NC Oath Keepers Splitting From National Group Over Capitol Riot

 

Doug Smith in MAGA cap

Very interesting interview appeared in the Whiteville News Reporter in which Doug Smith, president of the North Carolina Oath Keepers, disavowed what happened in Washington on January 6th and said he and his fellow NC members wanted nothing to do with those guys who sacked the Capitol. Whiteville is the county seat of Columbus County, which sits on the South Carolina stateline near the coast.

Back on January 6th, Doug Smith loaded up a group of his Oath Keepers on a bus and went to the Ellipse in Washington to listen to speeches about how the election was stolen from Donald Trump, a viewpoint they shared.

“We listened to Trump’s speech and went to the bus and our people got on the bus and we were going to go to the Capitol to hear more speeches,” Smith said. “We were coming up the [national] mall and coming up Third Avenue … and I heard the first explosion at that time, like a flashbang or something.” 

Smith said he could see the tear gas and initially thought it was ANTIFA or anti-Trump demonstrators clashing with the pro-Trump supporters.

“It became pretty obvious even at that distance that this was something else. We stood and watched … and I said, ‘This is it, we ain’t going no further,’ and we stood there probably 45 minutes and we turned around and got on the bus,” Smith said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think people would get up there fighting with Capitol police and entering the Capitol.”

Smith said it wasn’t until he and others got back to Columbus County that they learned about the extent of what happened....

“As far as Jan. 6, it’s an ugly stain on our nation’s history, and sadly, it’s going to be an innocent stain on the innocent people that were there to hear the speeches. I’m just praying for the days that our country will reunite. We’ve got to unite in this country; it’s starting to get scary now. The men of Columbus County and North Carolina will not be a part of anything that terrorizes anybody or goes against law enforcement,” Smith said.

The U.S. Department of Justice lists the Oath Keepers as “a paramilitary organization focused on recruitment of current and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified Oath Keepers as a “hate group.” Men and at least one woman affiliated with Oath Keepers in other states have been implicated in a conspiracy to invade the Capitol and to take over government. Doug Smith of Whiteville says he was more about helping people: “Our vision was to be a part of our local [law enforcement] departments in each county, where they can depend on us.”

“We’re ashamed, people are sick about this thing. We’re law-abiding citizens and when you get painted with a broad brush, I’ve always been worried about being painted as a racist, which is the farthest thing from the truth with our group. And never would I have thought [we’d] get painted as insurrectionists trying to overthrow the government. I love my country too much, that ain’t flying with me,” Smith said. “As far as Jan. 6, I will never attach my name or the men in this state to Oath Keepers again. We’re pretty hot about this thing.”

Dunno how thrilled local law enforcement would be to have armed "helpers" just waiting to be "depended on" for backup, and dunno how much I'd trust a local sheriff who welcomed such "help," but such is the fear gripping people who think they're white. They're terrified that some unknown and unseen hoards are coming to disarm them and enslave them in a multicultural hellscape, so nervous that they're willing to congregate on a winter day miles from home to pay attention to the fantasies of a would-be dictator. That's called "white supremacy adjacent."