Trial begins for Oath Keepers' group, charged with crimes related to Jan. 6
Prosecutors on Monday began laying out their case in one of the highest profile trials in connection to the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The jury is being asked to convict five members of the far-right group, Oath Keepers, on charges of seditious conspiracy.
Those are the most serious charges to date related to the Capitol riot.
They're charged with planning an "armed rebellion" to stop the peaceful transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to the winner of the election, President Joe Biden.
Members on trial include Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Thomas Caldwell and founder Steward Rhodes.
All five are pleading "not guilty."
"The seditious conspiracy charge here really shows you tried to wage war on the most precious thing to us, the peaceful transfer of power," said Jessica Levinson, CBS News Legal Analyst.
The charges could carry a possible 20-year prison sentence.
A recent report by the Denver Post based on leaked membership logs showed a large number of members were in Colorado, including cops, military members, nurses, teachers and politicians.
In all, more than 950 Coloradans are included on the list of more than 38,000 members nationwide, which was leaked by DDoSecrets last year.
