Oath Keepers founding member becomes first to plead guilty over US Capitol riot sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lack of Training Led Capitol Police to Temper Riot Response, Watchdog Says
The force’s inspector general testified that a top official ordered officers not to use their most powerful anti-riot tools on Jan. 6 because of concerns they did not know how.
Capitol Police officers preparing this week for a ceremony to honor Officer William F. Evans, who was killed when a car rammed him at the Capitol this month.Credit.Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times
April 15, 2021, 7:50 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON The U.S. Capitol Police’s independent watchdog told Congress on Thursday that a senior official on the force had instructed officers not to use their most powerful crowd-control weapons on Jan. 6 because they had little training with the equipment and the official was afraid they would misuse it and potentially harm or kill people.
A founding member of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia group on Friday became the first person to plead guilty to taking part in the US Capitol riot, signalling a new stage in the investigation of the deadly January 6 assault on the seat of American democracy.
Jon Schaffer, a native of Indiana and founder of the band Iced Earth, entered a guilty plea to two felony charges of obstructing the certification of the 2020 election and breaching a restricted building.
Iced Earth’s singer and bassist quit the band in February.
During a hearing in Washington, DC federal court, US District Judge Amit Mehta said Schaffer, 53, had no previous criminal record and voluntarily contacted authorities shortly after the Capitol riot.
Jon Schaffer, Lifetime Oath Keepers Member, Is First to Plead Guilty in Capitol Riot newsweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
United StatesOath Keepers founding member is first to plead guilty in U.S. Capitol riot
ReutersMark Hosenball
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Police release tear gas into a crowd of pro-Trump protesters during clashes at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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A founding member of the right-wing Oath Keepers on Friday became the first person to plead guilty to taking part in the U.S. Capitol riot, signaling a new stage in the investigation of the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the seat of American democracy.