An Army officer is being investigated for joining last week’s demonstration in support of President Donald Trump and the subsequent deadly rebellion on the United States Capitol, according to an Army spokesman.
Emily Rainey, a 30-year-old psychological operations officer serving in Fort Bragg, told the Associated Press that she led 100 members of a conservative defense group in North Carolina to Washington, DC, on Wednesday “to take a stand against the electoral fraud “.
“I was an ordinary citizen and did everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told the AP on Sunday.
Army spokesman Maj Dan Lessard told NBC News that the army has opened a new investigation into its participation in the rally and subsequent unrest.
“We are aware of her presence at the event and we are investigating her involvement to determine the exact extent. It is not clear at the moment whether she violated any laws or regulations for her presence or actions, which is why we investigated to determine the facts.”
Lessard said there is currently no evidence that any other service members have joined Rainey.
Although Rainey allegedly resigned after the investigation into her participation in the rally began, Lessard said she sent a letter of resignation in October and was approved in November to split from the Army in April 2021.
“As it was before, it was not tied to events in DC,” said Lessard.
NBC News was unable to reach Rainey via text messages or phone calls made on Monday and his voicemail was full.
Rainey denied entering the Capitol building and told the AP that she and her group, Moore County Citizens for Freedom (MCCF), are “people who love peace and abide by the law who are doing nothing but demonstrating our rights. of the First Amendment “.
The day after the Capitol rebellion, the MCCF shared a video of an unmasked group of peaceful protesters waving American and Trump flags and singing the national anthem.
“This is what a peaceful protest looks like. They should pray that we stay that way,” says the post.
The MCCF Facebook page was one of many that helped promote the rally in Washington, DC, sharing videos of unfounded electoral fraud conspiracy theories alongside posts promoting regulated travel to Wednesday’s meeting to oppose the certification of the Electoral College of President-elect Joe Biden.
The demonstration, where Trump spoke, culminated in thousands of his supporters storming the United States Capitol building. Five people died as a result of the crowd taking over the corridors of Congress, including a Capitol policeman who was attacked by protesters and later died from his injuries.
In a video post introducing himself as “Emily Grace”, Rainey said that the MCCF is a non-partisan group, which “means that we do not align with or respond to any political party”. The group lists its number one issue as “reopening North Carolina to pre-Covid standards” and opposes the mask and vaccine mandates.
For the “MAGA 10 million march,” according to its Facebook events page, the MCCF charged members $ 70 for a round-trip bus to Washington, saying the Republican Party provided the rent.
“The GOP rented a bus for January 6. We are leaving Belk Plaza at 4:00 am and arriving at Freedom Plaza around 9:30 am. Leaving DC at 6:00 pm,” says the event description.
Earlier this summer, Rainey had a small disagreement with the police that she broadcast as part of a social media protest.
NBC affiliate WRAL reported that Rainey was accused of material damage and banned from a playground after filming and sharing a video of herself removing the tape from a playground that was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“All of you freedom fighters, this is for you,” Rainey said to his camera before tearing up the electrical tape.
Speaking to WRAL, Rainey said that “healthy people should have their constitutional rights to meet and play with their children in the park.”
The police told WRAL that Rainey tore the tape in two previous instances and that the misdemeanor charges came after she ignored two previous police warnings.
The Associated Press contributed.