I AM BREONNA KEILAR AND THIS IS
YOUR SITUATION ROOM.
>> LET'S GET RIGHT TO THE BIG
BREAKING STORY IS THE LEADER OF
THE OATH KEEPERS. THE CNN
NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT OUTSIDE
OF THE COURTHOUSE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.. THIS IS A
HISTORIC VERDICT.
HOW BIG IS THIS FOR THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT AND THE PRECEDENT
THAT IT SETS.
>> NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, THIS IS
AN IMPORTANT MOMENT.
PARTICULARLY FOR THE JUSTICES
IN THIS COUNTRY. IT IS THE CASE
OF A SEDITIOUS TRIAL TO BE
BROUGHT AND IT IS THE GOVERNMENT
'S ATTEMPT TO AS THEY SEE IT,
GET JUSTICE FOR JANUARY 6th.
THEY WENT AFTER THIS GROUP OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF A
MILITIA KNOWN AS THE OATH
KEEPERS . A FAR RIGHT GROUP
THAT USED TO BE ANTIGOVERNMENT
AND THEN WHEN DONALD TRUMP CAME
TO POWER, THEY STARTED BACKING
DONALD TRUMP AND WANT HIM TO
CONTINUE IN POWER EVEN AFTER
THE 2020 ELECTION THAT HE DID
NOT WIN.
AND THE FOUNDER OF THE OATH
KEEPERS IS STEWART RHODES AND
HE FOUNDED IT IN 2009.
HE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF
SEDITIOUS ACTS AND SO IS HIS
PARTNER, KELLY MEGGS . THEY ARE
ONLY ONE OF FIVE PEOPLE CHARGED
WITH SEDITIOUS ACTIVITY. THE
JURY HAS GONE THROUGH EACH OF
THEIR STORIES AND DEFENSES
WHICH WERE VERY DIFFERENT, BY
THE WAY. THEY ALL HAD A
DIFFERENT STORY AS TO WHAT THEY
WERE DOING AND WHY THEY WERE
THERE.
THE GOVERNMENT WAS TRYING TO
PROVE THEY WERE TRYING TO STOP
THE PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER
BY USING FORCE.
THEY SAID THAT STEWART RHODES
IS GUILTY OF THAT AS IS KELLY
MEGGS . STEWART RHODES NEVER
WENT INTO THE CAPITAL AND THEN
YOU LOOK AT CHARGES LIKE
CONSPIRACY TO OBSTRUCT AN
OFFICIAL PROCEEDING AND
STEWART RHODES WAS FOUND NOT
GUILTY . THE REASON WE BRING
HIS NAME UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN
IS BECAUSE HE FOUNDED THE
GROUP, THE OATH KEEPERS . ALL
OUR MEMBERS AND HE WAS SEEN AS
THE LEADER OF THE ACTIONS.
THE PERSON WHO WAS TALKING THE
MOST AND MESSAGING THE MOST AND
HAD THE MOST TO SAY. JUST AFTER
THE ELECTION, THE GOVERNMENT
HAS THESE MESSAGES WHERE HE IS
TALKING ABOUT CIVIL WAR WHERE
JOE BIDEN WON THE ELECTION OVER
DONALD TRUMP. A LOT OF HIS
WORDING, REALLY, STRUCK THIS
JURY.
THEY HEARD SECRET RECORDINGS OF
HIM TALKING TO MEMBERS OF THE
GROUP AND SAW VIDEO OF
DIFFERENT THINGS AS WELL AS
SOME OF THE GUNS BROUGHT INTO
VIRGINIA AS PART OF THE QUICK
REACTION FORCE.
THEY WERE BOUGHT BROUGHT INTO
COURT AND DISPLAYED ON THE JURY
SAW THE FIREPOWER THIS GROUP HAD
ENTERED THE GROUP HAD PUT INTO
VIRGINIA.
KNOWING IT IS LEGAL IN VIRGINIA
BUT THEY COULD BE MOVED INTO
WASHINGTON, D.C. IF AS THEY PUT
IT, THAT THE PRESIDENT DECIDED
TO GO FORWARD WITH THE
INSURRECTION ACT IN PLACE AND
THEY WOULD COME THROUGH TO BACK
HIM UP. THE JURY DID SAY THE
HEAD OF THE OATH KEEPERS IS
GUILTY OF SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY.
THE CHARGE BRINGS UP TO 20
YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON AND SO
IT IS A HUGE, HUGE MOMENT FOR
THE PROSECUTORS AND THE DEFENSE
. IT IS A MIXED BAG BECAUSE
THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 10 CHARGES
AND IT IS A MIXED BAG OF WHO IS
GUILTY AND WHO IS NOT GUILTY.
THE JURY DECIDE IN EACH CASE AS
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO BUT
OVER ARCHING THERE WAS NO PLAN
ON JANUARY 6th AND THAT'S NOT
WHAT THE JURY FOUND.
THEY CLEARLY SAW A PLAN IN
PLACE.
A PLAN THAT STEWART RHODES
FOLLOWED AND THAT IS WHAT THE
JURY DECIDED.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE LITERALLY TWO
PEOPLE TO BE INVOLVED IN
LITERALLY TWO PEOPLE WERE
CHARGED WITH THAT SEDITIOUS
CONSPIRACY AND OTHER CHARGES.
>> IF YOU COULD STAND BY FOR
US.
