We've unmasked the Oath Keepers' January 6 "operations leader"

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/oath-keepers-january-6-capitol-insurrection-michael-simmons-person-ten/

When members of the far-right militia network known as the Oath Keepers stormed the US Capitol on January 6, they were supposed to be under the command of a 37-year old Black man from a poor neighborhood in Indianapolis—who says he doesn’t support Donald Trump. That man is Michael Simmons, an Army veteran who served in the Iraq War, and who currently faces the possibility of federal charges for his actions on Jan. 6.

Until now, Simmons has not been publicly identified for his role at the Capitol. During multiple phone interviews in recent weeks with Mother Jones, Simmons confirmed he is “Person Ten” in a sweeping federal conspiracy case, an unindicted co-conspirator described by prosecutors in court filings as the leader of operations for a group of Oath Keepers who descended on Washington that day. So far, 17 of the group’s members have been charged with plotting to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory, among other alleged crimes. Four have pleaded guilty, including Caleb Berry, an Oath Keeper from Florida, who in a July 20 plea hearing admitted that he and his co-conspirators “intended” to hinder Congress by “intimidating and coercing government personnel.”

Court filings detail phone calls and messages that Simmons exchanged with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other group members in the minutes before multiple Oath Keepers unlawfully entered and occupied the Capitol building amid the invading pro-Trump mob. Simmons has been questioned by FBI agents and says he did nothing illegal and has nothing to hide. His actions on Jan. 6 included meeting up just outside the Capitol Building, alongside Rhodes, with 11 Oath Keepers who participated in the siege. Rhodes has also spoken with the FBI and has not been charged, though he said he expects to be arrested. There is no indication either Simmons or Rhodes entered the Capitol Building. Both deny doing so.

Simmons voiced no regret for his involvement with members of a group who helped storm Congress. He defended his own actions, minimized the events of that day and blamed the media for overhyping the assault on the Capitol. “What happened was fucked up,” he said. “It was wrong, but ‘insurrection’ is a bit much.”

*snip*

[peppertree]

1. '...an Army veteran who served in the Iraq War.'

If there's anyone who should detest the GOP, it's them.

[SharonClark]

2. Worth reading the entire article.

"Simmons also goes by the name Michael Greene (he declined to explain why) and said that he is a former employee of Blackwater, the infamous private security company founded by Erik Prince, a claim Mother Jones was unable to verify. He insisted that his involvement with the Oath Keepers is purely professional and not political. He said he went to Washington as as a security expert, helping to guard longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone and others for pay. He said his experience in the military and his life “as a Black man from a low-income neighborhood” underwrite his disinterest in politics. “It’s exactly the same whoever’s in office,” he said, which is why he said he supports neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump."

He's sounds stupid and delusional but that doesn't make him harmless.

[brush]

7. He's a mercenary, not necessarily stupid or delusional. He sells his military...

knowledge and services for money no matter the politics. Authorities do need to get him off the streets though.

[Ferryboat]

3. His proximity to Roger Stone is interesting

Did he help facilitate the wishes of the administration to the band of useful idiot's that carried out the violence against Congress?

Interesting that Stone is close to many participants of that day.

[Volaris]

6. Ya, somethin feels off about this...

[lagomorph777]

4. Squeeze him to reveal everything he knows - as a "commander" that's probably a LOT.

Then lock him up for as long as the law allows.

[UpInArms]

5. He needs to be recalled to service, court martial documents and have all benefits stripped

In Louisville last year, Rhodes also touted Simmons’ credentials to reporters: “He’s a police officer veteran, military veteran,” Rhodes said. “He’s our tactical team leader on the ground here.” Elsewhere, Rhodes has described Simmons as a Blackwater contractor and an explosives expert.

Simmons too, promotes this resume. He emphasized his military and security experience to distance himself from the less-credentialed Oath Keepers he led on Jan. 6. “I’m not one of these guys that put on body armor and go play solider,” he said. “I do this for a living. That’s how I feed my people.”

An Army spokesman confirmed that Simmons served as a Combat Engineer from February 2003 to March 2006 and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait in 2005. But Mother Jones could not confirm multiple other claims Simmons made about his background.

[DFW]

8. "It was wrong." Guilty plea accepted.

"'Insurrection' is a bit much." Let the jury decide that one.