Oath Keepers founder freed by Trump warns of more Epstein pain
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes attends a press conference on June 6 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers, warned that President Trump's dismissal of what he's dubbed the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" will cause "trouble" in the MAGA world.
Why it matters: The alarm bells from a man whose sentence was commuted through Trump's sweeping Jan. 6 clemency echo those from other prominent supporters of the president and MAGA-friendly voices.
- Rhodes was found guilty of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2023 for his role in the deadly Capitol riot.
- But he was released from prison earlier this year after the president commuted his sentence in a wave of roughly 1,500 pardons and 14 commutations.
Driving the news: "I believe 90% of his own base understands that Epstein was up to something, and we know that's the tip of the iceberg," Rhodes told a group at a Texas event earlier this month, the Daily Beast first reported.
- He later added, "It's really disheartening to see President Trump just declare that to be a hoax. I don't think it is. And I think it's going to cause him trouble in his own base. It already is."
- But he also spoke fondly of the president, who he said set him "free."
By the numbers: Beyond podcasters' and public figures' opinions, recent polling from Quinnipiac University found that 63% of voters don't approve of the administration's handling of the case.
- Republicans appeared split, with 40% approving and 35% disapproving.
What they're saying: Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said that "instead of covering the real news, AXIOS is embarrassingly regurgitating leftwing stories that no Americans care about."
- She continued, "President Trump is historically popular with the Republican base because he has delivered win after win."
Zoom out: In the midst of pervasive headaches over his administration's handling of evidence of the disgraced financier's case, Trump said his attorney general should release "credible" evidence — though he's continued to rage against a so-called "hoax" that his "PAST supporters have bought" into.
- Some members of the MAGA movement did not take so kindly to that rhetoric.
- Amid mounting pressure, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi last week to seek the release of grand jury testimony. But even then, he wrote, "This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!"
- Fighting against the so-called "deep state" is foundational to the MAGA movement, Axios' Tal Axelrod reports, noting the president and his allies stoked the Epstein coals on the right for years.
What he's saying: Rhodes — suggesting Trump was protected from the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting by divine intervention — said he hopes "that he keeps in mind that God saved him for a purpose."
- "That purpose is to defeat the deep state," he said. "It's not to make great trade deals. It's not to have a great economy. It's not any of that stuff. The real heart and soul of it is to defeat the deep state."
Go deeper: Trump admin faces GOP blowback in Congress over Epstein
