Jim Arroyo, a senior figure in the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers, told \u201c60 Minutes\u201d the group has received training from\u00a0\u201cactive-duty law enforcement\u201d personnel, but he attempted to distance the larger paramilitary movement from the members charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol insurrection.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur guys are very experienced. We have active-duty law enforcement in our organization that are helping to train us,\u201d Arroyo, the vice president of the Oath Keepers\u2019 largest chapter, in Arizona, said in the interview. \u201cWe can blend in with our law enforcement \u2015 in fact, in a lot of cases, our training is much more advanced because of our military backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
A dozen members of the Oath Keepers have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, part of a broader effort by federal investigators to determine how the insurrection was organized. Prosecutors have alleged that some members of the paramilitary group may have plotted before the riot to attack the Capitol and stop the certification of the presidential election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arroyo, who was not at the Capitol during the riot, told \u201c60 Minutes\u201d the Arizona chapter has splintered from the national organization, part of a larger schism among far-right groups after the Jan. 6 attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t condone the violence during the attack, and distanced himself from Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, as well as other members of the group who have been charged as part of a conspiracy case linked to the insurrection. Rhodes himself has not been charged with any wrongdoing, but federal prosecutors are said to be targeting him as part of their investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to congratulate Stewart Rhodes and his 10 militia buddies for winning first place in the ultimate dumbass contest, \u2019cause that\u2019s what it was,\u201d Arroyo told \u201c60 Minutes.\u201d \u201cThat goes against everything we\u2019ve ever taught, everything we believe in. It was pre-planned. It was pre-staged. Ten guys go and do something stupid, and suddenly we\u2019re the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jon Schaffer, a member of the Oath Keepers, pleaded guilty last week\u00a0to charges stemming from his role in the insurrection, and agreed to cooperate with the government.<\/p>\n