Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes of Granbury is gearing up for his trial later this month on charges connected with the insurrection at the US Capitol and he can't use the "Trump Made Me Do It" defense.
Washington D.C federal judge Amit Mehta says the defense will not be able to claim during the trial that the Oath Keepers organization thought they were acting on orders from then-President Donald Trump when they took part in the deadly US Capitol riot.
The judge said President Trump had no authority to order anyone to try and prevent the certification of the Electoral College by members of the House and Senate, so attorneys cannot raise that as a defense.
And the judge is reining in how far the defense can go in cross examining Secret Service agents. They will be able to ask about the general area where Vice President Pence and his family were, but go no further.
Rhodes and other Oath Keepers are charged with seditious conspiracy. The trial in Washington D.C. is to start September 27th.
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