A federal judge dismissed the criminal case Tuesday against eight members of the Oath Keepers after the Justice Department sought to erase their convictions, saying he was required to defer to the executive branch despite believing the decision was not in the public interest.
After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated the defendants’ convictions at the Justice Department’s request, prosecutors returned to the district court and asked Judge Amit Mehta to dismiss the superseding indictment with prejudice.
Mehta granted the government’s motion to dismiss the indictment against the defendants, including Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes. …