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Through an exclusive with the Associated Press, news outlets all over the country are reporting on new ADL analysis of a leaked membership list of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing anti-government extremist group. The ADL Center on Extremism’s deep dive found hundreds of elected officials, members of law enforcement and the military and first responders among the membership list.
We want you to know the alarming implications of these new findings and the extent to which the group’s anti-government ideology has gained a foothold in mainstream seats of power. Our analysts reviewed a list released by a non-profit journalist collective late last year. It includes more than 38,000 names of current or past Oath Keepers members and supporters. We discovered that members of this group have permeated key aspects of civil society.
Who are The Oath Keepers?
The Oath Keepers are an anti-government extremist group whose members have been arrested in connection with a wide range of criminal activities from seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to threatening public officials.
Much like the rest of the anti-government militia movement, the group’s members believe that a shadowy conspiracy — often referred to as the New World Order — has co-opted the federal government to strip Americans of their rights and ultimately enslave them. However, the Oath Keepers differentiate themselves from other groups in the militia movement by explicitly targeting current and former members of the military, law enforcement and emergency services personnel with their recruitment and messaging.
The New ADL Report
To identify those individuals in the Oath Keepers database who hold sensitive positions, ADL researchers compared the names found in the data with information found in public databases, media reports and social media platforms. ADL analysis identified the following…
- Elected Officials — 81 individuals across the country who, as of August 8, 2022, are currently holding or running for public office in 2022. These individuals run the gamut from local office — mayors, town councilmembers, school board members — to state representatives and senators. This is deeply concerning because when extremists hold elected office, it creates a dangerous opportunity for them to advance their ideology in ways that can dramatically affect their constituents and undermine democracy.
- Law Enforcement — 373 individuals in the Oath Keepers database who we believe are currently serving in law enforcement, including at least ten chiefs of police and eleven sheriffs. This is far higher than any previously identified number of extremists within law enforcement.
- U.S. Military — 117 individuals who we believe currently serve in the U.S. military. In addition to those currently serving in the military, COE estimates that one in ten of the individuals in the database served in the military in some prior capacity. A significant number are likely to have training that could be applied to a potential plot or attack. The January 6th insurrection demonstrated how effective veterans can be at training and organizing, as several of the arrested Oath Keepers were former military personnel.
This report provides important data to understand how widespread the issue is. ADL is informing law enforcement agencies (with appropriate caveats) across the country that a person with a name matching one of their employees was found in the Oath Keepers database.
Since December, ADL has also served as co-counsel representing the District of Columbia, along with DC attorney General Karl Racine, in litigation aimed at holding the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and others accountable for their role in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
This report should serve as a wake-up call to people of all political persuasions that extremists hell-bent on destroying our democratic norms are making inroads across the country. Thank you for standing with ADL to disrupt the extremists, and to Stop Hate for Good.
Source: ADL
