WATCH: Anti-Muslim Activist Rages Against Oath Keepers For Refusing To Arrest Dem Sen.

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Anti-Muslim activist Jon Ritzheimer posted a video to Facebook on Thursday in which he raged against the Oath Keepers militia after it refused to help him arrest Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and vowed to kick him out of its organization.

“I’ll save you the trouble,” Ritzheimer screamed at the camera during the nearly 6-minute video. “I withdraw my membership. Keep my $40. You guys are clowns.”

Ritzheimer, who is from Arizona, posted an open letter Monday in which he vowed to work with militias to arrest Stabenow for her voting to approve the nuclear deal.

“She will be arrested for treason under Article 3 Section 3 of the Constitution,” the letter read. “We have chosen her as our first target due to our strong ties with the Michigan State Militia and their lax gun laws that will allow us to operate in a manner necessary for an operation like this.”

In the letter, Ritzheimer identified himself as a member the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters — two loosely-organized, anti-government militia groups.

But the Oath Keepers, comprised of current and former members of the military who vow to defend the Constitution against government overreach, quickly distanced itself from Ritzheimer and said he had been suspended from the group.

“He has now been suspended for his actions, and we are in the process of following our bylaws to kick him out entirely. We, in NO WAY condone his actions, and are in the process of putting out statements to our membership to inform them of such,” a spokesman for the group told The Washington Times.

Ritzheimer posted the video on Thursday in response. His mood appeared to be agitated but relatively calm in the beginning. He said he had been reading about how to “indict” someone for treason.

“I’m doing my homework, reading up on grand juries, sitting grand juries, reading Michigan legislature (sic),” he said, holding up various pieces of paper to the camera and rambling about the people who had come out against him.

That’s when his volume changed.

“What are you doing?!” Ritzheimer screamed into the camera. “Why is an Arizona man having to try and get an indictment for someone up in your area?! This goes nationwide!”

Propped up behind Ritzheimer was what appeared to be a Three Percenter flag. He didn’t mention The Three Percenter militia group by name, but addressed “all you patriots across the nation.”

“You think throwing a vest on,” Ritzheimer said, as he grabbed what seemed to be a bullet-proof vest that sat beside him, “and going in and sighting your rifles in — you think that makes you a patriot? You have no initiative!”

Ritzheimer held up a photograph of men dressed in military gear standing next to an armed vehicle.

“I’ve worn my gear. I’ve done my time. That’s the easy part,” he said, patting the vest. “You’re too busy rolling around out there shooting at tree stumps that you can’t sit there and do the real work — get an indictment. Present it to the sheriff. If they don’t uphold the law, that’s where the militia come in.”

Ritzheimer first made headlines earlier this year when he organized a protest and “Draw Mohammad” cartoon contest outside of a mosque in Phoenix.

He later went briefly into hiding and put his motorcycle up for sale on Craigslist to “buy more guns, etc.”

The U.S. Capitol Police said earlier this week they were working with law enforcement in Michigan to monitor Ritzheimer’s efforts to arrest Stabenow.

Watch Ritzheimer’s response to the Oath Keepers below:

Latest Livewire
114
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. What a wacko.

  2. “You guys are clowns.”

    Project much?

  3. "I’m doing my homework"

    Translation: “I read blogs”

  4. Look, Gumby. You wanna arrest her? You know where she is. Come and get some.

  5. Avatar for meri meri says:

    Would be much more believable if his ass had actually left Arizona at some point.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

108 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for beccam Avatar for ajm Avatar for meri Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for imkmu3 Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for grokenstein Avatar for kufpu Avatar for horrido Avatar for orthostice Avatar for jinx_tpm Avatar for mrcomments Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for exspectator Avatar for megsilvern Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for pshah Avatar for marksieving Avatar for antisachetdethe Avatar for gorehound

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: