Western States Center Statement on the Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes Being Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for His Role in the Insurrection

This afternoon, a federal judge sentenced Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison following this conviction on seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

In response, Lindsay Schubiner, Director of Programs at Western States Center, a Portland-based civil rights group that monitors anti-democracy movements nationwide,  issued the following statement:

“Today’s sentencing  is an important milestone on the journey to accountability for the perpetrators of the insurrection on January 6, 2021. It makes clear that political violence and attacks on our democratic institutions will be taken seriously by our justice system and not be tolerated by the American people. 

“Stewart Rhodes, and the Oath Keepers have a long history in engaging in and promoting political violence. The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was not an anomaly - and the threat of political violence from groups like Oath Keepers remains high.

“But as we recognize the importance of accountability, we must remember that prosecution is only one part of the solution to managing the threat posed by bigoted and anti-democracy movements. We need a whole-of-government approach to challenging white nationalism, and it is critical that we treat political violence as the existential threat that it is.”