John Schaffer, a founding member of Oath Keepers, has copped a plea and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
My first thought was, "Pass the popcorn," and my second thought was, "Hopefully this can lead to more people to flip, and hopefully the rich funders who have nurtured this movement will end up in the dock."
A founding member of the Oath Keepers arrested in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol pleaded guilty Friday and agreed to cooperate against others in the case — the first defendant to publicly flip in the sprawling domestic terrorism investigation that has led to charges against more than 410 people.
The plea comes exactly 100 days after Jon Ryan Schaffer and hundreds of other supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, allegedly in an effort to prevent Joe Biden from being confirmed as the next president. Prosecutors hope Schaffer’s plea spurs others to provide additional evidence in hopes of avoiding long prison sentences.
The plea marks a new stage in the historic investigation, as prosecutors seek to work up the chain of defendants to gather evidence and better understand the full scope of any planning and organizing of the violence — particularly among groups like the far-right Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Dozens of members from both groups appeared to act in concert to storm the building, prosecutors have alleged.
As an aside, the fact that Schaffer is the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, which adds just the right level of surrealism to the whole affair.
I really hope that the widening scope of the prosecutions ends up including Roger Stone and the Mercers.
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