Three members of the far-right group the Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a Washington, DC jury on Monday afternoon. A fourth man associated with the group was also found guilty of the same charges.
The guilty verdict, stemming from the men's roles in the incident at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, has caused turmoil across social media. While some users have expressed elation over the news of a guilty verdict, others have argued that the Oath Keepers didn't receive a fair trial, among other things.
According to CNN, the four men “were accused of plotting to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral college victory, a conspiracy that culminated in the attack on the US Capitol.”
Any political news revolving around January 6, 2021, causes people to flock to Twitter to express their opinions, and this latest news was no exception.
Twitter Blames Trump
One Twitter user called the guilty verdict “huge” and even suggests that former President Donald Trump himself may be the next person to face charges:
This is HUGE. Four members of the Oath Keepers were just charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the January 6th insurrection. An amazing day for democracy, justice, and accountability. Let's now go even higher up the totem pole and finally charge Donald Trump.
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) January 23, 2023
Defendants in many January 6th-related trials have often blamed Donald Trump for inciting them to commit violence, an accusation which the former President has frequently denied:
Four more Oath Keepers / domestic terrorists just got convicted of seditious conspiracy.
— Grant Stern is boosted! (@grantstern) January 23, 2023
But don't worry, they said it was just their worst moments and blamed Trump for inciting them while Antifa scared them because of right-wing media.
Twitters Questions Whether Trial Was Fair
However, some users, like NurseMindy00, argues that the Oath Keepers didn't “get a fair trial,” possibly due to the intense media scrutiny over the events of January 6th:
Oath Keepers didn’t get a fair trial in DC.
— Mindy (@NurseMindy00) January 23, 2023
Calls for the Oath Keepers to be classified as a terrorist organization have been louder and louder since the guilty verdict was announced:
Looks like Elmer “Captain Hook” Rhodes is gonna have company. End the Oath Keepers. They are a terrorist organization. They deserve no mercy.
— Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) January 23, 2023
User iputadollarin points out inconsistency's in the media's coverage of the trial and verdict, accusing MSNBC of “Biden bashing.”
MSNBC is obsessed w this story
— iputadollarin (@iputadollarin) January 23, 2023
CNN this morning covered oath keepers guilty verdict while MSNBC continued Biden bashing for 15 minutes before briefly announcing the verdict
It seems that the prevailing opinion is that the Oath Keepers “aren't great guys,” as Twitter user natsechobbyist helpfully points out:
I’m starting to think the Oath Keepers aren’t great guys.
— Rachel Vindman (@natsechobbyist) January 23, 2023
A few months after January 6th, some members of the GOP had said the incident looked more like a “normal tourist visit” as opposed to a full-scale insurrection, which is a moment that this particular user won't let Republicans forget anytime soon:
BREAKING: “Three members of the Oath Keepers and a fourth person associated with the far-right militia group were convicted of seditious conspiracy.” – CNN
— AngryLiberalMomma (@realJojoJerz) January 23, 2023
“Tourist visit” though, amirite?
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
