- Jessica Watkins of the far-right Oath Keepers militia said she was protecting lawmakers during the Capitol riot.
- In new lawsuits, lawyers say Watkins has met with Secret Service agents.
- The US Secret Service told Insider “any claim that the Secret Service employed private citizens to perform these functions is false.”
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A woman arrested for her alleged involvement in the January 6 US Capitol rebellion said she was in the rebellion to provide security for lawmakers and other key people and met with Secret Service agents.
In new lawsuits this weekend, lawyers for Jessica Watkins, leader of the far-right anti-government militia group Oath Keepers, argued that Watkins was not a participant in the insurrection, but instead was working as a security guard for speakers at former President Donald Trump’s demonstration that preceded the insurrection that left five people dead, CNN reported for the first time.
“On January 5 and 6, Ms. Watkins was present not as an insurgent, but to provide security for speakers at the rally, to provide escort for lawmakers and others to march to the Capitol, as directed by the then president, and to escort protesters safely out of the Capitol to their vehicles and cars at the conclusion of the protest, “said Saturday’s court case.
“She received a VIP pass for the rally,” he continued. “She met with Secret Service agents. She was 50 feet from the stage during the rally to provide security for the speakers. At the time the Capitol was breached, she was still in sight of the initial rally where she had provided security. “
In a statement to Insider, a US Secret Service spokesman said he did not hire the assistance of any private citizen on January 6.
“To fulfill its protective functions on January 6, the US Secret Service enlisted the help of several government partners,” the statement said. “Any claim that the Secret Service employed private citizens to perform these functions is false.”
In the process, lawyers for Watkins, who has been in jail since mid-January, said she believed Trump would evoke the Insurrection Act and use the U.S. Armed Forces to prevent President Biden from taking office. Her lawyer said she and others “would have a role” in helping the former president in his attempt to stay in office.
“As wrong as they were, her intentions were in no way related to the intention to overthrow the government, but to support what she believed to be the legal government,” said Watkins’ attorney Michelle Peterson. “She took an oath to support the Constitution and had no intention of violating that oath or committing any violent act.”
As Insider reported on Friday, nine members of the extreme right Oath Keepers were accused of conspiracy to obstruct Congress with the January 6 riot. Three, including Watkins, had already been charged, but six new charges were announced by the Justice Department on Friday.
Prosecutors said in the indictment on Friday that the defendants planned to besiege the Capitol as early as November 3 and coordinated plans on social media for weeks before the DC uprising.
Watkins, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, also asked this weekend to be released for security reasons due to her treatment as a transgender woman. She claimed that she was “treated harshly” and is at “special risk in custody” because she is transgender.
So far, more than 250 people have been accused of the Capitol uprising.