Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, 56, has tested positive for the coronavirus in jail, his lawyers said Monday, delaying his trial on a seditious conspiracy charge stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta on Monday morning recessed trial for Rhodes and four others for the day. Monday would have been the start of the fourth week of testimony for the trial in Washington, and prosecutors had hoped to complete the government’s case by Friday.
What to know about the Oath Keepers sedition trial
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Mehta said jail quarantine protocols do not permit Rhodes to participate in his trial by video conference or to be transported to court for at least a week. But if Rhodes agreed Tuesday morning, his lawyers said he could waive his in-person presence and allow testimony to continue over two or three days by government witnesses his defense did not expect to need to cross-examine.
“The upshot is, stay tuned,” Mehta said.