Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes on stand in Jan. 6 sedition trial

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes took the witness stand on Friday in his high-stakes seditious conspiracy trial as he tries to counter allegations that his far-right extremist group planned an armed rebellion to stop the transfer of presidential power.

Rhodes began testifying after prosecutors spent weeks laying out their case against him and four others accused of a violent plot to keep Democrat Joe Biden out of the White House.

Wearing a dark suit and tie, Rhodes faced jurors as he described his military experience and decision to start the Oath Keepers in 2009. Rhodes, whose stint as an Army paratrooper was cut short by a training accident, said he considers himself a patriotic person.