FBI Accuses Trump Appointee Federico Klein of Assaulting Officers During Capitol Riot

Federico Klein, right, is seen fighting with law enforcement officers in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. FBI

An appointee of former President Donald Trump has been charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, according to a new court filing.

Federico “Freddie” Klein resisted law enforcement officers, attempted to steal from them, and assaulted them, an FBI special agent wrote in an affidavit.

In one portion of surveillance footage, a man appearing to be Klein entered at 2:43 p.m. a tunnel that leads to a Capitol building entrance. The man was seen pushing his way to the front of the crowd, where he “physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line,” the agent said.

The same man, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, was spotted about 12 minutes later seemingly trying to steal something from the officers protecting the doorway.

The male was recorded soon after trying to push through the first of two sets of doors to the building, defying commands from a Washington police sergeant to back up.

Instead, “he violently shoved a riot shield that apparently had been taken from an officer, towards the officers trying to stop the mob from gaining access to the building,” the affidavit states. “In doing so, KLEIN pushed the riot shield in between the doors to the Capitol, preventing officers from closing the doors.”

Fifteen minutes later, Klein was still fighting the officers. He was ultimately displaced by a chemical irritant spray utilized by an officer.

A different video showed Klein calling for “fresh people” to push through the officers, according to the FBI. Another clip showed Klein helping an officer who had been dragged into the crowd back towards the tunnel.

Klein was accused of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, knowingly engaging in disorderly conduct or disruptive conduct, and committing physical violence against a person in any restricted building or grounds.

Federico Klein, top second from left, is seen in a handout by the FBI seeking information on the breach of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. FBI

Klein’s photograph was distributed by the bureau on Jan. 30 and an anonymous tipster gave the FBI information about the man, including his Facebook profile.

Another tipster told the FBI that he or she knew Klein and provided both his Facebook page and LinkedIn account.

The latter showed that Klein was a Department of State employee until Jan. 19, when he resigned. Klein on Jan. 6 still held a Top Secret security clearance that was renewed in 2019.

Klein was a political appointee who began working at the department in 2019 in the office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs, a former colleague said.

Klein’s Facebook page shows a number of photographs of Trump, as well as an image promoting a boycott of the National Football League and Klein posing next to a cutout of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In one post, he shared a meme that identified himself as a Christian conservative who is pro-life, pro-police, and owns a gun.

A message to Klein requesting comment on the charges wasn’t returned.

Klein’s mother, Cecilia, told Politico that her son had told her he would be in Washington on Jan. 6.

“As far as I know, he was on the Mall. That’s what he told me,” she said. “Fred’s politics burn a little hot, but I’ve never known him to violate the law. … While I believe, as he said, he was on the Mall that day, I don’t have any evidence, nor will I ever ask him, unless he tells me, where he was after he was on the Mall.”