --> 02:42.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
It was not ultimately
successful in overturning
the results in the election,

02:42.300 --> 02:47.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
but in delayed it by a number
of hours. So, a jury didn't
have to wonder, would they have

02:49.833 --> 02:52.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
really made good on their
conspiracy? The jury
could see it with its
own eyes, hear with their

02:52.400 --> 02:57.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
own ears that Stewart
Rhodes and other members of
the Oath Keepers did make
good on that conspiracy.

02:58.400 --> 03:00.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
JUDY WOODRUFF: And,
just very quickly, Mary,

03:00.500 --> 03:04.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
we know other defendants coming
up to trial. Does this have
significance for those cases?

03:05.433 --> 03:08.133 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
MARY MCCORD: It absolutely will.

03:08.133 --> 03:13.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
With all of these cases
coming out of January 6,
I think charged defendants
have looked to see how

03:15.600 --> 03:19.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
others fared at trial.
And, so far, those who have
gone to trial on felonies
have been found guilty.

03:21.566 --> 03:24.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
Now, not every member
of this last trial, not
all of the five who were
charged and tried together

03:27.633 --> 03:32.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
were found guilty of seditious
conspiracy, but all five were
found guilty of some offenses.

03:34.533 --> 03:37.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
In fact, all five were
found guilty of obstructing
an official proceeding,

03:37.500 --> 03:42.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
which carries the same penalty
as seditious conspiracy, up to
20 years in prison, so very,

03:43.700 --> 03:45.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
very serious charges, a
very important verdict,

03:45.733 --> 03:48.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
and it really is going to put
the writing on the wall for the
others who face this charge.

03:48.900 --> 03:53.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
JUDY WOODRUFF: Mary
McCord analyzing for us
this verdict of -- in the
case of Stewart Rhodes.

03:56.533 --> 03:57.666 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
Mary, thank you so much.

03:57.666 --> 03:59.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
MARY MCCORD: It's my pleasure.