Olympic Gold Medalist Klete Keller Has Been Charged for Participating in U.S. Capitol Riot
U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller has been charged in a federal D.C. court for participating in the deadly U.S. Capitol riot last week, court records show.
Keller was arrested on Thursday, per the Los Angeles Times' Nathan Fenno. He reportedly appeared in federal court in Denver on Thursday afternoon before being released on a "personal recognizance bond."
Keller, 38, was charged with obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint written by an FBI agent.
Through a "search of open sources," the FBI found a video credited to conservative news organization Townhall Media. Keller, who won a gold medal in 2004 and 2008, is seen in the video that showed the 6' 6'' swimmer standing over a crowd in the Capitol Rotunda. The person was wearing a U.S. Olympic team jacket that had "USA" printed across the back and had an Olympic-team patch on its front.
The two-time Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer was also identified by former teammates and coaches. The insurrection left five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol police officer. The news of Keller's participation in the event was first reported Monday by SwimSwam.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee issued a statement on Wednesday in response to his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots last week. However, the statement did not directly name Keller.
Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the USOPC, said the organization would wait for law enforcement to confirm the identity of the person in the video "and then evaluate any appropriate actions of our own."
"I strongly condemn the actions of the rioters at the U.S. Capitol. They do not represent the values of the United States of America or of Team USA," Hirshland said in the statement.
Last Wednesday, hundreds of pro-Trump supporters violently breached the U.S. Capitol as elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate met to formally count the electors who will make Joe Biden president on Jan. 20. The building went into lockdown as lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence were rushed to safety.
On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an article of impeachment charging Trump with "high crimes and misdemeanors" for inciting the violent mob that performed the insurrection on the Capitol.
The House voted on Wednesday afternoon to impeach Trump, making him the first president to be impeached twice. The resolution passed 232 to 197. According to CNN, he will be charged with a single article, "incitement of insurrection."
