A member of the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers is now saying in court that she was not, in fact, hired by the Secret Service to provide security before the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. Jessica Watkins, who is facing several federal charges including conspiracy and destruction of government property, made headlines Sunday when her defense attorney claimed in a court filing that she “met” with the Secret Service prior to the riot, and attended as “escort for the legislators and others to march to the Capitol.” The Secret Service denied working with civilians on security measures, but did not specifically say they’d never met with her. “Ms. Watkins does not suggest that she has any direct knowledge that her role as security was sanctioned by anyone other than people involved in organizing the rally,” the updated filing reads. “She certainly did not mean to suggest that she was hired by the U.S. Secret Service to perform security.” “A better verb would have been ‘encountered,’” her lawyer said.
