• The prosecution and defense painted very different pictures in the joint trial of a group of Jan. 6 defendants, including members of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia, when opening arguments and testimony started on Monday.
• Prosecutors allege that the group meticulously planned for months to use Jan. 6 as a springboard to start an armed insurrection to overthrow U.S. democracy.
• The defendants, who have pleaded not guilty to charge of seditious conspiracy and other charges, claim that the members of the Oath Keepers present were only attempting to legally provide security to the Jan. 6 demonstration, and were not involved in the bulk of the violence at the Capitol that day in 2021.

Tagged: Jan. 6 Fallout