WASHINGTON —
The Justice Department has brought charges against more than 400 people who stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, but one of its most pivotal potential cases involves a man who never set foot inside the building.
The probe highlights the Justice Department’s focus on holding accountable leaders of militia and far-right groups whom prosecutors suspect played significant roles in encouraging and plotting the storming of the Capitol Jan. 6. It also underscores the difficulty in bringing cases against individuals who kept physical distance from the melee.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to build a criminal case against Stewart Rhodes, the firebrand founder of the anti-government Oath Keepers, on charges he conspired with members of his far-right organization to block the counting of electoral votes that day, according to federal law enforcement officials and a review of court documents.