Defense rests in Capitol riot trial of Oath Keepers leader

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes have rested their case in his Capitol riot trial. That move came after a man described as the far-right extremist group’s “operations leader” for Jan. 6, 2021, told jurors that he never heard anyone discussing plans to storm the building. It’s the sixth week of testimony in the case accusing Rhodes and four co-defendants of a violent plot keep Democrat Joe Biden from the White House. Prosecutors have argued that the Oath Keepers came to Washington intent on stopping Biden from becoming president at all costs and sprang into action when a pro-Donald Trump mob started storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.