Former Olympian reportedly among the mobs that raided Capitol building

Klete Keller, former teammate of Michael Phelps and a five-time Olympic medalist , was among the congregation of President Trump supporters who incited the U.S. Capitol riots previous week.

Screenshot From Townhall Media/Julio Rosas Via : swimswam.com

Keller, 38, a popular swimmer who represented the United States at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2008, was seen soaring in along with other Trump supporters inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda wearing a Team USA jacket. The video was taken by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas, and Keller’s participation was first reported on Monday by a popular swimming website, SwimSwam.

Keller, has not answered any public comments about his presence at the Capitol. He did not return phone messages or emails asking for comment on Monday and Tuesday, his telephone was no longer accepting messages.

After the video surfaced, many people have informed the FBI and law enforcement on social media about Keller’s apparent participation in the riot, which resulted in five deaths, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Standing 6-foot-6 and wearing a familiar Olympic jacket, Keller was easy to distinguishfor many swimmers, coaches and officials who had competed with and against him over the years, two of them even said they recognized the maskless Keller in the footage. In the video, he can be seen in the Rotunda, at one shot, along with a group of Trump supporter mobs and law enforcement officers pushing against each other.

The jacket Keller was apparently wearing at the Capitol  with “USA” printed across the back and an Olympic patch on the front  does not seem to be one from his Olympic games but seems like one worn by Team USA members who participated at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

“We were not aware of this and cannot confirm its accuracy,” a spokeswoman for USA Swimming said on Monday via email. “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.”

After there news began to surface, Keller has deleted his social media accounts, where he publicly supported pro-Trump views.

Publish : 2021-01-13 19:16:00

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