Hundreds of law officers, military and elected officials on leaked membership rolls of extremist Oath Keepers group

"The names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that’s accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday," Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael Kunzelman report for The Associated Press. "The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism pored over more than 38,000 names on leaked Oath Keepers membership lists and identified more than 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement agencies — including as police chiefs and sheriffs — and more than 100 people who are currently members of the military."

The organization "also identified more than 80 people who were running for or served in public office as of early August. The membership information was compiled into a database published by the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets," Richer and Kunzelman report. "The data raises fresh concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military who are tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the U.S. It’s especially problematic for public servants to be associated with extremists at a time when lies about the 2020 election are fueling threats of violence against lawmakers and institutions."

Though more than two dozen people associated with the Oath Keepers have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, the inclusion of a name on the list doesn't prove that person was ever actively involved with the group or approves of its ideology. "Some people on the list contacted by The Associated Press said they were briefly members years ago and are no longer affiliated with the group. Some said they were never dues-paying members," Richer and Kunzelman report. One Colorado sheriff said he distanced himself from the Oath Keepers years ago because of its increasingly extreme views.

"The Oath Keepers, founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, is a loosely organized conspiracy theory-fueled group that recruits current and former military, police and first responders," Richer and Kunzelman report. It asks its members to vow to defend the Constitution 'against all enemies, foreign and domestic,' promotes the belief that the federal government is out to strip citizens of their civil liberties and paints its followers as defenders against tyranny."