3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 5
Summary
Amit Mehta said he had "no choice" but to dismiss the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case after the Trump administration asked to vacate convictions against Stewart Rhodes and others.
In a sharply critical ruling, Mehta said the Justice Department was seeking to "absolve" defendants of crimes against the United States and that the move "diminishes the gravity" of Jan. 6.
The dismissal ends the last Jan. 6 prosecution after Trump's 2025 pardons and commutations freed many rioters, including Rhodes, whose 18-year sentence was commuted.
More than 1,200 people were convicted in the Capitol attack investigation, including about 200 who admitted assaulting police, while Trump also ordered roughly 450 pending cases dropped.