Federal prosecutors revealed on Friday that the Navy conducted its own internal investigation into Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, which uncovered several incidents in which he promoted racist and sexist views. The Navy Criminal Investigation Service interviewed 44 of his colleagues and 34 of them said he had “extremist or radical views on the Jewish people, minorities and women”.
Hale-Cusanelli, 30, has been charged with seven criminal charges, including obstructing lawsuits in Congress, civil unrest and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill. He has not yet filed an appeal.
His defense lawyer declined to comment on Sunday about the new details of the Navy investigation, but noted in court documents that Hale-Cusanelli claims he is not a white supremacist.
Colleagues told Navy investigators that Hale-Cusanelli made almost daily comments against Jews, advocated the death of newborn babies with disabilities and had “problems with women,” according to court documents. Prosecutors said they found racist memes on their phone, including one with the word n, one that compared blacks to animals and one insulting George Floyd.
A New Jersey federal judge ordered his release shortly after he was arrested in January, but the Justice Department persuaded a senior judge in Washington, DC, to block his release pending further review. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
A trail of hateful comments
Hale-Cusanelli worked as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle near Colts Neck, New Jersey. He had a “secret” security certificate as part of his job, prosecutors said.
The Navy launched its own internal investigation after Hale-Cusanelli was arrested in January, and nearly three dozen of his colleagues shared stories of his alleged racist and fanatical comments. Prosecutors highlighted the findings of the Navy in a lawsuit that advocates continuing their detention.
One of Hale-Cusanelli’s supervisors told investigators that he would approach new colleagues and ask, “You’re not a Jew, are you?” A non-commissioned officer said that they heard him say: “Jews, women and blacks were at the base of the totem pole.” Another contractor at the base said that Hale-Cusanelli told them that the Jews “are ruining everything and did not belong here,” according to the document.
In a shocking revelation, prosecutors said Hale-Cusanelli came to the base last year with a distinctive mustache that resembled Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. One of his supervisors told Navy investigators that they confronted Hale-Cusanelli about his apparent “Hitler’s mustache”.
Another Navy officer recalled that Hale-Cusanelli said, “Hitler should have finished the job.”
Prosecutors also found evidence to support Hale-Cusanelli’s extremist views after a search on his phone. They found a video where he allegedly defends the conspiracy theory that “the Jews made 9/11”, and another clip where he allegedly said, “I hate immigrants … intensely”.
On the day of the Capitol uprising, prosecutors say Hale-Cusanelli recorded a video of himself shouting obscene vulgarity at a police officer who protected the building.
Defense lawyer rejects
His lawyer, Jonathan Zucker, said in court records that Hale-Cusanelli is not a violent man and that he can be released into the custody of his close associates in New Jersey.
“Mr. Hale-Cusanelli is accused of crimes arising from entering and remaining on Capitol Hill, particularly crimes analogous to the invasion,” wrote Zucker in a court case. “He is not charged with crimes of violence or destruction. He never assaulted or threatened anyone.”
In an interview with FBI agents, Hale-Cusanelli denied being a Nazi sympathizer or having views of white supremacy, according to the defense files. His lawyer acknowledged that his client’s posts on social media are “controversial”, but said they focus mainly on local politics.
One of Hale-Cusanelli’s supervisors at the Navy base where he worked presented a letter defending Hale-Cusanelli and attacking the press. He refuted claims that Hale-Cusanelli is a white supremacist, noting that “he used to buy breakfast” for a black colleague.
“I was shocked at how he was slandered in the press about him being a ‘white supremacist’,” said the sergeant. John Getz wrote to the judge. “I never knew he was like that.”
Getz said he was “proud to have someone like (Hale-Cusanelli) serving under my orders”. (Since his arrest, Hale-Cusanelli has been prevented from entering the Navy base, where he worked with Getz.)
But prosecutors told the judge that this brilliant comment “directly contradicts” what Getz told Navy investigators. Getz told the Navy that Hale-Cusanelli was a Holocaust denier who made racist comments “playfully but not” and confronted Hale-Cusanelli about his behavior.
When FBI agents interviewed Getz about the discrepancy, he said he was not personally offended by Hale-Cusanelli’s conduct and wanted to “speak positively” about him to the judge.
Hale-Cusanelli was in the Army Reserve at the time of the siege of the Capitol, but has since been discharged, according to court documents. The Pentagon said he was a reservist since 2009.