WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Members of the far-right were ecstatic when then-President Donald Trump invited supporters to a 鈥渨ild鈥� protest in Washington on , when Congress would be certifying the results of the 2020 election, according to messages shown Thursday during the trial for the and .
During an FBI agent's testimony, jurors saw a string of online posts that Oath Keepers members in Florida exchanged after Trump's tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, about a 鈥渂ig protest鈥� at the upcoming joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. 鈥淏e there, will be wild!鈥� Trump said.
鈥淗e wants us to make it WILD,鈥� Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keepers leader from Dunnellon, Florida, wrote in a message to other group members. 鈥淗e called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!鈥�
Trump鈥檚 words appeared to energize Oath Keepers members. They used an encrypted messaging app to discuss their plans to be in the nation's capital on Jan. 6, when, after a Trump rally near the White House, a mob stormed the Capitol and disrupted Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's victory over the Republican incumbent.
鈥淭hese will be flying Jan. 6 in front of the Capitol,鈥� Meggs wrote in a post that included the image of an Oath Keepers flag.
, an Oath Keepers member from Florida who has , said he was going to Washington even though it 鈥渇eels like a fool鈥檚 errand.鈥� Oath Keepers founder and national leader Stewart Rhodes responded on Dec. 25, 2020, that he disagreed with that assessment.
鈥淭rump needs to know we support him in using the ,鈥� Rhodes wrote. 鈥淎nd he needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.鈥�
Rhodes added that he believed the Secret Service would be 鈥渉appy to have us out there鈥� if Trump 鈥渃alls us up as militia.鈥�
is that the Oath Keepers founder believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president broad authority to call up the military and decide what shape that force will take. Trump did float that kind of action at other points in his presidency.
Meggs and Rhodes, who's from Granbury, Texas, are on trial with Thomas Caldwell of Berryville, Virginia; Kenneth Harrelson of Titusville, Florida; and Jessica Watkins of Woodstock, Ohio.
They are the first Capitol riot defendants to be tried on seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors said was a plot to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power. The Civil War-era charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
As testimony continued Thursday, played a recording at its public hearing of Watkins saying, 鈥淚t has spread like wildfire that (Vice President Mike) Pence has betrayed us鈥� and 鈥�100 percent鈥� of the crowd would be going to the Capitol right after a Trump tweet that had criticized Pence, as the Senate's presiding officer, for not delaying or rejecting the certification of the Electoral College vote by Congress.
Defense lawyers have accused prosecutors of cherry-picking messages and have said there is no evidence the Oath Keepers had a plan to attack the Capitol.
The trial started last Monday and is expected to last more than a month.
Trump's Dec. 19 tweet also was a focus of investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
One committee member, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., said the tweet 鈥渟erved as a call to action and in some cases as a call to arms.鈥� A second, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said it 鈥渆lectrified and galvanized鈥� Trump supporters, including the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and other far-right extremists.
Several members of the Proud Boys, including former national chairman , also are charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 attack and await a trial in December.
Thursday's testimony for the Oath Keepers trial focused on members of the group's Florida contingent and their communications in the days leading up to the riot.
In a chat for Oath Keepers members in Florida on the Signal messaging app, Rhodes said they should adopt the QAnon slogan 鈥淲WG1WGA,鈥� which stands for 鈥淲here we go one, we go all.鈥� that has centered on the baseless belief that Trump was secretly fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping 鈥渄eep state" enemies, Hollywood elites and prominent Democrats.
鈥淭hey come for one of us, they come for all of us,鈥� Rhodes posted on Dec. 21, 2020. 鈥淲hen they come for us, we go for them.鈥�
Kelly Meggs responded: 鈥淚t's easy to chat. The real question is who's willing to DIE.鈥�
Three days before the Capitol attack, Meggs sent a message to an associate that said, 鈥�1776 we are going to make history.鈥�
鈥淲hat happened in 1776?鈥� Justice Department prosecutor Louis Manzo asked FBI Special Agent Kelsey Harris.
鈥淭he American revolution,鈥� the agent replied.
___
For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege
Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press
