WASHINGTON—A U.S. Navy veteran has denied multiple charges against him—including seditious conspiracy and leading the Oath Keepers to bring weapons to Virginia for Jan. 6’s U.S. Capitol breach—in federal court in Washington on Nov. 15.
Thomas Caldwell, 68, is a disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Navy for about 19 years. While doing humanitarian service in the Philippines, Caldwell said he suffered various injuries that worsened throughout his life.
He comes from a family that served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Spanish-American War.
Caldwell’s decision to testify was unknown until the last moment and the court seemed surprised by his decision to do so.
Throughout the seven-week trial, the prosecution played multiple videos with Caldwell saying explicit things about Nancy Pelosi and allegedly threatening then-Vice President Mike Pence.
“Are you familiar with the Nancy Pelosi doorknob video?” asked his defense attorney in direct examination.
“Yes. Pelosi was a good person to poke fun at ...,” Caldwell responded.
Caldwell and his wife Sharon, who testified on Nov. 14, said they went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to enjoy themselves, and snap pictures and videos for the family record.
The Caldwells discovered the Oath Keepers at a rally on Nov. 8, 2020. Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder and a defendant on trial, noticed Caldwell saying a few words at a rally, liked them, and after they met he explained his organization’s purpose.
Caldwell and his wife decided to attend Million Make America Great Again (MAGA) march, which took place approximately a week later. Rhodes told him that many Oath Keeper members would attend the event.
He asked Caldwell if he knew of any farms to camp at in the area. The Caldwells offered to host them at their Berryville farm in Virginia.
A few days before the Million MAGA March, about 15 Oath Keepers arrived at their farm, including Rhodes and Jessica Watkins, another co-defendant. Caldwell said he didn’t meet Kelly Meggs or Kenneth Harrelson until the trial; they are the other two Oath Keepers on trial.
On Nov. 14, 2020, at the Million MAGA March, Caldwell said his role in the Oath Keepers was being a tour guide since he was born in the district and knew the area well. Before the event, Caldwell told the court he went to Washington to look for porta-potties, among other things.
Caldwell said the march had nothing to do with the Jan. 6 event since, at that time, it wasn’t even announced. He researched Antifa thoroughly but didn’t plan to fight with them.
“Did you come to D.C. to hunt humans?” questioned Louis Manzo, a prosecutor. Caldwell responded that he never hunted people.
Caldwell and his wife stayed at the Comfort Inn hotel in Virginia before the Jan. 6 rally, where he advised the Oath Keepers to stay too. He told the court he didn’t coordinate with the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) to have the Oath Keepers store their firearms at the hotel.
“Did you understand that the QRF was to attack the Capitol?” asked his defense attorney.
Caldwell responded, “no,” explaining that it was for providing security.
Caldwell denied finding a boat to allegedly transport the firearms stored at the Comfort Inn over the Potomac River.
He said that Watkins gave him and his wife Oath Keepers T-shirts to get to the VIP area to sit down and listen to former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Ellipse.
“I really wanted to sit down. There was no chair or bench,” Caldwell said.
His wife, during her testimony, told the court that she was not wearing a tactical vest as the government said but was wearing a vest with oversized pockets to store water to drink.
Caldwell denied deleting pictures from Jan. 6, 2021.
He said he copied them onto a memory stick that the FBI found at the time of his arrest. He testified that messages sent—where he mentioned civil war, killing politicians, and other similar topics—were just exaggerations meant for his friends in private conversations.
While he was at the rally on Jan. 6, Caldwell said he heard news reports about violence happening at the Capitol, including protesters stealing police shields, but he wasn’t witnessing anything. In the messages he was sending, he said, he was mocking the media.
“I am a little bit of a goof, but they [his friends] knew I was not able to do all those things,” Caldwell told the court.
Manzo questioned Caldwell about why he decided to happily march from the Peace Monument to the Capitol if he knew Congress was done certifying Electoral College votes.
“I was with my beautiful wife, and it was a great day for me as a historian and as a Washingtonian,” Caldwell responded.
Caldwell said the 180 messages he deleted from his private conversations on Facebook weren’t all about or from Jan. 6. He told the court that he wanted to switch to Parler. But before closing his Facebook account, he wanted to delete messages containing details about his wife’s health, pictures, and other personal data.
In the stand on Nov. 16, Caldwell broke out in tears, recounting his memories of when the FBI raided his home; he was concerned about his wife’s life.
“Please Lord, don’t let them [FBI] murder my wife,” Caldwell recalled sobbing.
Although he is not part of the Oath Keepers organization, he is on the same trial as Rhodes, Meggs, Watkins, and Harrelson.
The U.S. government charged Caldwell and the four Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, conspiracy to prevent an officer from carrying out any duties, destruction of government property, civil disorder, and tampering with documents.
The defense is expected to rest on Nov. 16 afternoon with closing arguments lasting until Nov. 18.
The jury’s deliberation could last through Thanksgiving.
