A Washington D.C. jury in federal court heard opening statements on Monday in the most high-profile trial related to the Jan. 6 insurrection to date, which includes an Ohioan among the defendants.
and faces seditious conspiracy and other charges.
Also on along with three other co-defendants with connections to the anti-government extremist group. Watkins was a member and leader of a chapter in Ohio.
In the government鈥檚 opening statement, prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler said the goal of the defendants was 鈥渢o stop, by whatever means necessary, the lawful transfer of presidential power, including by taking up arms against the United States government.鈥�
The government alleges the defendants collected weapons and coordinated travel plans in advance of Jan. 6, transported and staged weapons in a nearby Virginia hotel, and then breached the Capitol.
The narrative the prosecution presented included a complicated array of characters, covering co-conspirators beyond the defendants, along with a timeline of events depicted in videos, audio recordings and messages. Nestler used a chart laying out the parties involved and a blueprint of the Capitol to make sense of the maze of evidence for the jury.
Watkins was a central part of the government鈥檚 case. The prosecution argued that, in preparation for Jan. 6, she invited recruits to a military-style basic training.
鈥淚 need you in fighting fit,鈥� by inauguration, read one message allegedly from Watkins displayed to the courtroom.
Nestler showed a video of her allegedly leading a group into the Capitol building, using a military 鈥渟tack or column formation.鈥� But, he said, simply entering the building was not enough for the defendants, including Watkins.
鈥淲atkins and her group needed to do more. They needed to actually get to the senators,鈥� he said. 鈥淲atkins stormed down the hallway. She had the power of the mob behind her.鈥�
In contrast, Watkins鈥� defense lawyer Jonathan Crisp introduced her as 鈥渟omewhat of an enigma鈥� 鈥� an army veteran haunted by being discharged early, a 鈥減rotest junkie鈥� who served as a medic at rally after rally, a barkeeper in smalltown Ohio, a transgender woman who never felt like she fit in.
Crisp stressed that messages and recordings of Watkins may look 鈥渙minous as hell,鈥� but when understood in context, her actions are not those of someone trying to overthrow the government.
鈥淐ontext is everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can take a lot of different things and cut and paste, like those old magazine letters, and make anything out of it that you want.鈥�
Rhodes鈥� attorney Phillip Linder revealed in his opening statement Monday that his client plans to testify. The trial is expected to continue for at least four more weeks.
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