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FACT BRIEF

Did leaked data show some elected officials in Wisconsin were members of the Oath Keepers?

By Erin Gretzinger
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YES

According to an analysis of leaked data by the Anti-Defamation League, six Wisconsin elected officials had memberships with the Oath Keepers, an extremist anti-government group. At least 11 Oath Keepers have been charged with seditious conspiracy or other crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Several of the elected officials from Wisconsin said they were no longer a part of the group, while others did not deny their membership or denounce the group. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism identified 81 government officials nationwide with connections to the Oath Keepers. Other Wisconsinites on the list were four law enforcement members, three first responders and a member of the military.

The data were compiled from a hacked list of the group's paid memberships. The leaked information was posted by the Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit journalist collective.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Anti-Defamation League The Oath Keepers Data Leak: Unmasking Extremism in Public Life
Wisconsin State Journal Elected officials from 6 Wisconsin communities on Oath Keepers membership list
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Journal Sentinel
NPR In a big Jan. 6 case, Oath Keepers go on trial for seditious conspiracy
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.