Oath Keepers texted about protecting GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson during Capitol riot
During the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, members of the Oath Keepers exchanged text messages about protecting Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and the "critical data" he had with him, court documents filed on Monday state.
The Oath Keepers is a far-right extremist group, and its founder, Stewart Rhodes, and 10 other members have been charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The court documents say that amid the attack, one person wrote in the Oath Keepers group message, "Dr. Ronnie Jackson — on the move. Needs protection. If anyone inside cover him. He has critical data to protect." Rhodes responded, "Give him my cell." The text messages do not go into detail about the alleged "critical data" the Oath Keepers wanted protected.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Jackson, who served as physician to the president under Barack Obama and Donald Trump, has denied being in contact with the Oath Keepers. In a statement, his spokesperson told CNN that "like many public figures, Rep. Jackson is frequently talked about by people he does not know. He does not know nor has he ever spoken to the people in question. In fact, he stayed behind with Capitol Police to help defend the House floor and was one of the last members to be evacuated."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The controversial Free Birth SocietyThe Explainer Influencers are encouraging pregnant women to give birth without midwife care – at potentially tragic cost
-
Wes Anderson: The Archives – ‘quirkfest’ celebrates the director’s ‘impeccable craft’The Week Recommends Retrospective at the Design Museum showcases 700 props, costumes and set designs from the filmmaker’s three-decade career
-
Is conscription the answer to Europe’s security woes?Today's Big Question How best to boost troop numbers to deal with Russian threat is ‘prompting fierce and soul-searching debates’
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
