Trump 'wants us to make it WILD': Six more Oath Keepers' associates charged in Capitol riot conspiracy case
Kevin JohnsonSix more defendants were added to a federal conspiracy case Friday accusing associates of the paramilitary Oath Keepers group with coordinating their alleged roles in the deadly assault on the Capitol last month.
Federal prosecutors said Kelly Meggs, 52, a Florida man, allegedly referred to former President Donald Trump directly in a Facebook campaign to draw more recruits to the protest Jan. 6 in Washington that turned violent, leaving five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
"Trump said It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that's what he's saying," Meggs allegedly wrote weeks before the Capitol siege. "He called us all to the Capitol and wants us tomakeitwild!!! SirYesSir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack your s---!!"
Trump was acquitted of inciting the riot in his second impeachment case before the Senate on Feb. 13; however, the former president still faces criminal investigations and civil litigation.
Meggs was charged along with his wife, Connie, 59; Laura Steele, 52, of North Carolina; Graydon Young, 54, of Florida; Bennie Parker, 70, of Ohio; and his wife, Sandra, 60.
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The charges expand a conspiracy case charging three Oath Keeper members, including Virginia organizer Thomas Caldwell in connection with the riot.
More coming? After Oath Keepers charges, could feds accuse Capitol attackers of conspiring to overthrow US government?
Federal prosecutors detailed how Caldwell and the others allegedly planned their roles in the attack weeks in advance, then coordinated by radio as they moved into the Capitol in group formation, wearing helmets, reinforced vests and military-style insignia.
In a New Year's Eve post on Facebook, Caldwell alerted the group that the protest against the Biden election "begins for real Jan 5 and 6."
"Let them try to certify some crud on capitol hill with a million or more patriots in the streets," he allegedly wrote. "This kettle is set to boil."
On the day of the attack, according to prosecutors, eight members of the group "prepared themselves for battle before heading to the Capitol by equipping themselves with communication devices and donning reinforced vests, helmets, and goggles."
The Oath Keepers recruit current and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel.
The conspiracy charges are among the most serious offenses alleged in the far-reaching riot investigation involving a diverse group of Trump supporters – members of far-right and anti-government groups and others whose paths to the Capitol started in communities across the country.
Among those facing charges in the riot are current and former police officers, a fashion student, grandparents, a fishing boat captain, former athletes and elected officials.
Other groups with whom defendants have been associated include:
- QAnon, a once-fringe internet conspiracy movement that grew into a powerful force in mainstream conservative politics.
- Proud Boys, a misogynistic, anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic group with ties to white supremacism.
- Three Percenters, an anti-government movement.
- “Super Happy Fun America,” a group with ties to white nationalists that organized a “straight pride” parade in downtown Boston in 2019
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