Name: 'If we'd had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians': Accused Oath Keeper threatened to murder lawmakers in Capitol, court documents say
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'If we'd had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians': Accused Oath Keeper threatened to murder lawmakers in Capitol, court documents say

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Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox.Something is loading.Thomas Caldwell, a participant in the January 6 riot at the Capitol, bragged about storming the building and told acquaintances he would have killed politicians if he could, .The filings come in an argument from prosecutors to keep Caldwell in jail ahead of a criminal trial. He was arrested on several charges related to his participation in the insurrection."If we'd had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians," Caldwell wrote, according to messages prosecutors obtained. "They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were.", an extremist militia, and organized an attack on Congress with them as then-President Donald Trump urged lawmakers not to certify the 2020 presidential election results in favor of now-President Joe Biden, who was duly elected.In the documents, prosecutors quoted from messages Caldwell sent to an acquaintance while sharing photos of his view from inside the Capitol building."It was instinct to snatch up my American flag and race for [the] capitol steps while the patriot stereos [were] blasting the song 'we're not gonna take it' and we were screaming along as one," he wrote in a message prosecutors obtained.Caldwell's attorney David Fischer before his trial, casting doubt on his involvement in the insurrection and claiming he wasn't actually a member of the Oath Keepers. The judge previously ordered Caldwell to remain jailed, but Fischer asked him to reconsider. The attorney said Caldwell, a Navy veteran, was making macho exaggerations."What the Government misunderstands is that Caldwell's language and personality center around his military career and his addiction to Hollywood," Fischer wrote.Communications obtained by prosecutors show that Caldwell organized with members of the Oath Keepers in the months ahead of January 6, saying he was "on the Oathkeepers intel net for months now." The messages also show that he personally described himself storming the Capitol building and sent photos of "the view from the balcony." He also .Jessica Watkins, , . The cases for seven other members of the group charged in connection with the riot are .Prosecutors cited messages Caldwell sent on the walkie-talkie app Zello and the encrypted messaging app Signal where he said he decided to break through barricades after "Pence f---ed us," referring to then-Vice President Mike Pence's decision to follow the Constitution and verify the election results, and media reports that other people had begun storming the Capitol."I said if we're going to get blamed, might as well do it," Caldwell wrote in messages obtained by prosecutors. "So I grabbed up my American flag and said let's take the damn capitol so people started surging forward and climbing the scaffolding outside so I said lets storm the place and hang the traitors. Everybody thought that was a good idea so we did [sic]."Caldwell said he and other insurrectionists were hit with tear gas, but they moved forward, broke through doors, and "started duking it out with the pigs" before stealing riot shields belonging to Capitol police officers ("nice souvenir I guess," ) and "throwing fire extinguishers through windows.""It was a great time," Caldwell said.Prosecutors cited Caldwell's pride in the insurrection as an argument for why he should remain in detention until he's tried. After the attack, he criticized media coverage and said "what we did was righteous.""The defense references Defendant Caldwell's history of military and government service to support its suggestion that Defendant Caldwell would never attempt to obstruct justice," prosecutors wrote. "The government agrees that someone with experience in those positions should know better, but the evidence suggests quite the contrary."Something is loading.Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox.Something is loading.Thomas Caldwell, a participant in the January 6 riot at the Capitol, bragged about storming the building and told acquaintances he would have killed politicians if he could, .The filings come in an argument from prosecutors to keep Caldwell in jail ahead of a criminal trial....

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'If we'd had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians': Accused Oath Keeper threatened to murder lawmakers in Capitol, court documents say

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