美国国家公共电台 NPR--Justice Department wins a conviction in a rarely used seditious conspiracy charge

Justice Department wins a conviction in a rarely used seditious conspiracy¹ charge

Transcript²

A jury has convicted Oath Keepers founder³ Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy for his actions surrounding the Capitol siege on Jan. 6. The jury rendered mixed verdicts for other defendants⁴.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Members of the Oath Keepers took a vow⁵ to uphold the Constitution. And that is exactly what a jury says the group founder tried to overturn.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Stewart Rhodes is the first person to be found guilty of seditious conspiracy, plotting to overthrow⁶ the government on Jan. 6 of last year. Members of his group took part in the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Their trial came in a courthouse just steps away.

MART?NEZ: NPR's justice correspondent Carrie Johnson covered the case.

Carrie, getting a conviction on a seditious conspiracy charge is rare. How was the Justice Department able to do it this time?

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE⁷: Yeah. Prosecutors⁸ have faltered⁹ over the years because that sedition¹⁰ charge requires them to meet such a high burden of proof. But the jury in this case felt that bar had been cleared, in part because of all the things Stewart Rhodes wrote in said before, during and after Jan. 6, like the need to be prepared for a bloody¹¹ civil war. One of the most damaging pieces of evidence in the trial was a recording¹² of Stewart Rhodes four days after the Capitol assault. Here's Rhodes on that tape from January 10, 2021, where he's talking about whether storming the Capitol was the right thing to do.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

STEWART RHODES: Maybe. But it also showed the people that we got a spirit of resistance. My only regret is they should have brought rifles.

MART?NEZ: Now, Stewart Rhodes was not alone, Carrie. What happened to the other defendants in this case?

JOHNSON: For all the talk from the defense¹³ teams about D.C. juries being unfavorable to people tied to Jan. 6, the jury in this case found each of the defendants not guilty on at least one charge. This was a sophisticated set of verdicts. Here are some of the takeaways. The jury also convicted Florida Oath Keeper Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy. But it found three other defendants not guilty on that important charge. All of the defendants were convicted of obstructing¹⁴ an official proceeding¹⁵. And most of them were convicted of tampering¹⁶ with documents after the fact. That charge can carry a long prison sentence, too.

MART?NEZ: The trial took two months. Fifty witnesses were heard.

Carrie, you were in there when the verdict came down. I mean, what did it - what was it like in there?

JOHNSON: Yeah. As the foreperson read the verdict, Stewart Rhodes kind of jerked his head downward and scribbled¹⁷ a note. His lawyer, Lee Bright, later told us that Rhodes, who was a graduate of Yale Law School, sent several handwritten notes with other things he wants done next, like setting up a likely appeal. The lawyer says he's disappointed, but he thanked the jury and the judge for their service. He says he hoped Rhodes' decision to testify in this case helped humanize him. But it's not clear that helped with the jury.

A, one more thing I saw in the courtroom - Capitol police officer Harry¹⁸ Dunn, who seemed to be moved to tears by the verdict - as the jury left the room, he let out a big sigh. You know, this has been a hard road for the law enforcement officers who reported for duty on Jan. 6.

MART?NEZ: What's going to happen next in this?

JOHNSON: Yeah. Sentencing for these defendants won't happen until next year. Most of them have already been in federal custody¹⁹ for a while now. That's where they will stay. As for the Justice Department, it has two more seditious conspiracy trials coming up, including one next month for the leader of the far-right Proud Boys group. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department is committed to holding people responsible for crimes related to Jan. 6. One of the key questions moving forward is just how high up on the ladder the new special counsel will get in that investigation²⁰.

MART?NEZ: NPR's Carrie Johnson.

Carrie, thanks.

JOHNSON: My pleasure.

1 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

9 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

10 sedition   

n.煽动叛乱

参考例句：

• Government officials charged him with sedition.政府官员指控他煽动人们造反。
• His denial of sedition was a denial of violence.他对煽动叛乱的否定又是对暴力的否定。

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

15 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

16 tampering   

v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• Two policemen were accused of tampering with the evidence. 有两名警察被控篡改证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. 正如哈里·伦敦预见到的那样，布鲁克赛德的D日行动抓住了不少非法改装仪表的人。 来自辞典例句

17 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

18 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

19 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

20 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。