Two-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Klete Keller was among the crowd of President Donald Trump’s supporters inside the U.S. Capitol during last week’s insurrection, according to reports.
A video posted on Twitter by a Townhall Media reporter showed a man believed to be Keller standing in the middle of a group that was pushing against police officers who were trying to clear the Rotunda.
The man is seen wearing a jacket with the letters “USA” on the back.
The New York Times and Washington Post said they spoke to former teammates and coaches who identified the man in the video as Keller.
NBC News has not been able to independently verify that the former Olympian was involved, and calls to numbers listed for him were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
USA Swimming said it was aware of the reports.
“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,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said it condemns the “violent actions of the rioters.”
“We support the right to peacefully protest and express values and viewpoints in a respectful and lawful manner — that is what makes our democracy strong. Sadly, that is not what happened in this case,” the committee said.
Keller, 38, has not publicly commented on his alleged participation at the Capitol, which was first reported by the swimming website SwimSwam.
The athlete, who was a teammate of Michael Phelps, was a member of three U.S. Olympic teams. He won gold in the 4×200 meter relay team event in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. He won silver in the event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
USA Swimming said he was last registered as a member in 2008. After stepping away from the sport, Keller worked as an independent contractor for Hoff & Leigh, a real estate agency in Colorado Springs.
The agency said in a statement that Keller resigned on Tuesday.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right of free speech and lawful protest but we cannot condone actions that violate the rule of law,” the agency said.
“We pride ourselves on our deeply held core values of family, loyalty, community and stewardship. We continue to stand by these values.”
Last Wednesday, hundreds of pro-Trump supporters breached the Capitol in protest of the Electoral College vote affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Five people, including a police officer, were killed during the incursion.
Acting U.S. attorney in Washington, Mike Sherwin, said last week that 55 people have been charged in connection to the riot with various offenses including unlawful entry, assault, theft and weapons charges.
Sherwin said federal and local investigators have been searching social media for photos and videos of suspects engaged in unlawful activity and those people are being arrested as quickly as possible. No video has emerged of Keller’s participating in any violent acts in the Capitol.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
