A new viral video is making its round on social media and the video appears to feature a two-time US Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller participating in the riot at the US Capitol building.
Here is the video below:
Trump supporters fought back after Capitol Police moved in to retake the Rotunda. pic.twitter.com/4e7mNyqWZy
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 6, 2021
The video appears to feature Keller, a 38-year-old former professional swimmer, among the rioters without a face mask on despite the strict guidelines in place to curb the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic. Keller, who is suspected t be the person in the video, wore a ‘Team USA’ jacket and was captured mingling with the rioters.
While a USA Swimming spokesperson has told reporters that they can neither confirm nor deny the identity of the person in the video, other observers have confirmed that the person in the video is indeed Keller.
The New York Times reported that several of his former teammates and coaches have confirmed that the person is truly Klete Keller. In the video, Keller was actively involved in the riots- joining in the mass of bodies that pushed against the police barricade.
Also read: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter block Donald Trump after Capitol invasion
The video upset several members of the US swimming community and some of the athletes are reported to have made complaints about Keller’s behaviour to the authorities. Sources close to Klete Keller have confirmed that he is an active Trump supporter but did not expect him to be part of the Capitol riot.
Meanwhile, the athlete has not made any statement yet. Klete Keller was a member of three US Olympic teams, and he won medals at three Olympics games. Gold medals at the Athens Games in 2004 and at the Beijing Games in 2008 as a member of the 4×200-meter relay team. A silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.
He will likely face legal charges for joining the Capitol rioters and if he is found to be guilty of violent conduct or theft, he would have to contend with the wrath of the law.
Hoff & Leigh, the agency where Keller worked as a real estate agent after his exit from sports, have now delisted him following the controversy.
An idiot. He’s gonna face the music.
Shameful