Defense attorneys want to depose a retired U.S. Army colonel and test pilot—among the longest serving members of the Oath Keepers—regarding the group’s long-standing role in providing security at events, civil disturbances, and natural disasters.
Retired Col. John Siemens, 76, would provide exculpatory testimony benefitting the five defendants in the Oath Keepers seditious-conspiracy trial, but cannot come to Washington due to seriously declining health, attorneys said.
Two attorneys for Oath Keepers defendant Kelly Meggs petitioned U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta for permission to take a deposition from Siemens in Texas, where he is convalescing after suffering two strokes and two heart attacks….