Judge Bars Stewart Rhodes From D.C. Following Seditionist’s Capitol Visit

The federal judge who oversaw the conviction of militia honcho Stewart Rhodes has barred him — and the other notorious Oath Keepers whose Jan. 6 sentences were commuted by Trump this week — from visiting the U.S. Capitol complex or Washington, D.C., without court permission.

District Judge Amit Mehta had publicly opposed presidential clemency for Rhodes, who was serving time under a terrorism enhancement, calling it “frightening to anyone who cares about democracy.” Nevertheless, Trump commuted the sentences for Rhodes and many of his Oath Keeper co-conspirators, in the same executive action he used to issue sweeping pardons to the other Jan. 6 criminals he called “hostages.”

Rhodes took advantage of his newfound freedom to return to Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, he even entered the Capitol building, in the company of Ivan Raiklin, who has fashioned himself as Trump’s “secretary of retribution.” Raiklin posted on X, formerly Twitter, videos of Rhodes interacting with congressional staffers — one of whom pleaded with him: “Please tell your story elsewhere. Here it’s disrespectful.”

Raiklin also posted video of Rhodes speaking to congressional reporters. Rhodes insisted he did not regret the actions that led to his conviction for seditious conspiracy. “I regret that my guys went in,” he said. “They blundered and went in [to the Capitol] with everybody else. It doesn’t make them criminals, it just makes ‘em kind of stupid.” (Reader, it in fact made them criminals.) 

Rhodes’ 18-year sentence was commuted by Trump to time served. Different from a pardon, that means that his criminal conviction is still standing, and that the federal courts continue to place conditions around his release. (Mehta also applied his stay-away-from-D.C. order to seven of Rhodes’ lieutenants.)

Rhodes also appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show on Wednesday. He described to Jones how the courts are “making us now report to probation officers.” Rhodes said he’s supposed to return to a relative’s home, where he stayed while awaiting trial. “I’ve been told I must fly all the way to California, where my cousin lives, to go and live with her” and to “apply to the court for probation” from there. 

To Rhodes, such conditions are intolerable. “I’m gonna put in for a pardon,” he told Jones. “I need to have my full rights restored.”

It’s unclear if Rhodes seeks to return to the Oath Keepers fold. The paramilitary group has recently reconstituted itself under the leadership of an infamous ex-Las Vegas cop. As Rolling Stone recently reported, the Oath Keepers are seeking to restore their relevance by forging new relationships with law enforcement, and by appealing to America’s youth.