It was one of the images of the pro-Trump riot that shocked the country and outraged members of Congress: a policeman wearing a red Make America Great Again cap and leading protesters through a crowd to the U.S. Capitol.
Within days, the officer was suspended.
The officer, identified by The Wall Street Journal as Lieutenant Tarik Khalid Johnson, told colleagues that the images were not what they looked like. The MAGA cap was a ploy that was part of an unusual plan to rescue more than a dozen police officers arrested during the January 6 riot, the police said he told them. And a witness said the lieutenant’s action allowed a set of doors to the Capitol to be closed, closing an entry point for more intruders.
Lieutenant Johnson, 45, is one of three officers suspended after protesters broke into law enforcement and put the lives of members of Congress at risk while they certified Electoral College votes to elect Joseph Biden as president. Investigations are active in the actions of several other officials that day, according to a congressional aide.
Other officials said Lieutenant Johnson, who voted as a Democrat registered in the Maryland primary last year, is not known to them as a Trump supporter, and some were surprised when a photo circulated of Lieutenant Johnson wearing the MAGA cap during the riot.