US Olympic swimming gold medallist, Klete Keller has been charged by the Justice Department for participating in the January 6 attack on Congress by supporters of President Donald Trump.
He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and obstructing law enforcement engaged in official duties incident to civil disorder, according to documents filed in US District Court in Washington, DC.
It was first speculated that Keller was involved in the riot when people began identifying a man who looked like him in a video taken by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas.
The video shows a tall man seemingly wearing a U.S. Olympic Team jacket, and former teammates and coaches identified him as Keller, The New York Times reports.
In the video, which was cited in the complaint against Keller, Capitol Police tussle with rioters and Keller was pushed back with the crowd by police shields.
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The complaint, referencing the Townhall video, notes that;
Colorado state records and publicly available information list [Keller’s] height at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and [the person in the video] appears to be one of the tallest individuals in the video depicting individuals in the Rotunda.
The 38-year-old, who won five Olympic swimming medals, including two relay golds, was filmed as part of the crowd that illegally entered the huge Rotunda hall of the Capitol after violent protesters forced their way in.
Photos from the Capitol show Keller wearing a US Olympic Team jacket and “appears to be one of the tallest individuals”. Keller is 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
Keller competed in the Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008, taking two golds and a silver in the 4×200 metre freestyle relays, and two bronzes in the individual 400 metre freestyle.
