‘Me Before Forcing Entry into the Capitol’: Three Oath Keepers Charged in Connection with Capitol Hill Siege Thanks to Facebook, Parler and Ronan Farrow Article
The FBI has arrested three people affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia over their alleged participation in the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol Complex.
According to various court documents reviewed by Law&Crime, 65-year-old Thomas E. Caldwell was charged with multiple federal crimes including conspiracy in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after being picked up by federal agents in Virginia.
Also mentioned in Caldwell’s charging papers are 38-year-old Jessica Watkins and 50-year-old Donovan Crowl, Ohio residents who are believed to be members of the Oath Keepers as well. Watkins and Crowl were arrested by the FBI in Cincinnati early Tuesday morning.
“Law enforcement and news media organizations observed that members of a paramilitary organization known as the Oath Keepers were among the individuals and groups who knowingly, willfully, and forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol,” Caldwell’s charging documents note. “The Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized collection of militia who believe that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as members, what differentiates them from other anti-government group is their explicit focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel.”
Authorities relied largely on evidence from Caldwell’s Facebook for the probable cause affidavit leading up to the three arrests.
“Records obtained from Facebook indicate that Caldwell was involved in planning and coordinating the January 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol in which Watkins, Crowl and other Oath Keeper militia members participated,” authorities allege.
Specifically, the FBI cited a lengthy Facebook message allegedly sent by Caldwell mid-afternoon on January 1 which discusses hotel accommodations and allegedly references Oath Keepers leader Elmer Stewart Rhodes–albeit in a somewhat critical light.
“Even if you tell the hotel its double occupancy, you can STILL put a couple of people on the floor with bedrolls and the hotel won’t know shit,” the message reads. “Paul said he might be able to take one or two in his room as well. I spoke to the hotel last night (actually 2 a.m. this morning) and they still had rooms. This is a good location and would allow us to hunt at night if we wanted to. I don’t know if Stewie has even gotten out his call to arms but it’s a little friggin late. This is one we are doing on our own. We will link up with the north carolina [sic] crew.”
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https://lawandcrime.com/u-s-capitol-siege/me-before-forcing-entry-into-the-capitol-three-oath-keepers-charged-in-connection-with-capitol-hill-siege-thanks-to-facebook-parler-and-ronan-farrow-article/