At least 20 current members of the US military signed up for the anti-government Oath Keepers militia at some point since its founding in 2009 - with 14 of them using their official military emails - despite Defense Department rules against participating in 'extremist activities.'
Overall, 81 people signed up for the Oath Keepers while in uniform, according to a USA Today analysis of a list released last fall by the nonprofit whistleblower collective DDoSecrets.
The Defense Department has known of members' involvement in extremist groups for decades, but it has relied on a policy that only banned them from actively advocating for them. The rules were beefed up in December in response to the January 6 Capitol riot.
Some say they signed up for the group at gun shows or other events without knowing what it stood for. Others touted their military training, such as shooting and recruiting, in case the group had to defend the Constitution against an attack.
In all, 19 members or associates of the Oath Keepers face charges of corruptly obstructing an official proceeding by traveling to Washington to stop lawmakers from declaring Joe Biden winner of the 2020 presidential election.
On Friday, Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes appeared in court on multiple charges, including seditious conspiracy, for his role in the riot.
A Defense Department spokesman said the department doesn't 'tolerate extremists in our ranks' and that individual supervisors can use 'the full range of administrative and disciplinary actions, including administrative separation or appropriate criminal action' to deal with any such links.
At least 20 current members of the military have signed up for the anti-government Oath Keepers militia since its inception, according to a USA Today analysis of leaked data
Members of the group, which believes that it may have to act violently if the government seizes its citizens' guns, have been arrested for taking part in the January 6 Capitol riot (above)
Anthony Guadagnino (left), a recruiter for the New York Army National Guard, said that joining was a mistake. US Marine William Potting (right) said he thought the Oath Keepers were a pro-Constitution veterans' group and that he unsubscribed after getting too many emails
The Department of Defense says it 'doesn't tolerate' extremists and that any discipline is handled by direct supervisors within the members' branches. Above, troops salute President Biden's motorcade on Inauguration Day last year
The Department of Defense routed DailyMail.com to the individual military branches for comment. The branches did not immediately respond to questions asking if the 20 service members will be disciplined.
Navy spokeswoman Priscilla Rodriguez told USA Today: 'Sailor participation in supremacist or extremist activities is directly contrary to professionalism standards which all Sailors are expected to follow. We will investigate reports of misconduct and those found in violation of the Navy's policies will be held accountable.'
In October, the newspaper confirmed that 40 current and former law enforcement officials have also signed up with the group based on the same leaked list from DDoSecrets.
Some service members signed up for the Oath Keepers with their official .mil email addresses.
Army veteran Jason Kobylarz, who signed up for the group in 2010, said this was probably because they weren't tech savvy and only had that one email at the time.
The Oath Keepers were founded in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009.
The group 'claims to defend the Constitution' and is 'based on a set of baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy Americans’ liberties,' according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Members of the Oath Keepers believe that the government may at one point plan to seize all Americans' guns.
'The groups' fears around government overreach are most clearly exemplified in the group's list of 10 "Orders We Will Not Obey" – a compendium of perceived but unrealized threats from the government. Examples of these orders include the government imposing martial law, confiscating citizens’ guns and forcing Americans into concentration camps,' according to the SPLC.
The center had previously sent the Department of Defense a leaked membership list featuring members of the military back in 2018, USA Today reports.
Joshua Hockman, a fire control specialist with the Army National Guard in Florida, said he hadn't been involved with the Oath Keepers in almost 10 years and never finished paying his dues
Some members, like Coast Guard veteran Matthew Rupp (left) signed up with their official military email addresses. Others, like Army veteran Jeremiah Pulaski (right) touted their skills gained in the military
Susan Corke, the intelligence project director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the Oath Keepers purposely target military and law enforcement.
'Their ultimate goal is a hard-right ethnostate, and they're prepared to take up arms to do so, and they're actively preparing,' Corke said. 'The tactical expertise of military and law enforcement is very, very attractive to the Oath Keepers.'
Jeremiah Pulaski, an Army veteran living in Arizona, said: 'I'm not sure I’m an Infantry man so I’m limited. But if needed I’ll get the job done.'
Matthew Vanderboegh has served in the US Army Reserve since 2000 and signed up for the Oath Keepers in 2010. He wrote in a form that he could help with 'recruitment' and 'passing out fliers.' Vanderboegh is also the son of the co-founder of the Three Percenters, another far-right militia.
'This is a really, really serious problem,' said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and former head of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence
