Oath Keepers Leader Jim Arroyo Says Militia Being Trained by Police
On 4/19/21 at 7:09 AM EDT
60 Minutes interview.
During the Sunday evening interview, Jim Arroyo, vice president of the Oath Keepers Arizona chapter, said serving officers were members of the extremist group and were helping with training.
Speaking with
60 Minutes Sharyn Alfonsi, Arroyo said: Our guys are very experienced. We have active-duty law enforcement in our organization that are helping to train us. We can blend in with our law enforcement. In fact, in a lot of cases, our training is much more advanced because of our military backgrounds.
“Our guys are very experienced. We have active-duty law enforcement in our organization that are helping to train us. We can blend in with our law enforcement,” says a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group. https://t.co/7fOee4i1gdpic.twitter.com/JT2sGCMOIL 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) April 18, 2021
Our guys are very experienced. We have active-duty law enforcement in our organization that are helping to train us, Arroyo told 60 Minutes Sharyn Alfonsi. We can blend in with our law enforcement. In fact, in a lot of cases, our training is much more advanced because of our military backgrounds.
Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver of the #79 Oath Keepers Ford, practices for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 5-hour ENERGY 200 at Dover International Speedway on May 31, 2013 in Dover, Delaware. (Getty Images)
The longtime CBS program also delved into the origins of the militia and profiled member Stewart Rhodes, who is said to have founded the outfit in March 2009. The right-wing militia group has since been spotted at key standoffs, most notably when they stood with Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher, in 2014, when he was in dispute with the Bureau of Land Management over his use of federally owned land. At the time, they reportedly arrived armed to the teeth for a standoff with federal officers
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The largest chapter of the national militia group says Oath Keepers national head Stewart Rhodes "refuses to talk" with them. 60 Minutes reports on the group, Sunday.