NEWS RELEASE: Launch of Patriot’s Legal Defense Fund, Inc.
Contact: Robin McGreer
Executive Director (571) 969-1907
News@PatriotsLegalDefense.org
Alexandria, Virginia, City Jail (May 2, 2022) – Stewart Rhodes, Founder and Leader of the Oath Keepers, announces that the PATRIOT’S LEGAL DEFENSE FUND has been launched.
The Patriot’s Legal Defense Fund has set a goal of raising at least $5 million to assist the legal fees and expenses of various non-violent, peaceful Americans who demonstrated and exercised their First Amendment rights in Washington, D.C. on January 5-6, 2021.
Stewart Rhodes commented: “I am touched and encouraged that patriots, friends, family, and lovers of American liberty have undertaken this project. It is important to help make sure that every persecuted patriot will have the assistance of high-quality and effective attorneys to debunk false claims of prosecutors, Congress, and propagandists.”
The fund is focused on helping the legal defense of those who did not engage in any violence, damage of property, or harm to any law enforcement. Prosecutors and Judge Amit Mehta have admitted, in spite of over-blown indictments, that the Oath Keepers did none of those things. (The Board of Directors is not required to believe allegations they deem false after investigating the facts.)
Donations are being accepted by many methods, including at www.PatriotsLegalDefense.org . Executive Director Robin McGreer appealed: “Every donation helps, yet we will also be seeking large donations from those who are able to defend this country in a big way.”
Chairman of the Board, Col. John Siemens, explained: “We are here for the defense of patriots who are being persecuted in a campaign against all conservatives, patriots, and the MAGA movement. The Deep State has made clear that their aim is to prosecute Donald Trump and his family. January 6 demonstrators are being trampled as the last line of defense in front of Trump. Stopping this Salem witch trial hysteria now may be the best protection for conservatives against growing attacks later.”
Stewart Rhodes added: “Never did I imagine I would see the U.S. Government set up a ‘Disinformation Governance Board.’ Leftists view George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ as a ‘how to’ manual. Now, Biden has a Ministry of Truth. Donors should remember the warning of German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller. Help us fight this battle now, or there will be nobody left to stand beside you later. Your donation today may look like a bargain in the long run, in hindsight.”
The funds raised will be used exclusively to pay for attorneys, legal support, expenses, expert witnesses, etc., for defending against criminal charges and civil lawsuits. Funds will not be co-mingled with the funds of defendants or political organizations, but will be kept separate. The more raised, the more defendants the fund can help. Because the fund is a “non-stock” corporation, there are no owners; the organization cannot issue shares of stock.
Independent annual audits from an independent Certified Public Accountant will be published. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449 (1958) that the identity of donors and supporters are constitutionally protected under the First Amendment, the fund will be transparent about whom the Board has voted to help. Necessary expenses, start-up costs, and administration will be transparently reported. Obviously, the more money we can raise, the smaller percentage of funds will need to be applied to administration.
The Board of Directors must vote on each defendant or organization whose legal fees and expenses it will help defray. Other defendants or their family or supporters are welcome to submit details of their case for consideration. But obviously the more donations the fund raises, the more it can spread those resources among more defendants.
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