In a significant development, Kellye SoRelle, the girlfriend of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, has pleaded guilty to charges related to obstructing the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021. SoRelle, 45, a lawyer for the Oath Keepers, admitted to obstruction of justice and entering a restricted area during the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The charges against SoRelle stemmed from allegations that she conspired with far-right militias to obstruct the congressional session that was meant to confirm President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. Court documents revealed that she acted as a intermediary between Rhodes and Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, a leader of the Proud Boys, on the eve of the attack.

While SoRelle was not charged with seditious conspiracy like Rhodes and Tarrio, she still faces legal consequences for her involvement in the riot. SoRelle pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstruction of justice for tampering with documents, as well as a misdemeanor charge of entering restricted Capitol grounds. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two other counts from her indictment, including conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding.

During the plea hearing, SoRelle hesitated before admitting her involvement in sending encrypted texts urging fellow rioters to delete messages about their participation in the attack. She suggested that it may have been Rhodes typing the messages using her phone. Her admission regarding the messages formed the basis of her felony conviction.

Previously, SoRelle's trial was put on hold due to her apparent mental illness, as determined by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. However, it was determined that she had sufficiently recovered to participate in the plea hearing.

It is worth noting that SoRelle was not directly accused of any violent conduct during the riot. However, in plea documents, she admitted to writing letters addressed to former President Donald Trump before the attack, expressing support for taking up arms to protect liberty, echoing sentiments from the founding generation.

SoRelle now faces sentencing, scheduled for January 17. While the statutory maximum penalty for her charges is 21 years of incarceration, it is estimated that she may receive a sentence ranging from six to 16 months under federal sentencing guidelines.

This development comes after the Supreme Court ruled that federal prosecutors improperly charged many Jan. 6 defendants with obstruction. The court's decision has significant implications for the ongoing Jan. 6 riot probe.

The Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, saw a pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 election results. The incident resulted in the death of five individuals and the assault of 140 police officers. Several individuals involved in the attack have since been convicted and sentenced, including Stewart Rhodes, who was given one of the longest sentences of 18 years in federal prison.

As the legal proceedings continue, the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has held its final public meeting, referring four criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and others to the Justice Department. The criminal referrals are a significant step forward in the pursuit of justice for the events of January 6, 2021.