Far-right Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes attends Trump rally in Las Vegas following his release from prison

Behind the president donald trump during his meeting at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday was the recently switched Stewart Rhodesthe founder of the right-wing militia who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy stemming from his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Rhodes, who leads the Oath Keepers, was among other Trump supporters standing near the president on Saturday. He is one of 14 people whose sentences were commuted this week, all of whom are members of the extreme right Oath Keepers or Proud Boys groups. Enrique TarrioThe Proud Boys leader who prosecutors say helped prepare his followers for street fights was the only person to receive a longer sentence than the 22-year-old Rhodes. He is also out of prison now. The couple are joined by more than 1,500 others who were charged in the January 6 attack and pardoned by Trump on day one of his presidencyincluding those who committed violent crimes, such as attacks on law enforcement.

Stewart Rhodes (eye patch), Ryan Bundy (green shirt) and Cliven Bundy (gray vest), react after US President Donald Trump spoke at a rally at Circa Resort & Casino on January 25, 2025 in Las Vegas , Snowfall. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

Ian Maule/Getty Images

During Rhodes’ trial, federal prosecutors played a recording of a meeting between him and his militia on January 10, 2021, just days after the attack. “My only regret is that they should have brought rifles,” Rhodes says in the recording, which was obtained by the FBI. according to CBS News. “We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I would hang Pelosi from the lamppost.”

After leaving prison on Tuesday, Rhodes put on a Trump 2020 hat and grateful The president said he felt “relief,” “joy” and “gratitude” when he heard the news, but “knew it would come.” When asked how he thinks history should remember January 6, Rhodes responded, “Patriots Day.”

“That we defended our country, because we knew that the elections were stolen from us,” he said, before repeating unfounded claims that the former president joe biden lost four years ago.

According to federal prosecutors, Rhodes was one of the Main architects of the attack.— conspiring with other conspirators to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election, hiding weapons outside Washington, D.C., and marching in militant formations on the Capitol. After his release, he returned to those same grounds, except this time “he met with at least one legislator during his visit and spoke with others, defending his actions that day and taking no responsibility for the violent siege that halted the certification of 2020 elections”, according to inform from the Associated Press.

“I didn’t direct anything. So why should I feel responsible for that? Rhodes said.

On Friday morning, Amit P. Mehta, The judge who oversaw the Rhodes case issued a order saying that the founder of the Oath Keepers and other members of the militia could no longer enter Washington, D.C. without the judge’s permission. It is unclear whether his order against Rhodes will stand, as Trump’s new US attorney says. Ed Martin has court documents already filed seeking to reverse Mehta’s decision.