The Oath Keepers, a right-wing military vigilante group that believe in disobeying the laws that it feels violates the Constitution, has offered its protection to Rowan County clerk Kim Davis on Wednesday, just in case U.S. marshals try to take her into custody again for refusing to grant marriage licenses due to her beliefs (which are that gay marriage is bad and wrong).
When the Oath Keepers first extended their offer, they did so with the justification that Judge David Bunning had violated Davis’s right to due process by jailing her for contempt of court. “This judge has assumed unto himself not just the powers of all three branches of government, but has also taken on the powers of judge, jury, and ‘executioner,’ ” wrote Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers’ founder and president.
The group also released a recorded phone call between Rhodes and the Jackson County, Kentucky Sheriff (!) Denny Peyman about offering this security detail to Davis. Here’s Sheriff Peyman’s take on the efficacy of this detail:
I still think it’s important that our presence be known there because it’s not an issue of marriage, it’s not an issue of a lot of things that they are trying to make the issue. The issue is still that a judge took an elected official, a citizen of the United States, and detained them without cause. Without paperwork, without due process. That is the situation. And I think while everybody else is kind of painting the picture in another way, I think the true picture is just what I said about the judge, and I still think he needs to know that he’s not out of the woods just because they let her out, you know? He’s still gonna be held accountable.
So the issue isn’t about agreeing with Davis’ stance on gay marriage, but about government overreach. No matter what the motivation though, the Oath Keepers won’t get a chance to make their point by protecting Davis. She declined their offer today. Al Jazeera America quotes a spokesperson from a conservative Christian group supporting Davis on her refusal:
“Neither Kim Davis nor Liberty Counsel heard of Oath Keepers before erroneous reports of their involvement in our case,” said Charla Bansley, a spokeswoman for Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group that has championed Davis’ cause.
“Likewise, neither Kim Davis nor Liberty Counsel supports or condones any form of armed resistance, violence, or force,” Bansley said.
(Via Al Jazeera America / Oath Keepers)