PRE-INSURRECTION CHATS

Secret Service Met With Oath Keepers Before Capitol Riot, Report Says

An agency spokesperson confirmed on the record only that the far-right militia group had reached out to them.

Prior to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Secret Service agents reached out to—and even met with—members of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers, according to any agency official. A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Oath Keeper members sometimes reached out to the agency with questions about rallies. “We are aware that individuals from the Oath Keepers have contacted us in the past to make inquiries,” the spokesperson said, adding that the outreach was standard practice for the agency to maintain intelligence on groups that plan to demonstrate. The Washington Post previously reported multiple contacts between the group and the agency. Several Oath Keepers, including its founder Stewart Rhodes, are on trial for seditious conspiracy for their role in the riots. Last week, a former member of the militia group testified that Rhodes suggested he had been in touch with Secret Service agents.