Arizona Man Convicted of Sedition Tied to Libertarian Presidential Candidate, Tech Titan, and Hollywood Actor

     The DOJ seditious conspiracy case against the Oath Keepers may go down as one of the most underestimated, important, and successful criminal cases in United States history. In January 2022, almost exactly one year after the January 6th insurrection, 12 people would be charged with sedition, or trying to use force to overthrow or oppose the government, which is essentially the domestic equivalent of treason. In March, April, and May, respectively, three of these people would plead guilty; in two separate trials in November 2022 and January 2023, six more men (including founder and leader Elmer Stewart Rhodes III) would be convicted, while three were acquitted of sedition but convicted of other serious felony conspiracy charges. One of these nine convicted of sedition is Edward Vallejo.

     Serving in the military for just under a year in the late 1970s before being discharged due to asthma, Vallejo had no criminal record and was apparently involved in supporting local veterans. However, there was another side to someone who on the surface seemed to be a model citizen. Vallejo had long espoused anti-government views, and, on January 6th, 2021, he gave an interview in which he hinted at impending violence after driving a truckload of weapons from his home to a hotel in Virginia. While there, he was seen on surveillance video loading the weapons into said hotel in tubs. Vallejo headed the "Quick Reaction Force" that stored and was prepared to deploy these weapons if necessary, and, while he never entered Washington, D.C. on January 6th, maintained constant contact with Rhodes and others throughout the violence.

     Arrested and held for several months before being granted pre-trial release, Vallejo has had among the strongest support systems amongst the far-right of any of the insurrectionists charged so far. Most notable among them is Adam Kokesh, a conservative activist and YouTuber who rose to prominence as an advocate for Iraq Veterans Against the War. He continued libertarian activism, organizing a silent protest at the Jefferson Memorial, holding an Open Carry March in D.C., protesting a cursing ban in Massachusetts, and twice working to support Ron Paul's presidential bids. An author and onetime host of a conservative radio show sponsored by Russian state media, he also got involved in politics, running in the Republican primary for House in New Mexico's Third District in 2010 but placing second.

     In 2020, he ran as a candidate for president in the Libertarian Party on the single-issue platform of the "orderly dissolution of the federal government." He was eliminated in the second round, but only after picking up a couple of noticeable endorsements. One was Cynthia McKinney, a former Democratic representative from Georgia turned conspiracy theorist and foreign expat. The other was John McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software and a noted libertarian figure who died by suicide to avoid the possibility of dying in prison for tax evasion charges. 

     That's not where Kokesh's high-profile connections end, either. He played himself and delivered a speech that appeared in the movie Alongside Night starring far-right actor Kevin Sorbo, and said speech was also played over the end credits of the movie. As it happens, Kokesh and Vallejo go back to well before the latter's indictment and ultimate conviction. Both Arizona residents were members of the Oath Keepers militia, and Kokesh and Vallejo appeared together in conservative radio and video spaces. After Edward Vallejo's arrest, Kokesh was the first to defend him to local Phoneix news stations, calling him a "threat to corruption" and implying that he was being politically persecuted. Kokesh also posted videos advocating for Vallejo on YouTube and, in a video, spoke to Vallejo via phone.

     I've reached out to Adam Kokesh for comment but have not yet heard back; I will update you all if I receive a delayed reply. For now, meanwhile, Ed Vallejo has been convicted of sedition and released to home detention in Phoenix until his sentencing at a date later this year. At age 63 and looking down the barrel of 20 years, he is likely confronting the very real possibility that he may spend the rest of his life in prison. What of the rest of it, however, of his connections to Kokesh and, therefore, Kevin Sorbo and John McAfee, among others. Is it simply the result of the far-right media and militia cultures being "small worlds?" (Although many, including the author, would argue that they are not small enough.) Are the connections more than superficial? That's what I'd like to find out. Adam, if you're reading this, I'd love an interview. The American people deserve answers.