Twice Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller was among the crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump inside the U.S. Capitol during last week’s insurrection, according to reports.
AN video posted on Twitter by a Townhall Media reporter, it showed a man believed to be Keller standing in the middle of a group that was pressuring police officers trying to clean the Rotunda.
The man is seen wearing a jacket with the letters “USA” on the back.
The New York Times and Washington Post said they spoke to former teammates and coaches who identified the man in the video as Keller.
NBC News was unable to independently verify whether the former Olympic athlete was involved, and calls to the numbers he listed were not returned immediately on Wednesday.
USA Swimming said it was aware of the reports.
“We respect the rights of private individuals and groups to protest peacefully, but in no way do we tolerate the actions taken by those on Capitol Hill last week,” a spokesman said in a statement.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it condemned “violent actions by rioters”.
“We support the right to protest peacefully and express values and views in a respectful and lawful manner – this is what makes our democracy strong. Unfortunately, that is not what happened in this case, ”said the committee.
Keller, 38, did not comment publicly on his alleged participation in Capitol, which was first reported by the swim website SwimSwam.
The athlete, who was a teammate of Michael Phelps, was part of three Olympic teams from the United States. He won gold in the 4×200 meter team relay in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. He won silver at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
USA Swimming said it was last registered as a member in 2008. After retiring from the sport, Keller worked as an independent contractor for Hoff & Leigh, a real estate agency in Colorado Springs.
The agency said in a statement that Keller resigned on Tuesday.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right to freedom of expression and legal protest, but we cannot tolerate actions that violate the rule of law,” said the agency.
“We are proud of our deep-seated fundamental values of family, loyalty, community and management. We continue to uphold those values.”
Last Wednesday, hundreds of pro-Trump supporters violated the Capitol in protest against the Electoral College vote stating the victory of President-elect Joe Biden in the November election. Five people, including a police officer, were killed during the raid.
US Attorney General in Washington Mike Sherwin said last week that 55 people were charged in connection with the riot for various crimes, including illegal entry, assault, theft and gun possession charges.
Sherwin said federal and local investigators have been searching social media for photos and videos of suspects involved in illegal activities and that these people are being arrested as soon as possible. No video emerged of Keller participating in any violent acts on the Capitol.
