posted May 27, 2023 12:11 AM            

Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the antigovernment Oath Keepers organization, was, at the time of publication, in federal custody awaiting trial for his alleged role in orchestrating events at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors' most recent allegations against Rhodes include that he attempted to contact then-President Donald Trump through an intermediary in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection. They further alleged that Rhodes, in a conference call with Oath Keepers members in the days following Trump’s election defeat, characterized Trump's opponents as a cabal of pedophiles.

In February, Hatewatch met with and interviewed Rhodes’ adult children: son Dakota Adams, 24, and daughters Sedona Adams, 23, and Sequoia Adams, 19, in Kalispell, Montana. Rhodes and his ex-wife, Tasha Adams, have three other children who are still minors, and are not included in this interview.

The conversation shed important new light on the psychology of the Oath Keepers founder and provided the untold story of the impact of his public activities on his family.

They told Hatewatch about living with Rhodes, his motivations for creating the organization, and the reasons for his alleged participation in the riot on Jan. 6.

To be clear, this story contains detailed allegations of domestic abuse. Those allegations reflect patterns in domestic abuse that researchers have repeatedly demonstrated.

Researchers have shown that it is very difficult to leave an abusive partner, and that the moment at which survivors do leave is often the one of greatest danger. If an abusive partner has access to a gun, it’s five times more likely that they will murder their partner.

Up to 99% of domestic violence victims experience economic abuse during an abusive relationship, and finances are often cited as the biggest barrier to leaving an abusive relationship.

And abusers often use social isolation to cut their victims off from friends, family and community.

According to the account of the Adams children, they and their mother suffered all these forms of abuse while they were living with Stewart Rhodes.