Mr Ventilating Hoff In the run up to January, 6th Stewart Rhodes
publicly implored President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act,
The 18 Oh seven law that allows the president to call up militias
to put down a rebellion against United States and I want to
Get your thoughts about this in the context of your prior relationship
with Stewart Rhodes.
Um, I understand that you had conversations with roads about the
insurrection Act. Why was he so fixated on that? And what did he
think it would enable the oath keepers to do
Well.
I think it gave him a sense of legitimacy that it was a path forward
to move forward with his goals and agendas.
Um, I
I think we need to quit mincing words and just talk about truths
and what it was going to be was an armed revolution. People died
that day.
Law enforcement officers side this day, there was a gallows set up
in front of the capital.
This could have been the spark that started a new civil war and no
one would have one there. That would have been good for No. One.
They He was always looking for ways to legitimize.
What he was doing, whether by wrapping it in the trappings of it's
not a militia. It's a community preparedness team.
We're not a militia were an educational outreach group. It's a veteran
support group.
But again we've got to stop with this. This dishonesty and the mincing
of words and just call things for what they are. You know it. He
is a militia leader.
He had these rand visions of being a paramilitary leader.
And
The Insurrection Act would have given him a path forward with that.
You know the fact that the president was
Communicating, whether directly or indirectly, messaging. You know,
kind of that gave him the nod and all I can do is thank the gods
that things did not go.
Any worse. That name What did the oath keepers see in President Trump?
They saw a path forward that would have legitimacy. They saw opportunity.
I think, in my opinion
To, um, to become a paramilitary force.
You know?
Last week, the Department of Justice indicated that it has evidence
of the oath keepers bringing not just firearms but explosives to
Washington ahead of January 6th.
In the committee's also learned that Stewart Rhodes stopped to buy
weapons on his way to Washington and shipped and shipped roughly
$7000 worth of tactical gear to a January 6th rally planner in Virginia
before the attack. Did you ever hear roads discuss?
Committing violence against elected political leaders.
Yeah. I mean, that went back from the very beginning of my tenure.
One of the first assignments that he brought to me. Wanting me to
do is more of a graphic artist function was to
Create a deck of cards. You may remember back to the conflict in
the Middle East, where our own military created a deck of cards,
which who was a who's who of
Kind of the key players on the other side that they wanted to take
out.
And Stewart was very intrigued by that notion and influenced by it,
I think, and he wanted me to create a deck of cards that would include
different politicians, judges, including up to Hillary Clinton has
the queen of Hearts.
This is a project that I refused to do.
But from the very start, we saw that there was always the push for
military training.
Including there were there were there were courses in that community
that went over explosives training, So yeah, it's all falls in line.
Mr Fantino. If you say in your very thoughtful, written testimony
that we received today that
Um you fear what the next election cycle will bring? And you also
say that we have been exceedingly lucky.
In that we have not seen more bloodshed so far. I wonder if you would
elaborate on those two statements.
I think as far as the luck goes, we've had the potential from Bundy
Ranch on. I mean being boots on the ground at these these standoffs,
and they were standoffs where there were firearms pointed across
lines at federal law enforcement agencies.
Um, you know, whatever it may be with that particular standoff.
But
I do. I think we've got an exceedingly lucky that more bloodshed
did not happen because of potential has been there from the start.
And we got very lucky that the loss of life was and as tragic as
it is.
That we saw on January 6th. The potential was so much more
Again. All we have to look at is the iconic images of that day with
the gallows set up for Mike Pence for the vice president of the United
States.
You know, And and I do fear for this next election cycle because
who knows what that might bring? If if a president that's willing
to try to
Instill and and and
Encourage to whip up a civil war amongst his followers, using lies
and deceit and snake oil.
And regardless of the human impact.
What else is he going to do if he gets elected again? All bets are
off at that point.
Um, And that's a scary notion. I have three daughters. I have a granddaughter.
And I fear for the world that they want. Herod if we do not start
Holding these these people to account.