Oathkeepers member charged in planning Capitol riot now denounces militia group, says 'humiliated'

"I'm not a criminally-minded person," the Oathkeepers Jessica Watkins said. "I am humiliated that I am even here today."
Capitol riot

The Ohio bartender and leader of the Oathkeepers militia group charged in connection with planning the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has renounced her affiliation and beliefs in the anti-government group.

The defendant, Jessica Watkins, is reportedly one of nine Oathkeepers who plotted the siege. At a pre-trial hearing Friday, she said she will disband her local militia group and cancel her militia membership.

"I'm not a criminally-minded person," Watkins told a federal judge at the hearing. "I am humiliated that I am even here today."

Federal judge Amit Mehta ordered Watkins to remain in jail until her trial, saying she still "presents a danger."

"There is a continued risk that once you are released that you will reaffiliate yourself with these groups," Mehta told Watkins.

Watkins pleaded not guilty to the four charges: conspiracy, destruction of government property, obstruction of an official proceeding and entering a restricted building.

"We're done with that lifestyle," Watkins said of her time in the militia group. "I have a struggling small business. I did it out of love for my country, but I think it is time to let all that go and focus on my business."