CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) – The Army is investigating a psychological operations officer who led a group of people from North Carolina to the Washington rally that led to the deadly riot on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Commanders at Fort Bragg are reviewing Captain Emily Rainey’s involvement in last week’s events in the country’s capital, but she said she acted within military regulations and that no one in her group broke the law.
“I was an ordinary citizen and did everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told the Associated Press on Sunday.
Rainey said he led 100 members of the Moore County Citizens for Freedom, which describes itself online as a non-partisan network that promotes conservative values, at the Washington rally to “fight electoral fraud” and support Trump. She said she didn’t know of anyone who entered the Capitol and that they were returning to their buses hours before an emergency curfew took effect.
Rainey, 30, is assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, according to Maj. Daniel Lessard, spokesman for the 1st Special Forces Command. Known as PSYOPS, the group uses information and disinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making and actions of American opponents.
This is not the first time that Rainey’s actions have been examined. In May, the captain made headlines after posting an online video of her pulling electrical tape at a playground that was closed under North Carolina’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Police in Southern Pines, a community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Fort Bragg, accused her of injuring personal property. The police told WRAL-TV that they let her escape with warnings twice before, after she tore off the tape that closed the playground.
The Army gave Rainey “appropriate administrative action” for the incident and she submitted her resignation in September, according to Lessard. He said the process of firing an officer could take six months or more and Rainey is expected to leave the army in April.
In Washington on Wednesday, the rebels occupied the House and Senate chambers, smashed windows and waved Trump, United States and Confederate flags. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died. The rebellion followed the rally where Trump repeated false claims that the election had been rigged against him and urged his supporters to “fight like hell”.
So far, at least 90 people have been arrested on charges ranging from misdemeanor violations of the curfew to crimes related to assaults on police, possession of illegal weapons and death threats against mayor Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Rainey said his group and most of the people who traveled to Washington “are people who love peace and abide by the law, who do nothing but demonstrate our First Amendment rights.”
Members of the United States Armed Forces are allowed to participate in political organizations and events without a uniform. However, there are caveats. The Department of Defense directive prohibits active military personnel from sponsoring party organizations. It is not clear whether Rainey’s participation with his group on Wednesday was against DOD policy.
Rainey said he attended Trump’s rally while on leave, did not announce that he was an army officer and told his bosses in advance that he would go. “We are confident that justice will prevail, proving our innocence,” she told the AP.
In June, Rainey wrote an article to the online military publication SOFREP on how to navigate the regulations surrounding political activity. “The more you know the rules, the freer you become,” she wrote.
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Bleiberg reported from Dallas and LaPorta to Delray Beach, Florida.