I WANT TO BRING IN.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR WITH
OTHERS. JUST YOUR REACTION, HERE
TO THESE VERDICTS.
>> I THINK IT MUST WIN FOR THE
DOJ TO GET THE MUST WIN FOR
SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY OF THE
LEADER.
I THINK THE JURY DEMONSTRATED
THEY WENT OVER THE EVIDENCE
CAREFULLY, PARSING IT OUT.
THERE ARE LESSON FOR THE DOJ
AND FUTURE PROSECUTIONS ON THE
ACQUITTAL BUT IT TELLS A LOT
ABOUT WHAT MAY NOT BE MORE
EASILY GRASPED BY JURIES.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> FOR ME, BRIANNA , THE
IMPORTANT THING IS THE MESSAGE
THIS SENDS TO THE DOMESTIC
EXTREMIST POPULATION . IN THAT
COLUMN, IT SENDS A LOUD AND
CLEAR MESSAGE TO OTHER MEMBERS
OF MILITIA GROUPS WITH PEOPLE
HARBORING SIMILAR GRIEVANCES
AND PEOPLE WRESTLING WITH THE
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS AND YOU
CANNOT DO THAT WITHOUT SEVERE
CONSEQUENCES ALONG THE LINES OF
A JAIL SENTENCE. IT IS A VERY
IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO SEND AT
THIS TIME AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL
HAVE A CHILLING IMPACT.
>> IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO SOME
MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
INCLUDING THOSE WHO TRY TO MAKE
IT OUT AS A TOURIST TRIP TO THE
CAPITAL ON THAT DAY. YOU WERE
THERE AND KNEW IT WAS NOT.
>> IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT.
THESE PEOPLE OVERRAN AND BROKE
DOWN WINDOWS AND I WAS THERE
WITH COLLEAGUES INSIDE THE
HOUSE CHAMBER AS THIS UNFOLDED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD
OUT TO ME IN THE MINUTES SINCE
WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THIS
VERDICT IS WHAT MICHAEL HAD TO
SAY TO JAKE AND WHAT HE HAD TO
SAY TO KEVIN McCARTHY, THE
REPUBLICAN LEADER AND HE TOOK A
PHOTO WITH DONALD TRUMP AND HIS
BEEN HESITANT TO DIRECTLY
CRITICIZE HIM EVER SINCE. THE
REALITY IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
RIGHT NOW INCLUDING IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WHICH
WAS ATTACKED ON JANUARY 6th.
THE NORMAL TOURIST VISIT WAS
MADE BY A MEMBER OF THE BODY
THAT WAS ATTACKED.
IT WAS A BROAD MIX OF TRUMP
SUPPORTERS AT THE CAPITAL THAT
DAY. IT IS VERY CLEAR THERE
WERE DANGEROUS ORGANIZED
ELEMENTS AMONG THEM. PEOPLE
CARRYING ZIP TIES AND PEOPLE
WITH MORE SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS
LOOKING TO DO VERY REAL HARM TO
PEOPLE.
I THINK TO THE POINT, BRINGING
THE ELEMENTS OUT OF THE WORD
WORK AND UNDERSCORING AND
IDENTIFYING WHAT IT WAS THAT
THEY DID.
HE WAS SO CAREFUL THAT HE
DIDN'T ACTUALLY ENTER THE
CAPITAL BUT WE KNOW THAT JURY
HAS TOLD US HE IS A RINGLEADER
OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THEY
HAD A PLAN THEY WERE TRYING TO
IMPLEMENT ON THAT DAY. IT WILL
BE MEANINGFUL FOR PEOPLE IN THE
BUILDING AS WELL AS FOR HOW
THIS WAS DISCUSSED GOING
FORWARD.
>> THERE ARE HUGE RAMIFICATIONS
FOR WHAT THIS MEANS.
>> SO MANY AMERICANS LOOKED AT
JANUARY 6th AND YOU SAW THIS
UNFOLD ON TV AND YOU SAW ALL OF
THESE PEOPLE AT SOME POINT
DISPERSE AND GO HOME.
THERE WERE DONALD TRUMP
SUPPORTERS SUMMONED BY DONALD
TRUMP. WHAT ABOUT THE
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE FOLKS
THERE.
PERHAPS THAT WILL HAPPEN AT
SOME POINT THAT FOR A LOT OF
AMERICANS, THIS WILL COME AS A
RELIEF THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED
TO THE PEOPLE THAT ESSENTIALLY
TRIED TO OVERTHROW THE PROCESS
OF THE TRANSFER OF POWER. I
THINK THAT IS A GOOD THING IN
SOME WAYS. MAYBE THEY THINK
THEY ARE FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON
TRUMP AND YOU SEE THE PEOPLE
WHO WERE PLOTTING THAT DAY AND
WHO WERE PLOTTING DANGEROUS
ACTIVITIES ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
. AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO WONDER
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP AND WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN FOR HIM. HE
TRIES TO DOWNPLAY AND AT ONE
POINT HE SAID HE WOULD PARDON
PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN ACCUSED AND
MAYBE ACCUSED ON JANUARY 6th.
IT HAS DIRECT TIES AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR HIS POLITICAL
FUTURE.
FOR NOW, WE WILL SEE WHO GETS
CONVICTED AND HOW THE GOVERNMENT
PROCEEDS GOING FORWARD WITH
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE W