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An Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who was a relay teammate of Michael Phelps was part of the mob of supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the US Capitol last week, video shows.
Swimmer Klete Keller was seen on video from the Capitol riot posted on Twitter by a reporter from the conservative news outlet Townhall.
Swimming news website SwimSwam first identified Keller, and he was later identified to the New York Times by former teammates and coaches.
Keller, who’s six-foot-six, was seen on video wearing a US Olympic team jacket that had “U.S.A.” printed across the back, and his face was clearly visible.
He was not recorded taking part in any violent acts inside the Capitol, though federal authorities have charged many people for just entering the building during the riot.
Keller, 38, won medals in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics while anchoring the 4×200 freestyle. In the 2004 race, Keller famously held off Australia’s Ian Thorpe to help his team, which included Phelps, win the gold by just 0.13 seconds.
His life post-Olympics, however, wasn’t as successful as he had hoped.
He told USA Swimming in 2018 that he had spent a period of time unemployed and living out of his car after a 2014 divorce, and had told NBC Sports that he misplaced three of his Olympic medals.
In more recent years, he’s been working as a realtor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Gazette reported.
A spokesperson for USA Swimming told ESPN that they could not confirm for deny it was Keller seen at the Capitol.
In a statement to Insider, USA Swimming said: “We respect private individuals’ and groups’ rights to peacefully protest but in no way condone the actions taken by those at the Capitol last week.”
Former teammates and coaches who identified him to The Times said they were not surprised Keller took part in the riot.
They told The Times that he had recently deleted his Facebook, but had previously shared pro-Trump rhetoric.
- Read more:
- ‘What the hell was it all for?’ Navy SEAL veteran facing FBI questioning about Capitol siege says things were taken too far
- New York City will end business contracts with the Trump Organization after Capitol siege, Mayor de Blasio said
- Philadelphia police confiscated a detective’s gun after social media posts suggested she was at the Trump rally before the Capitol riot
- The US Chamber of Commerce chief has called Trump’s behaviour during the Capitol riots ‘inexcusable,’ and said it may cut donations to lawmakers
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