Oath Keepers' Stewart Rhodes Pledges to Bring The Band Back; Urges Trump to Invoke Insurrection Act

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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/bill-berkowitz/114884/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-pledges-to-bring-the-band-back-urges-trump-to-invoke-insurrection-act

Oath Keepers’ Stewart Rhodes Pledges to Bring The Band Back; Urges Trump to Invoke Insurrection Act
by Bill Berkowitz | September 14, 2025 - 4:43am

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On the far right, there have already been public posturing and calls for retaliation. Militia and white supremacist groups are likely to increase recruitment and fundraising. Accelerationist groups may very well encourage dividing into smaller cells on encrypted apps. Lone actors may be inspired by “martyrdom.”

As Jeff Sharlot recently wrote, “Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, who had his January 6 seditious conspiracy prison sentence of 18 years commuted, [is] declaring it’s time to get the band back together again.”

“I’m going to be rebuilding the Oath Keepers,” Rhodes told David Gilbert of Wired . “You should declare the left in this country is in obvious open rebellion against the law of the United States. They’re committing insurrection, they're aiding and abetting an invasion, and they're blocking the execution of federal law.”

As Gilbert reported, “Rhodes then called on Trump to ‘do what’s right, what’s necessary’ and ‘invoke the Insurrection Act’ in the wake of the shooting. ‘You should declare the left in this country is in obvious open rebellion against the law of the United States. They’re committing insurrection, they're aiding and abetting an invasion, and they're blocking the execution of federal law,” Rhodes said.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination shocked the political system, and has become raw material for movements skilled at turning rage into rallying cries. In this current period, outrage is easily weaponized. Whether this moment marks a true resurgence or just another grim cycle of threats, remains to be seen. Retribution by the Trump administration will not be surprising. What follows in the coming weeks and months will depend not only on how the far-right mobilizes, but on whether the country can recognize — and confront — the momentum of forces determined to turn grief into grievance, and grievance into violence.

The far-right will once again test the boundaries of American democracy. The question is less whether they will regroup, and more how the rest of the country chooses to respond.