An Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who was among the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol has been charged
- Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Klete Keller has been charged after taking part in the mob of supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the US Capitol last week.
- He was seen on video taken inside the Capitol building, and later identified by swimming news website SwimSwam and by coaches and former teammates who spoke with The New York Times.
- Those who spoke with The Times said they were not surprised to see Keller at the riot, and that he had posted pro-Trump rhetoric on Facebook in recent years.
An Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who was a relay teammate of Michael Phelps has been criminally charged after taking part in the mob of President Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the US Capitol last week, video shows.
Swimmer Klete Keller is facing charges of obstructing law enforcement engaged in official duties incident to civil disorder, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
It's unclear if Keller has been taken into custody.
He was seen on video from the Capitol riot that a reporter from the conservative news outlet Townhall posted to Twitter.
Swimming news website SwimSwam first identified Keller, and former teammates and coaches later identified him to The New York Times.
Keller, who's six-foot-six, was seen on video wearing a US Olympic team jacket that had "U.S.A." printed across the back, and his face was clearly visible.
He was not recorded taking part in any violent acts inside the Capitol, though federal authorities have charged many people for just entering the building during the riot.
In an affidavit filed in court on Wednesday, FBI Special Agent Matthew Barofsky said officials helped identify Keller through SwimSwam's article.
Barofsky also suggested Keller's height helped identify him, saying he appeared "to be one of the tallest individuals in the video depicting individuals" in the Capitol rotunda.
Keller, 38, won medals in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics while anchoring the 4x200 freestyle. In the 2004 race, Keller famously held off Australia's Ian Thorpe to help his team, which included Phelps, win the gold by just 0.13 seconds.
His life post-Olympics, however, wasn't as successful as he had hoped.
He told USA Swimming in 2018 that he had spent a period of time unemployed and living out of his car after a 2014 divorce, and told NBC Sports that he misplaced three of his Olympic medals.
In more recent years, he's been working as a realtor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Gazette reported.
A spokesperson for USA Swimming told ESPN that they could not confirm nor deny it was Keller seen at the Capitol.
In a statement to Insider, USA Swimming said: "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."
Former teammates and coaches who identified him to The Times said they were not surprised Keller took part in the riot.
They told the paper he had recently deleted his Facebook, but had previously shared pro-Trump rhetoric.
- Read more:
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- New York City will end business contracts with the Trump Organization after Capitol siege, Mayor de Blasio said
- Philadelphia police confiscated a detective's gun after social media posts suggested she was at the Trump rally before the Capitol riot
- The US Chamber of Commerce chief has called Trump's behaviour during the Capitol riots 'inexcusable,' and said it may cut donations to lawmakers