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Oath Keepers founder Rhodes is barred from entering Washington or Capitol without court’s permission

President Donald Trump supporter Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, convicted on charges relating to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, talks to reporters after meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 (AP Photo Nathan Ellgren)(AP/Nathan Ellgren)

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 A federal judge on Friday barred Oath Keepers founder from entering Washington without the court’s approval after President Donald Trump commuted the extremist group leader’s 18-year prison sentence in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the , issued two days after Rhodes visited Capitol Hill, where he met with at least one lawmaker, chatted with others and defended his actions the day of the riot.

Mehta鈥檚 order applies to seven other defendants who were charged in brought by the Justice Department over the riot. The order also prohibits them from entering the Capitol building or surrounding grounds without the court鈥檚 permission.

Ed Martin, who has been serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump鈥檚 inauguration on Monday, argued that Trump鈥檚 commutations mean Rhodes and others are no longer subject to the court鈥檚 supervision. In a court filing that bears only his name and signature, Martin urged the judge to vacate Friday鈥檚 order.

Martin has served as a board member of the Patriot Freedom Project group, which portrays the Jan. 6 defendants as victims of political persecution. He鈥檚 now overseeing the office that prosecuted the hundreds of riot defendants.

“The individuals referenced in our motion have had their sentences commuted 鈥 period, end of sentence,鈥 Martin said in a statement Friday.

Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, was released from prison hours after benefiting the more than 1,500 people charged in the attack that halted the certification of Joe Biden鈥檚 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.

While Trump pardoned most of the defendants, he only commuted the prison sentences of Rhodes and 13 others. That means they remain on supervised release and have to follow certain restrictions set by the court under the supervision of a probation officer.

Rhodes did not enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, but was accused of orchestrating a weekslong plot to forcibly stop the transfer of power. He was , and he received one of the longest sentences in the Justice Department’s massive prosecution.

Rhodes said during his visit to the Capitol this week that he’s now urging Trump to give him a full pardon. Rhodes stopped in at a Dunkin鈥 Donuts inside the House office building in the Capitol complex before delivering a lengthy defense of himself and his actions.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 lead anything,” he said. “So why should I feel responsible for that?鈥

James Lee Bright, an attorney who defended Rhodes at the trial, told The Associated Press on Friday that he’s concerned that criticism of the pardons from judges on Washington’s federal court means his client and others on supervised release will be monitored 鈥渨ith a very heavy hand.鈥

Trump’s clemency order on Monday led to the release of more than 200 people in federal custody, including dozens of people who defended the Capitol. The president also ordered the dismissal of hundreds of cases that were pending.

Trump has defended the pardons, saying the defendants had 鈥渁lready served years in prison鈥 in conditions he described as 鈥渄isgusting鈥 and 鈥渋nhumane.鈥

Several judges have since spoken out about the pardons and efforts to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 insurrection by . U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over Trump鈥檚 before its dismissal, said the pardons can鈥檛 change the 鈥渢ragic truth鈥 about the attack.

鈥淚t cannot whitewash the blood, feces and terror that the mob left in its wake,鈥 in court papers this week. 鈥淎nd it cannot repair the jagged breach in America鈥檚 sacred tradition of peacefully transitioning power.鈥

Mehta has said pardoning Rhodes would be 鈥渇rightening.鈥

鈥淭he notion that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved of his actions is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country,鈥 the judge said from the bench last month.

Rhodes’ lawyer said the judge’s comments show that the Jan. 6 defendants couldn’t get a fair trial in Washington.

Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. More than 1,000 of them pleaded guilty. About 250 others were convicted by a judge or jury after trials. Over 1,100 were sentenced, with more than 700 receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from several days to .

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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