A member of the patriotic group “Oath Keepers” and a Navy veteran who is one of 11 members charged by federal prosecutors for an alleged “seditious conspiracy” in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot responded Thursday evening to the allegations.
“Tucker, I did not go into the Capitol and they know it,” leader Thomas Caldwell, 67, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “I’m absolutely outraged. They don’t have any proof, and I’m innocent and we can prove my innocence.
“You know, this whole thing has just crushed my wife and I – emotionally and financially,” he added. “We have all the faith in the world in God. We believe that this is good versus evil. And we are Christians.”
He also said that while he was incarcerated for months by the Justice Dept., he was told in lock-up that because he is white, he had “no chance against [the Justice Department] when they get ready to take you down.”
After he was asked by Carlson whether he had “Howitzers,” Caldwell replied, “No, sir, I don’t. And I don’t know anybody who does.
“I have never seen anything in the limited discovery that they have given us to show they have seized any kinds of weapons. I can tell you, I never saw any weapons, nor did I talk to anyone who talked about bringing in heavy weapons and overthrowing the government, which is what sedition is all about. It’s just plain nuts,” he added.
A statement released by the Justice Dept. alleged that “co-conspirators coordinated and planned to travel to Washington, D.C., on or around Jan. 6, 2021, the date of the certification of the electoral college vote.”
“While certain Oath Keepers members and affiliates breached the Capitol grounds and building, others remained stationed just outside of the city in quick reaction force (QRF) teams. According to the indictment, the QRF teams were prepared to rapidly transport firearms and other weapons into Washington, D.C., in support of operations aimed at using force to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power,” it added.
“The indictment alleges that the teams were coordinated, in part, by Caldwell,” the statement said.
Jonathon Moseley, a Washington-based attorney who represents one of the 11 indicted, Kelly Meggs, 52, of Dunnellon, Florida, blasted the charges as false and politically motivated.
“This is just a public relations gloss on the existing facts,” Moseley told The Epoch Times in a statement. “Faced with criticism from leading Democrats for not supporting their leftist narrative, the prosecutors have just slapped a new label on the false allegations already made. But I see no facts that would support the new charges.
“Furthermore, the U.S. Attorney and his prosecutors know that they are lying. They have known since March to May 2021 that every allegation they are making is a lie,” he said.
“We have the documents. We have the proof. They know that we know that this prosecution is a total lie. And yet they are forging ahead with prosecutorial misconduct,” he added.