Government Official from Trump Administration Indicted for Participating in Capitol Riot

State Department Political Appointee Indicted for Riot Participation
First Case of Trump Administration Official Directly Indicted

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A political appointee at the State Department during the Donald Trump administration has been indicted for participating in the January attack on the U.S. Capitol. This is the first time a Trump administration official has been charged.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 6th (local time), Federico Klein, a former State Department employee under the Trump administration, appeared at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on that day. He was indicted for participating in the January 6 Capitol riot and assaulting police officers guarding the Capitol building. AP noted that this is the first case of a Trump administration official being charged and appearing in court.

Klein is accused of aggressively pushing police riot shields to break police lines and wedging a shield into the gap of the Capitol entrance door, which police were trying to close, to help other rioters enter. According to investigators, Klein was wearing a red hat with the slogan "Make America Great Again" (MAGA), former President Trump's campaign slogan, but changed to a red Marine Corps hat during the riot.

Klein was charged with six counts, including assaulting police officers with a dangerous weapon, violently entering the Capitol grounds, and obstructing law enforcement and congressional duties, and was detained on the same day. On the day of the riot, Klein held a security clearance for top secret information and resigned from the State Department on January 21, shortly after former President Trump left office.

He worked as an aide in Trump's 2016 campaign and served in the State Department from 2017 until this year in departments related to Brazil and the southern region of South America. Earlier, his identity was confirmed and he was apprehended after his photo appeared on posters issued by investigative authorities seeking tips on unidentified Capitol rioters, with informants including State Department colleagues providing information.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.