Oath Keepers Barred from Entering DC Without Approval Order Revoked
Donald Trump may have pardoned the J6 defendants, but they are far from out of the water just yet.
There is already talk that state prosecutors could file additional charges against these defendants.
However, a federal judge has lifted the order against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, as well as seven other members of the organization, from entering Washington DC without the court's approval.
Stay Out
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta was the presiding judge in the Oath Keepers cases and is now faced with the reality of the pardon by Donald Trump for these individuals.
Judge Mehta wrote, “It is not for this court to divine why President Trump commuted Defendants’ sentences, or to assess whether it was sensible to do so.
“The court’s sole task is to determine the act’s effect.”
The original ruling blocked the Oath Keepers from being able to go to the Capitol and areas around it without direct permission.
After he was pardoned from his 18-year sentence, Rhodes had been spotted near the Capitol, but not inside the Capitol.
Donald Trump had even stated that he was considering a reunion with some of these people, which, in my opinion, is simply idiotic.
It is bad enough he pardoned the violent offenders, but to actually meet with them at the White House… that is not exactly a message of law and order.
Mehta believes the terms of the release are still valid, but the Trump DOJ pushed back against those terms for these defendants.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin stated, “If a judge decided that Jim Biden, General Mark Milley, or another individual were forbidden to visit America’s capital — even after receiving a last-minute, preemptive pardon from the former President — I believe most Americans would object.
“The individuals referenced in our motion have had their sentences commuted — period, end of sentence.”
To that point, Mehta wrote, “The unconditional quality of President Trump’s Proclamation thus can reasonably be read to extinguish enforcement of Defendants’ terms of supervised release.”
This is a really fine line that Trump is walking here, and these are some very bad people he is messing with in terms of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
If Trump invites these individuals to the White House, it will utterly destroy any chances the GOP has of winning the 2026 and 2028 elections.