Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers who prosecutors say called for a “bloody revolution” to keep then-President Donald Trump in power, described himself as an anti-racist Libertarian who believed the 2020 election was unconstitutional as he testified in his own defense on Friday.   

  Rhodes is the first of five defendants charged with riot conspiracy in federal court in Washington, DC, to testify.   

  The courtroom was packed during his testimony, and Rhodes choked up several times discussing his family, suicide rates among veterans and other issues raised by his attorney, Philip Linder.  He spoke directly to the jury and appeared very comfortable on the stand.   

  Rhodes explained to the jury that he did not believe either Trump or Joe Biden won in 2020 because the election itself was “unconstitutional.”   

  “I believe the election was unconstitutional and that made it invalid,” Rhodes testified.  “You really can’t have an unconstitutional election winner.”   

  Rhodes told jurors that, as he saw it, election laws in many states were changed by “executive authority” rather than through the state legislature.   

  “In a lot of states, especially swing states … you’ve had them put in new rules in direct violation” of state laws, Rhodes said.   

  “Everybody kept focusing on the computers” and other theories of voter fraud, Rhodes said, instead of the constitutional issues, which they needed to discuss before they could figure out “if there is fraud on the ground.”   

  Rhodes did not elaborate on specific laws that were changed.  CNN has found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.   

  Prosecutors alleged that Rhodes wanted Trump to stay in power and that the militia leader advocated a “bloody revolution” to secure the presidency.   

  Rhodes told the jury Friday how he was honorably discharged from the military and went on to study law at Yale, focusing on the Bill of Rights — which Rhodes called “the crown jewel of our Constitution” — and protecting civil rights. following the September 11 terrorist attacks.   

  Rhodes, a self-described Libertarian, testified that he founded Oath Keepers in 2009 to “reach, change and inspire” people about their constitutional rights.   

  Backing up narratives that he believed the Oath Keepers were racist or white nationalist, Rhodes said the organization traveled to various cities for racial justice protests, claiming the group was protecting “minority business owners” in Ferguson, Missouri.   

  “We really embarrassed the police,” Rhodes testified, “because we showed them how to do it right, protecting the business owners while respecting the rights of the protesters.”   

  The rules of the Oath Keepers, Rhodes claimed, specifically prohibit any member who “advocates the subversion of the United States.”   

  During the first weeks of the tumultuous conspiracy trial against the far-right group, prosecutors presented evidence that Oath Keepers had stored weapons at a Virginia hotel on Jan. 6 as part of a so-called rapid reaction force.  Prosecutors alleged that the five defendants intended to use those weapons in case they were called by Trump to stop the transfer of power to Biden.   

  Rhodes told jurors that was not the case and claimed the QRFs were created at an event attended by Oath Keepers to “respond in the event of an emergency,” including if his men were ever injured.   

  Oath Keepers also used QRF whenever they provided security, Rhodes said, including several events in Washington, D.C.  After the election, Rhodes testified that he was worried that Antifa would “attack the White House” and claimed that the left-wing organization threatened to “drag Trump out” if the president refused to concede.   

  In November, “I was worried that this might actually happen,” Rhodes told jurors, citing his rhetoric in a taped meeting prosecutors showed jurors in which Rhodes allegedly said “there’s going to be a fight.”   

  If Antifa did try to attack the White House, Rhodes said, “President Trump could use the Sedition Act, declare it a riot, and use me and other veterans to protect the White House.”   

  No such attack occurred at the White House.   

  Rhodes is expected to continue his testimony on Monday.