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Klete Keller, an outstanding swimmer and winner of five Olympic swimming medals (two of which are gold), was charged on January 13, 2021 for his participation in the riots at the Capitol, located in the city of Washington.
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On January 6, 2021, violent protests were waged in Washington by Trump supporters calling the United States Capitol.
Keller was charged with entering or remaining in the building without legal permission, trespassing, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and interfering with law enforcement.
According to various media outlets, the two-time Olympic gold medalist belonged to the crowd of supporters in Washington. A reporter posted a video of a man pushing police officers while Trump supporters attempted to evacuate the Capitol Rotunda.
According to The New York Times, Keller was identified by his own former teammates and coaches as the man who pushed the police. “Several former teammates and coaches said they recognized Keller in the video for his size and for wearing a United States Olympic team jacket with ‘United States’ on the back and sleeves,” the article said.
Swimming news story SwimSwan was the first to report Keller’s identity after the video began circulating on the Internet following the “seizure” of the Capitol.
Matthew R. Barofsky, FBI special agent, wrote in court documents that he confirmed Keller’s identity by comparing the photos he was in with his Colorado driver’s license.
In a statement, USA Swimming told CNN, “We respect the rights of individuals and private groups to protest peacefully, but in no way tolerate the actions taken by those on Capitol Hill last week.”
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it condemned the rioters’ actions.
“We support the right to protest peacefully and to express values and views in a respectful and lawful manner; that is what strengthens our democracy. Unfortunately that did not happen in this case, ”the organization said in a statement.
In addition, after the protests, Keller had resigned “with immediate effect” from Colorado-based real estate firm Hoff & Leigh, where he worked for three years.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right to freedom of expression and legal protest, but we cannot endorse actions that violate the rule of law,” the company said in a brief statement to the outlet.
Keller is known for anchoring America’s winning team in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics in which he held off Australia’s gold medalist Ian Thorpe.
Keller won four other medals in three Olympics, including gold at the same event in 2008 in Beijing.
Although Keller has deleted his social media accounts, several of his followers noted that he has been posting pro-Trump messages over the years.