A State Department aide appointed by Donald Trump was arrested on Thursday in connection with the deadly Jan. 6. Capitol riot, Politico reports.
Federico Klein, was taken into custody in Virginia on Thursday according to a spokesperson for the FBI’s Washington Bureau Office. This is the first known instance of a Trump appointee possibly facing criminal prosecution for the deadly riot.
Surveillance video from Jan. 6 allegedly captured Klein attempting to enter a Capitol tunnel with a mob of rioters. Police body cameras showed that Klein “physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line, thereby affecting their ability to disperse the crowd,” according to the affidavit.
Other videos from the Jan. 6 shows Klein shoving a riot shield taken from an officer and “inciting the mob” — including by calling for “fresh people” at the front of the crowd — in his attempts to breach the police line.
He has been charged with unlawful entry, violent and disorderly conduct, obstructing Congress and law enforcement, and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.
Klein worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign as a tech analyst, Politico reports, citing FEC records. He was then hired at the State Department, as a special assistant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and was designated as a “Schedule C” political appointee. He worked for a time in the State Department Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs and was later transferred to the office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests.
Klein’s mother confirmed that he was in Washington on Jan. 6 though she could not recall if he ever denied entering the Capitol building.
A Trump appointee allegedly present at the Capitol is the latest development that may tie Trump to the events of Jan 6. After the riot, it was reported that the Trump campaign paid more than $2 million to the organizers of the rally where Trump incited his supporters to storm the Capitol.
More than 300 individuals have been charged so far. Many have said they stormed the Capitol because they believed it was what Trump wanted after believing his lies that the election was stolen from him.
