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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
In the latest Jan. 6 case, Oath Keepers go on trial for seditious conspiracy1
The founder3 of the far-right Oath Keepers antigovernment group, Stewart Rhodes, and four others go on trial Tuesday on charges of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
A MART?NEZ, HOST:
It's the most consequential4 January 6 trial so far. And it starts today in Washington, D.C.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Stewart Rhodes is at the center of this. He's the founder of the far-right group called the Oath Keepers. He and four others are charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
MART?NEZ: NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas has been covering this case from the beginning. Ryan, who are the defendants5? And what are they being charged with?
RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE6: So there are five defendants who are going on trial here. The biggest name is the one that was mentioned at the top there, Stewart Rhodes. He's a former Army paratrooper, Yale Law School graduate. But most importantly, for our purposes here, he's the founder of the Oath Keepers, which is this big, anti-government, self-styled militia7, one of the biggest in the country. And prosecutors8 say Rhodes and his co-defendants conspired9 to use force to prevent Congress from certifying10 Joe Biden's election win on January 6. Now, these defendants all face a slew11 of criminal charges, including obstruction12 of an official proceeding13, and most importantly, though, seditious conspiracy. And that one is a big deal. It carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
MART?NEZ: And what's the government's case against them?
LUCAS: So the government's case is built on text messages the defendants sent each other, as well as audio recordings14, financial records, videos, of course, from January 6. And prosecutors say the evidence shows that shortly after the November, 2020, presidential election, Rhodes and his co-defendants began plotting to use force to try to block the transfer of power to Joe Biden, and that they spent months recruiting and training and organizing to do so. And the indictment15 cites text messages that Rhodes allegedly sent after the election. In those messages, he warns of a civil war and, quote, "a bloody16 and desperate fight" if Biden takes office. On January 6 itself, the defendants had guns stashed17 at a hotel in Virginia and men on call to ferry those weapons into D.C. if Rhodes thought that they were needed. And then at the Capitol, several of the defendants - although, not Rhodes - they put on tactical gear and marched in military formation up the steps of the Capitol, through the crowd and into the building with the mob. But prosecutors say it didn't end there. Even after January 6, they say, Rhodes bought thousands of dollars of guns and military gear and continued to urge his followers18 to resist the Biden administration.
MART?NEZ: What about defense19 attorneys? How are they going to push back against the government?
LUCAS: So in pretrial proceedings20, we've heard a couple of things. Some of them have argued that the Oath Keepers were in D.C. on January 6 to provide security for VIPs at the Trump21 rally and to protect Trump supporters in case, say, antifa attacked them. Rhodes' attorneys have also argued that all of the chatter22 and planning ahead of January 6 were really just preparations in case Trump invoked23 the Insurrection Act, which could have allowed Trump to call up militias24 to support him. Now, invoking25 the Insurrection Act is something that Trump had publicly toyed with dating back to the summer of 2020. But prosecutors say this argument is just legal cover, it's just a ruse26. And they say that the defendants were ready to act regardless of what Trump did.
MART?NEZ: Why is this case, Ryan, seen as such an important January 6 prosecution27?
LUCAS: Well, it's seen as so important because of the central charge here of seditious conspiracy, this allegation of an attack on the U.S., in essence. So it has political and symbolic28 weight, but also because this case is against the founder of one of the largest militia groups in the country. The government has not lost a January 6 jury trial so far. Failing to win a conviction in this high-profile case, particularly on seditious conspiracy, could undermine the Justice Department's assertion that the Capitol attack posed a uniquely dangerous threat to American democracy, that it was more than just a rowdy rally. So this trial is a big deal. It's an important trial. It's expected to last around five weeks or so. And it gets under way today with jury selection.
MART?NEZ: NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas. Ryan, thanks.
LUCAS: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOUSE ON THE KEYS' "PHASES")
1 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
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2 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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3 Founder | |
n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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4 consequential | |
adj.作为结果的,间接的;重要的 | |
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5 defendants | |
被告( defendant的名词复数 ) | |
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6 byline | |
n.署名;v.署名 | |
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7 militia | |
n.民兵,民兵组织 | |
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8 prosecutors | |
检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 ); 告发人; 起诉人; 公诉人 | |
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9 conspired | |
密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 ); 搞阴谋; (事件等)巧合; 共同导致 | |
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10 certifying | |
(尤指书面)证明( certify的现在分词 ); 发证书给…; 证明(某人)患有精神病; 颁发(或授予)专业合格证书 | |
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11 slew | |
v.(使)旋转;n.大量,许多 | |
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12 obstruction | |
n.阻塞,堵塞;障碍物 | |
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13 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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14 recordings | |
n.记录( recording的名词复数 );录音;录像;唱片 | |
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15 indictment | |
n.起诉;诉状 | |
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16 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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17 stashed | |
v.贮藏( stash的过去式和过去分词 );隐藏;藏匿;藏起 | |
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18 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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19 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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20 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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21 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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22 chatter | |
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 | |
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23 invoked | |
v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求 | |
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24 militias | |
n.民兵组织,民兵( militia的名词复数 ) | |
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25 invoking | |
v.援引( invoke的现在分词 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求 | |
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26 ruse | |
n.诡计,计策;诡计 | |
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27 prosecution | |
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营 | |
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28 symbolic | |
adj.象征性的,符号的,象征主义的 | |
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