Indiana Sen. Scott Baldwin responds to record showing he is an Oath Keepers member

Kaitlin Lange Tony Cook
Indianapolis Star

Sen. Scott Baldwin is among the growing list of state and local officials across the country whose names show up on a purported membership list for the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia group with connections to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

The list that contained Baldwin's name — and thousands of others — was released to journalists by a whistleblower group.

Baldwin, a Noblesville Republican, denied he was a member of the group. He told IndyStar he made a $30 donation to the group during his unsuccessful campaign for Hamilton County Sheriff in April 2010 and has had no communication or interaction with the organization since.

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Initially, he said he had no recollection of any ties to the group.

"They've apparently changed significantly since I spoke to one of their representatives. Listen you're running for county sheriff, you're approached by an organization that bills themselves as a pro-constitution and pro-second amendment, it makes sense to make a $30 donation," he told IndyStar. "I still don't really know what they are."

Although he says he was not a member, the amount of his contribution corresponds to the cost of an annual membership in 2010 according to an archive of the group's website.  For that amount, donors received official membership status, a membership certificate "suitable for framing," a laminated membership card, two Oath Keepers bumper stickers and an outreach "start up kit," the website said.

Baldwin, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Indianapolis Police Department officer, stopped short of denouncing the organization.

"I'm not familiar with the organization, as I already said, but I can certainly say I don't support the violence that took place on January 6th," Baldwin said when asked if he would disavow the group.

Baldwin was listed in a file IndyStar obtained that purportedly contains tens of thousands of names of Oath Keepers members, released to journalists by whistleblower group Distributed Denial of Secrets. The information was part of data hacked from the Oath Keepers website. 

ProPublica identified nearly 50 state and local government officials on the list, including Baldwin. The list also includes hundreds of people who identify as active or retired law enforcement, USA Today reported. 

Both the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League refer to Oath Keepers as an extremist group that routinely encourage conspiracy theories. At least 18 people who federal prosecutors say were members of the Oath Keepers have been indicted for their roles in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Amy Cooter, a sociology lecturer at Vanderbilt University who studies militias, said in an email that the group has changed in the last decade, initially starting as an online-only organization.

But, she added, "I think that following the OathKeeper's involvement in Jan 6th, elected officials who do not disassociate from the group rightfully face concerns about their understanding of the Constitution and about their general loyalties."

Indiana Democrats called for Baldwin to denounce the Oath Keepers, or "for Baldwin to reexamine whether or not he is fit to hold his current office."

Scott Baldwin  is a Republican seeking the nomination for the District 20 seat in the Indiana Senate.

"Indiana Democrats have said since January 6 that Indiana Republicans are endorsing a form of extreme partisanship that divides communities and puts the safety of Hoosier families at risk," Mike Schmuhl, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, said in a statement, "and sadly, it’s becoming more true by the day."

Baldwin, owner of construction and real estate company Envoy, Inc., was first elected to the Statehouse in 2020 to fill newly-elected Congresswoman Victoria Spartz's Statehouse seat. He was backed by the four Republican Hamilton County mayors and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

During his first legislative session, he authored police-related legislation, including one that would crack down on protesters for obstructing traffic and another that would have prohibited a law enforcement agency from punishing an officer who used lawful self defense. The bills, a reaction to the Black Lives Matter protests, were unsuccessful.

He was also one of the first three Republican senators to sign onto a resolution emphasizing the Indiana Senate's commitment "to protect the constitutional right to keep and bear arms." That resolution, which is more symbolic than enforceable, said Indiana "will not comply with or assist in any attempts, state or local, or foreign or domestic, to restrict the constitutional rights of Hoosiers."

The language is similar to that used by the Oath Keepers, which emphasizes the need to defend the Constitution against all enemies, "foreign and domestic." The group has a "Declaration of Orders We Will Not Obey," the first of which is "We will NOT obey any order to disarm the American people."

The Oath Keepers, which call themselves "Guardians of the Republic," have differentiated themselves from other anti-government groups because of their focus on recruiting members of the U.S. military and law enforcement.

But they are not alone in Indiana, which has long been a hotbed for anti-government militia and fringe group activity.

Jon Schaffer, a Columbus, Ind., man who prosecutors called a lifetime founding member of the Oath Keepers, was among those who was indicted for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Shaffer, who is also the lead guitarist for metal band Iced Earth, pleaded guilty in April to unlawfully entering the Capitol in a tactical vest and an Oath Keepers ball cap, armed with bear repellent in an effort to obstruct Congress' certification of the U.S. presidential election results.

Armed members of a Westfield-based group called the Indiana Oath Keepers have stirred controversy taking up posts outside an Indiana school and a military recruiting station in the wake of attacks on such institutions elsewhere.

The Three Percenters, a loosely affiliated network of antigovernment groups, also have a presence in Indiana. In fact, another state lawmaker, Seymour Republican Rep. Jim Lucas, identifies as a three percenter (he even has the Roman numeral III tattooed on his bicep), but has said he is not part of any formal group.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.