Ex-Olympian Who Wore His Team USA Jacket At The Capitol Riots Has Been Charged

An Olympic gold medallist who wore his Team USA shirt to the violent Capitol insurrection last week has been charged for his involvement in the riot.

Klete Keller was allegedly part of the pro-Trump group that vandalised the government building last week. The 38-year-old won two relay gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

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But, he now faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building and impeding law enforcement.

In the criminal complaint brought against him, authorities identified the Olympian using footage posted online. The document showed Keller's shirt and logo, with a close up of a logo for comparison.

Criminal Complaint

The complaint reads: "PERSON 1 can be seen standing in the Rotunda still wearing the dark-colored USA jacket, which also appears to bear a Nike logo on the front right side and a red and white Olympic patch on the front left side."

Criminal Complaint

Since he retired from his swimming career, Keller has worked in real estate, but following the incident, the company he worked for said he had resigned.

Hoff & Leigh released a statement which read: "Hoff & Leigh supports the right of free speech and lawful protest, but we cannot condone actions that violate the rule of law."

Sarah Hirshland, CEO of The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO, condemned the scenes that took place at the Capitol.

In a statement, she said: "As many of you know, there are reports of an alumni Olympic athlete involved in the horrific acts at the US Capitol building last week.

"I strongly condemn the actions of the rioters at the US Capitol. They do not represent the values of the United States of America or of Team USA."

After the violence - which resulted in the deaths of five people - the US president, Donald Trump, was impeached for a second time for his role in the incident.

A majority of the US House of Representatives voted yesterday (13 January) to impeach the 45th president of the Donald Trump.

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The final vote was 232 in favour, 197 against.

The impeachment of the president means that now the Senate will have to decide whether to convict Trump on a charge of inciting an insurrection.

Part of the article of impeachment reads: "Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States.

"Donald John Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office."

Topics: US News

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events. Soon realising you can't pay your bills with guestlist, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward