Klete Keller is facing criminal charges after law enforcement officers identified the Olympic gold medal swimmer as part of a deadly insurrection of the U.S. Capitol last week.
According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, Jan. 13, the 38-year-old three-time Olympian has been charged with obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The charges, which include an arrest warrant, were first reported by USA Today.
Klete Keller. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
An FBI agent wrote in a criminal complaint that he was able to identify the 6-foot-6 Keller, noting the Team USA jacket that Keller, a three-time Olympian, wore during the riot.
“PERSON 1 can be seen standing in the Rotunda still wearing the dark colored USA jacket, which also appears to bear a Nike logo on the front right side and a red and white Olympic patch on the front left side,” the agent wrote in the complaint.
Video from the incident appears to show Keller, wearing a U.S. Olympic team jacket inside the Capitol as the incident escalated. Swimming World earlier confirmed with sources that Keller was seen at the Capitol.
The affidavit charges probable cause that Keller violated statues that make it illegal to “1) knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so; and (2) knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions; or attempt or conspire to do so.”
Other allegations from the affidavit include to “willfully and knowingly (D) utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress, or the orderly conduct in that building of a hearing before, or any deliberations of, a committee of Congress or either House of Congress; (E) obstruct, or impede passage through or within, the Grounds or any of the Capitol Buildings; and (G) parade, demonstrate, or picket in any of the Capitol Buildings.”
The video does not show any violence on the part of Keller, though he is inside the building and part of what President Elect Joe Biden called an insurrection by supporters of ousted President Donald Trump.
Photo Courtesy: Screenshot from video Townhall Media via Julio Rosas
Town Hall reporter Julio Rosas had the initial footage that shows Keller.
One officer and one alleged protester were killed in the clash, while three others died due to medical emergencies, according to officials. The siege forced lawmakers to go into hiding for hours and halt their voting to affirm Biden’s victory. Another officer tumbled over a railing into the crowd below after being body-slammed from behind, according to multiple reports. Members of the media were cursed at, shoved and punched.
More than 100 arrests have been made in the days since.
“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,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement, though did not address Keller by name, saying the group would “evaluate any appropriate actions” after any identity was confirmed.
“At home, and around the world, Team USA athletes are held to a very high standard as they represent our country on the field of play and off. What happened in Washington, D.C., was a case where that standard was clearly not met. The people involved attacked the very fabric of the democracy we all proudly represent and, in turn, also let our community down.”
USA Swimming released this statement, “We respect private individuals’ and groups’ rights to peacefully protest but in no way condone the actions taken by those at the Capitol last week.”
Ms Hirshland: “rioters”? All 2 million? Or just those that were able (allowed?) into the Rotunda? Would you censor all protest? Where do we draw your line?
Mr Keller: thanks for attending / protesting for democracy. Let’s hope we haven’t lost both debate and dialogue on our way to Dominion voter machines.
Edwin Pyle
Shameful misrepresentation of an attack on the democratic process in which these people hoped to hang the Vice President and stop the certification of a free and fair election. You cannot rewrite this no matter how badly you and the rest of the klan hope to normalize your nonsense.
Edwin Pyle,
Please take off your horse blinders. To view those that entered the Capital as anything but rioters is ridiculous. To hear people justify their actions by saying, “We are tax payers, that is OUR house,” is also ridiculous. If you want to follow that logic, why not storm a Navy base and take one of your tax payer, paid for, nuclear submarines for a joy ride, after all, you paid for it! I could go on but it would probably be wasted breath. Stick your head back in the sand now.
Theo Ates
Five Americans dead. Vandals, thieves and bullies occupy congress threatening harm and death. Uncle Gomer has taught you nothing. Your parents have taught you nothing. Our education system has somehow neglected your citizenship education. But you do have a right to express your ignorance so continue on.
They are not called lines any longer, they’re called laws, and it took over 240 years of improvement to those laws to be where we are today. Debate and dialogue is how it has been for that long
……why change it to rioting now?