Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers leader freed by Trump, seen on Capitol Hill

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Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers leader freed by Trump, seen on Capitol Hill

Washington — Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right group the Oath Keepers, visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday, days after he his lengthy prison sentence was commuted by President Trump. 

Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May 2023 for seditious conspiracy in one of the longest sentences for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was among the more than 1,500 defendants who were granted clemency on Monday, hours after Mr. Trump took office. Rhodes was released from federal custody on Tuesday, according to his lawyer. 

Speaking in a House office building Wednesday, Rhodes told reporters he was there to meet with House Republicans and advocate for a pardon for James Brown, a fellow Oath Keeper who was

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of weapons charges in a separate federal case. Rhodes said he was not invited by any member of Congress and had not stepped foot in the Capitol.

Stewart Rhodes speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

Ellis Kim / CBS News

Prosecutors alleged Rhodes and his fellow Oath Keepers planned for violence ahead of the Capitol attack and celebrated their actions in the aftermath.

Before Rhodes’ sentencing, prosecutors said he “pushed the idea among Oath Keepers members and others that with a large enough mob, they could intimidate Congress and its members and impose the conspirators’ will rather than the American people’s: to stop the certification of the next President of the United States.” 

They added that Rhodes has called for “violent opposition to the authority of the government of the United States for well over a decade” and “continues to advocate for political violence.” 

In a recording four days after Jan. 6 that was played at his trial, Rhodes said his “only regret is they should have brought rifles” and that he would “hang f****** Pelosi from the lamppost.” Rhodes said Wednesday he regretted that comment, and that he was “drunk and ******* off.”

Many Republicans have downplayed the pardons and commutations or have avoided answering questions on the topic, saying they have yet to take look at Mr. Trump’s decision. 

“The president’s made his decision. I don’t second guess those,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Wednesday morning. 

Ellis Kim

contributed to this report.

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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