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Video appears to show ex-Olympian at Capitol siege

Kendall Baker, author of Sports

Klete Keller (R) and the other members of the U.S. 4x200 relay team after winnning gold at the 2004 Olympics. Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images

Klete Keller, a two-time U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist, was identified by former teammates and coaches as being among the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, NYT reports.

Driving the news: Keller was charged with three federal crimes on Wednesday, including obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct, after infiltrating the Capitol during theviolent protests in Washington.

  • Keller competed in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, where he anchored the 4x200 freestyle.
  • In 2004 in Athens, he famously held off Australia's Ian Thorpe to help his team — which featured Michael Phelps — win gold.

Watch: A video posted on Twitter appears to show the 6-foot-6-inch Keller towering over a crowd that was pushing and shoving police officers.

The backdrop: Keller, 38, was an outspoken supporter of President Trump according to his social media accounts, which have since been deleted.

  • Keller had worked in recent years as a real estate agent in Colorado Springs.
  • In 2018, he revealed that he was "homeless" and living out of his car.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated Jan 14, 2021 - Politics & Policy

2 Virginia police officers charged over Capitol riots

A photo included in the criminal complaint released by authorities shows two men identified as the off-duty Virginia police officers gesturing in front of a statue in the Capitol. Photo: Department of Justice

Two off-duty Rocky Mount Police, Virginia, police officers have been charged over last week's deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The big picture: Dozens of people have been arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in the riot by supporters of President Trump. Over 160 case files have been opened, said Michael Sherwin, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Tuesday.

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Marisa Fernandez
2 mins ago - Health

OIG: HHS misused millions of dollars intended for public health threats

Vaccine vials. Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel alerted the White House and Congress on Wednesday of an investigation that found the Department of Health and Human Services misused millions of dollars that were budgeted for vaccine research and public health emergencies for Ebola, Zika and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why it matters: The more than 200-page investigation corroborated claims from a whistleblower, showing the agency's violation of the Purpose Statute spanned both the Obama and Trump administrations and paid for unrelated projects like salaries, news subscriptions and the removal of office furniture.

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Zachary Basu
4 mins ago - Energy & Environment

John Kerry: U.S.-China climate cooperation is a "critical standalone issue"

President Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday that the U.S. must deal with China on climate change as a "critical standalone issue," but stressed that Beijing's human rights and trade abuses "will never be traded" for climate cooperation.

Why it matters: The last few years have brought about a bipartisan consensus on the need for the U.S. to confront China's aggression. But as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, China will be a vital player if the world is going to come close to reining in emissions on the scale needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow