(Bloomberg) -- An alleged member of the Oath Keepers militia group wants to present evidence that his ailments and physical disabilities meant he was incapable of “charging up Capitol Hill” on Jan. 6 despite boasting that he would do so on Facebook.

Lawyers for Thomas Caldwell acknowledged in a Saturday filing in federal court in Washington that his Facebook statements make Caldwell “sound like a person capable and intent on doing great violence.” But they said he was just engaging in “macho” talk about acts he could never actually carry out due to his poor health.

“Evidence of Caldwell’s physical condition is relevant to demonstrate to the jury that he was incapable of engaging in the macho acts he mused about in private messages on Facebook,” he said.

Federal prosecutors claim Caldwell, a former naval officer and Federal Bureau of Investigation employee, played a major role in the Oath Keepers’ Jan. 6 activities, including leading a so-called quick reaction force that was to deliver a cache of weapons to rioters if the insurrection spiraled into armed conflict. 

Caldwell is among the several alleged members of the militia group charged with seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge stemming from the insurrection.

The Saturday defense filing was in response to a government motion to limit evidence of his physical and mental health. Caldwell’s lawyers want to tell jurors about several surgeries, including a lower-back fusion, total hip replacement and a left arm surgically screwed to his shoulder. They also want his wife and others to testify that Caldwell is unable to run or jump, has difficulty climbing stairs and frequently uses a cane to walk. 

“Caldwell’s debilitations belie that he had the physical strength to engage in combat, assaultive behavior, ferrying ‘heavy’ weapons to others, or that he could even stand up on a boat in the choppy waters of the Potomac River,” they said.

Read More: Trump Can’t Be Blamed by Militia Group at Jan. 6 Trial, US Says

The case is US v. Rhodes, 22-cr-00015, US District Court, District of Columbia.

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