The entrance of the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office and County Jail. (AUSTIN JOHNSON/The Enterprise)
VALE – At least 13 Malheur County residents, including three law enforcement officers, at one point held membership in the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia organization, according to internal records obtained by a national group.
Nationally, the Oath Keepers gained notoriety this year as several members face federal charges for participating in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
But in Malheur County, they might be better remembered as one of the groups that flocked to defend the Malheur Wildlife Refuge during its 2016 occupation by a group of extremists.
Records of participation were disclosed by whistleblower group Distributed Denial of Secrets. The role of two officials in Malheur County was first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting . . .
