- Terry Cummings, Oath Keeper, testified in the trial against Stewart Rhodes and four other militia members.
- Cummings claimed that he had brought an AR-15 with him and a box full of ammunition, and kept them in a Virginia hotel room.
- Cummings claimed to the jury that the gun stash in that room was comparable to what he saw in military service.
A member of Oath Keepers testified to a jury Wednesday that militia members had gathered a cache weapons in a Virginia hotel room just before the Capitol riot.
Terry Cummings, a Florida Oath Keeper, and military veteran, took the stand Wednesday to testify in The seditious conspiracy trialFounder of Oath Keepers Elmer Stewart RhodesPer. CBS News. Kelly Meggs and Kenneth Harrelson are also being tried. Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell are also involved in the militia.
Cummings testified that he brought an AR-15 assault rifle with him and a box containing ammunition to Virginia to “show of force.” CBS reported. Cummings said that the gun was kept in a collective Oath Keepers weapons stash in a Virginia hotel room, rather than being brought into DC.
Cummings stated that he had never seen so many weapons in one place since he was in the military. CBS reported this testimony.
Cummings’ testimony bolsters prosecutors’ allegation that the Oath Keepers used a room at a Comfort Inn in Arlington, Virginia, as a weapons storage.
Prosecutors allege that the gun stash was part Oath Keepers’ scheme to arm a “quick response force,” per NBC News. Prosecutors claim that this force would have opposed the peaceful transfer power from President Donald Trump to his successor President Joe Biden.
Rhodes gave a speech at the Capitol Riot, stating that Trump could not retake power if Rhodes did not. A “much more desperate and much more bloody” warTo overturn his defeat, per Reuters.
Rhodes and the four Oath Keepers currently being tried have pleaded guilty to the charge seditious conspiracy. This is the most serious charge against Capitol rioters. Maximum jail sentence for this charge is 20 years.
Several other Oath Keepers — including Brian Ulrich, Joshua JamesAnd William Todd Wilson — have pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Cummings was not convicted of any crime ChargedIn the case of Oath Keepers.
Initial efforts were made by the Oath Keepers Its members are brandedas Constitutional Defenders. However, The Justice DepartmentA series of bombshell claims were made against Oath Keepers in July. These accusations claimed that Oath Keepers brought explosives into the DC area on January 6, 20,21, and had a death list of those they were targeting. They are now known to be far-right extremists.
