Stating in a recent court appearance that “I am sorry for any inconvenience I have caused the court…. I am humbled and I am humiliated,” 38-year-old Army veteran and avowed Oath Keeper Jessica Watkins now wants to be released from federal custody pending her trial on insurrection charges related to the January 6 storming of the Capitol.
“My fellow Oath Keepers have kind of turned my stomach against it,” Watkins said during a recent detention hearing in a federal courtroom. “We’re done with that lifestyle … I did it out of love for my country but it’s time to let all of that go.”
Her attorney also argued the Ohio bartender joined the Oath Keepers simply to support her own group, the Ohio Regular State Militia. Insisting that she was more of a “consultant” than a member, Watkins’ attorney added that she is looking to “disband” the group she founded in 2019 because “she wants nothing to do with it anymore.”
Federal authorities have characterized the Oath Keepers as “a large but loosely organized collection of [the] militia who believe that the federal government has been co-opted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights” and who heavily recruit former military, law enforcement and first responders.
Similar to many of the other seditionists being sought or currently charged, Watkins’ own words on previous social media posts were used against her in the courtroom. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta said he “found the allegations against her disturbing, particularly the militia group’s coordination of a ‘quick reaction force,’ [with heavy weaponry] an armed group the insurrectionists planned to have stationed outside D.C. should the situation get bad.” He also noted that directions on how to make explosives were found in Watkins’ home.
The Oath Keeper stands accused of preparing and training for at least two months to “fight hand to hand” to take over the Capitol, and she spoke out publicly for the first time in her recent court appearance, now claiming “she plans to leave the far-right paramilitary group behind.”
Her disavowal of her former rock-solid beliefs didn’t sway Judge Mehta, however, as he sided with prosecutors, who stated that Watkins’ loyalty to the Oath Keepers justifies their request to keep her detained pending trial. The government’s brief filed in the case stated, “Finally, detention is necessary because the defendant’s release poses a serious risk of flight. She has indicated a willingness to go ‘underground if this coup [Biden election] works.’”
With rumors circulating of another attack being planned by white nationalists on the Capitol, the federal government has to use all of the tools at its disposal to identify and capture would-be traitors before they can hatch another plot. The problem our country now faces, in terms of violent extremists formulating such plans to attack our democracy, can be traced directly back to federal authorities not taking such groups seriously in the past.
Immediately after the January 6th attack, numerous commentators stated their opinions that had the mob that attacked the Capitol Building primarily consisted of persons of color the outcome would have been far different: Lethal force would have been utilized to repulse the invaders and the streets of the Capitol would have run red with blood. As it now turns out, numerous members of the Capitol Police Force have been suspended and are under investigation for being sympathetic to the rioters.
We know that white privilege is a real thing in this country, always has been. So too do would-be seditionists. In fact, they’re betting on this aspect of American culture to provide them with a free pass of sorts, an excusing of their anti-democratic behavior. But allowing these militia members to get off lightly will only encourage further attempts to force their will on the rest of the country. Jessica Watkins and others of her ilk have to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, no matter how much they now claim to have seen the light and mended their ways. Their actions on January 6 speak far louder than the words of contrition they now give voice to.
2 Responses to “MANSFIELD: Apology Not Accepted”
Jerry Dolcini
There are still many seditionists flying their racist Trump banners in Ohio.
Shouldn’t police issue warnings and then citations for post-election fascist signs ?
Jay Westbrook
Mansfield again is spot on. I’m deeply troubled to think that more Americans might fear Nat Turner than Timothy McVeigh. Sedition is a threat to us all!