Collin County constable responds to inclusion on Oath Keepers member list
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — This afternoon, a Collin County constable responded to questions about his inclusion on a list of alleged members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Constable Joe Wright, a self-described "conservative Republican" who represents the county's fourth precinct, denied he supported the Oath Keepers or any other organization involved in subversive activities against the government.
The Oath Keepers is a loosely organized conspiracy theory-fueled group founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes that recruits current and former military, police, and first responders. It asks its members to vow to defend the Constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic," promotes the belief that the federal government is out to strip citizens of their civil liberties and paints its followers as defenders against tyranny.
Wright said in a statement that he "does not agree with or support any extremist groups or individuals who take subversive actions against our government."
He went on to say that when the Oath Keepers invited him to reaffirm his commitment to upholding his oath of office before he was first elected in 2011, he was not aware of the group's extremist beliefs and believed they simply encouraged elected officials to "follow the law and to uphold the Texas and U.S. Constitution."
The Oath Keepers had only existed for about two years before Wright's election, but by then the group already had come to the attention of anti-hate groups. The SPLC was aware of the group as early as August 2009, and the ADL has kept track of them since at least that November.
Still, Wright claims that beyond accepting the group's invitation to reaffirm his oath of office, he never was in direct contact with the Oath Keepers. His statement continues:
I never directly engaged with, communicated with, nor attended any of their meetings during that time, or any other time, nor did I ever renew my membership. I swore an official oath to protect and defend the Constitution and laws of this state, and the United States, and I shall continue to do so.
Wright declined to answer any further questions about his inclusion on the group's membership list, reiterating that he has no involvement with the Oath Keepers nor anyone connected to the group.
