At least 20 current members of the US military signed up for the anti-government Oath Keepers militia at some point since its founding in 2009 - with 14 of them using their official military emails - despite Defense Department rules against participating in 'extremist activities.'
Overall, 81 people signed up for the Oath Keepers while in uniform, according to a USA Today analysis of a list released last fall by the nonprofit whistleblower collective DDoSecrets.
The Defense Department has known of members' involvement in extremist groups for decades, but it has relied on a policy that only banned them from actively advocating for them. The rules were beefed up in December in response to the January 6 Capitol riot.
Some say they signed up for the group at gun shows or other events without knowing what it stood for. Others touted their military training, such as shooting and recruiting, in case the group had to defend the Constitution against an attack.
In all, 19 members or associates of the Oath Keepers face charges of corruptly obstructing an official proceeding by traveling to Washington to stop lawmakers from declaring Joe Biden winner of the 2020 presidential election.
On Friday, Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes appeared in court on multiple charges, including seditious conspiracy, for his role in the riot.
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