- A Maryland marketing company said it terminated an employee after seeing photos of him wearing his work badge inside the
US Capitol on Wednesday. - Navistar Direct Marketing said the unnamed employee was "terminated for cause" after it recognized him.
- Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, derailing a joint session of Congress. Five people died in the violence.
- Other companies are investigating and punishing employees they suspect of involvement.
A marketing company fired an employee after he was pictured wearing his work badge while taking part in the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday.
Navistar Direct Marketing, a direct marketing firm in Maryland, said in a statement that the unnamed employee was "terminated for cause" after the company saw photographs of what happened.
It said: "Navistar Direct Marketing was made aware that a man wearing a Navistar company badge was seen inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 during the security breach.
"After review of the photographic evidence the employee in question has been terminated for cause."
Post by Navistar Direct Marketing."While we support all employees' right to peaceful, lawful exercise of free speech, any employee demonstrating dangerous conduct that endangers the health and safety of others will no longer have an employment opportunity with Navistar Direct Marketing."
The man was pictured multiple times by press photographers in the Capitol on Wednesday, wearing a Trump hat, a hoodie commemorating Trump's 2017 inauguration, and carrying a flag that said "Trump is my president."
At one point he was seen standing with Jake Angeli, a QAnon influence also known as "the Q Shaman," who wore a distinctive horned hat and had his faced painted red, white, and blue.
He and other protesters forced their way into the Capitol Building during a joint session of Congress to confirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden in the November election.
Lawmakers were forced to retreat from the Senate chamber as police officers were overwhelmed. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer who sustained injuries while responding to the rioters.
It took several hours for authorities to regain control of the building. They eventually returned to the Senate chamber to finish the session, where they certified Biden's win early at around 3.45 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Other companies have also taken action against employees that took part in the attack.
Cogensia, a marketing data company in Illinois, said in a tweet that it had put its CEO on a leave of absence while it assesses his involvement.
The CEO, Bradley F. Rukstales apologized in a statement for entering the Capitol, calling it "the single worst personal decision of my life."
CNN reported that Paul Davis, a Texas attorney, is no longer employed at his company, Goosehead Insurance, after the siege. It is not clear whether he was fired or chose to go.
He said on Facebook, according to CNN, that he was "peacefully demonstrating" the whole time.
CNN also reported that Rick Saccone, a former Pennsylvania state representative, resigned from his role as an adjunct professor at Saint Vincent College after the institution launched an investigation into his presence at the Capitol.
The FBI is asking for the public's help to identify those who took part in the breach. They could be charged with federal crimes.
Biden called the breach an "insurrection" and "domestic terrorism."
In a speech Thursday he said: "Don't dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob - insurrectionists, domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple."
Trump on Thursday released a video where he called the siege a "heinous attack" and acknowledged that a "new administration" will soon begin.