Capitol riot defendant makes first guilty plea in federal investigation

A member of the Oath Keepers, Jon Ryan Schaffer, has entered the first guilty plea in the historic investigation of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that has led to charges against more than 400 individuals.

The plea deal comes 100 days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, when hundreds of supporters of former President Trump stormed the legislative building, allegedly aiming to block the certification by Congress of Joe Biden as the next president.  In his plea agreement, Schaffer, 53, said he was a founding lifetime member of the Oath Keepers, a large, loosely organized collection of individuals and militias, prosecutors said. Schaffer — a guitarist and member of the heavy metal band "Iced Earth" — wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray while in D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, and admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, the Justice Department said.