'Prison is a like a university for them': Former Oath Keeper warns of Jan. 6 prisoners' evolution

The founder of the Oath Keepers militia, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last week. Speaking to Salon, a man who served as the Oath Keepers' national media director and became close friends with Rhodes gave some insight into the militia leader and Jan. 6 insurrectionist's history.

Jason Van Tatenhove has previously talked about his experiences with the Oath Keepers in his book "The Perils of Extremism: How I Left the Oath Keepers and Why We Should be Concerned about a Future Civil War."

According to Tatenhove, Rhodes and others like him going to prison may just be the next step in their evolution as extremists.

"What happens when they are put into a federal prison and are going to do significant time when they were already building their own gang-like organizations, arming up, and taking action?" Tatenhove said. "Prison is a kind of university for them. What influence will Rhodes be able to wield behind bars? Will he continue with his plotting against democracy? DeSantis and Trump have said they would pardon many, if not all, of the Jan. 6 terrorists."

Tatenhove said Rhodes' path to radicalization was typical in the sense like with most extremists, his life didn't turn out the way he expected.

"Stewart wanted to be a hero character in his own mind. ... In the end, Rhodes can be explained as a brilliant guy with charisma studying different propaganda techniques and ways to influence people. Rhodes took that experience and then used it to create the Oath Keepers and engage in other types of social engineering," he said.

"Many of us look for scapegoats and make excuses before we accept that we are primarily responsible for our life choices and circumstances. For Rhodes, the federal government was something he could blame for his troubles," Tatenhove continued. "That resonated with many people from rural America who flocked to him—in that part of the country and subculture, Waco and Ruby Ridge significantly impacted how people think about the federal government."

Read the full interview over at Salon.