The messages from the encrypted app, which were presented during hearings Wednesday and Friday, allegedly show how Rhodes advocated for then-President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. If Trump didn’t, prosecutors allege, Rhodes repeatedly suggested that his followers should be ready to act without Trump’s support.
“He must know that if he doesn’t act, we will. He has to understand that we will have no choice,” said another message.
After the riot, Rhodes allegedly messaged associates that if Trump failed to invoke the Insurrection Act before he left office, “patriots should… prepare to walk the same path as the founding fathers.”
Prosecutors used the messages as evidence that Rhodes is too dangerous to be let out of jail while he awaits trial. Friday, federal district Judge Amit Mehta agreed to keep him detained.