Proud Boys leader says the far-right group is 'hemorrhaging money'
The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are both struggling to bring in money and hold onto members, as the far-right organizations deal with the repercussions of being connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The Oath Keepers launched in 2009 and the Proud Boys in 2016. The Wall Street Journal interviewed current and former leaders and members of both groups, and they described how the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers first started having financial issues after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. PayPal booted the Oath Keepers, founder Stewart Rhodes said, even though his group wasn't there, and he had to ask members to send their dues by mail. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio said PayPal, Stripe, and other credit card processors — including several used by porn sites and gun makers — also banned him.
More than three dozen members and associates of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and prosecutors are taking a close look at any financial backing by the groups, as well as the roles played by Rhodes and Tarrio; the men did not enter the Capitol building during the riot.
Subscribe to 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.
Tarrio told the Journal the e-commerce site he runs to support himself and other Proud Boys has been hurt by the fact that they can't process credit card payments. "We've been bleeding money since January," he said, "like hemorrhaging money." Barely making enough to cover rent, Tarrio said he set up a secretive e-commerce site to sell merchandise with liberal slogans like "Black Lives Matter" and "Impeach 45," but wouldn't give out its name.
As for the Oath Keepers, former board members told the Journal membership has dropped 80 percent from its peak, and Rhodes said in April that the group has less than $10,000 in its bank account. Multiple board members have accused Rhodes of using Oath Keepers money to put down a deposit on a house in Montana and pay for liquor, guns, steaks, and items from the adult store Alley Katz Nighties N Naughties. Rhodes' lawyer did not dispute that he spent money on these items.
Ed Wilson managed IT for the Oath Keepers in 2015, and he told the Journal that Rhodes used the bank account "as a piggy bank." Former Oath Keepers secretary Billy Simmons said the last straw came for him in early 2020, when he learned that Rhodes maxed out his Oath Keepers card three days in a row, so he could go around his $350 daily spending limit to buy a $1,000 AR-10 rifle. Rhodes told the Journal the allegations that he misused funds are "petty, stupid, and salacious" and his accusers are "disgruntled people that have a bone to pick."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Will Gary Lineker's departure be an own goal for the BBC?
Today's Big Question Former star striker turned highest-paid presenter will leave Match of the Day after 25 years, with BBC head of sport reportedly declining to offer him a contract
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The potential impact of Trump tariffs for the UK
UK goods exports to the US could be hit with tariffs of up to 20% seriously affecting the British economy
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube – a 'raw' and 'riveting' docuseries
The Week Recommends Channel 4's 'gripping' two-part show explores the Metropolitan police killing of an innocent man in the aftermath of 7/7
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published