Oath Keepers leader Rhodes — speaker at GOP border rally in Laredo, March 2021 — charged by DOJ with “seditious conspiracy” in Jan. 6, 2021 attack on US Capitol

(REPORT COMPILED BY GAN GOLAN AND TANNYA BENAVIDES OF THE NO BORDER WALL COALITION)

A prominent figure in the January 6 Insurrection that shocked the nation has a Laredo GOP connection. Two months after the criminal assault on the nation’s capital, Elmer Stewart Rhodes was invited to speak at a local GOP event in Laredo last year held at the US border.

A facebook video shows Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers militias, speaking at a March 26, 2021, Texas Republican Party “Secure Borders” rally in Laredo on the same stage as prominent GOP officials.

Today’s New York Times article mentions the militia leader’s presence at the rally in Laredo:

In late March, Mr. Rhodes himself publicly acknowledged that the F.B.I. was after him, declaring during a fiery speech on the Texas border that the Justice Department had undertaken a “persecution campaign” against his group. “I may go to jail soon, not for anything I actually did, but for made-up crimes,” he said.

The militia leader shared the same stage with Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West, now a candidate for Texas Governor, and GOP District 28 Congressional candidate Sandra Whitten. The event in Laredo was promoted by the Webb County Republican Party.

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz Jr. welcomed the weekend conference.

At the time of the Laredo rally, local residents with the No Border Wall Coalition mounted a protest of the event, pointing out the contradiction of inviting insurrectionists to the border.

“You can’t come to the border saying you are trying to protect America when you just organized an attack on America,” said Laredo resident Valentin Ruiz, a U.S. Army Veteran.

Following the event, the Laredo City Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the weekend event’s central theme that described Laredo as a dangerous and unsafe “battleground” being invaded in a new “border crisis.”

“Extremists have been coming in from other parts of the country telling us that we are being invaded down here on the border? Well, they’re right, only they are the ones who are invading,” said Laredoan Maxine Rebeles, a U.S. Navy veteran.

The Oath Keepers, along with the Proud Boys, have emerged as the most prominent far-right extremists to take part in the assault on the Capitol. Not only did Rhodes’ followers enter the Capitol Building on January 6 wearing military tactical gear, but their statements reveal they had organized an armed “quick reaction force” at a nearby hotel ready to rush in.

In contradiction to Rhodes’ public claims, his own followers have said they did in fact intend to breach the building with the goal of obstructing the final certification of the Electoral College vote. In essence, this was an effort to disrupt a Constitutionally-mandated process of finalizing an election and effectively cancelling the votes of tens of millions of Americans.

Rhodes is currently under federal investigation for his role in the coordinating deadly attacks on the nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021. To date, 10 members of the organization have been indicted by federal authorities for their involvement. Rhodes has stated, “You can call it an insurrection or you can call it a war.”

The Department of Homeland Security has named domestic terrorism as one of our greatest national security threats, with “opposition to immigration” being a key belief driving attackers.

The Texas Department of Public Safety reports Domestic Terrorism is increasing along the Southern US border. Congressional Rep. Bennie Thompson, Chairman of House Homeland Security Committee, highlighted the hypocrisy of these terrorists: “A lot of them mask themselves under some guise of being patriots.” Washington Post, Feb 24, 2021

LINKS:

Facebook video of Stewart Rhodes in Laredo

Folder with photos of event organizers and attendees

Background articles on Stewart Rhodes: | Daily Beast | CNBC | Buzzfeed |