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Kelly CohenESPN
Klete Keller, twice a gold medalist at the US Olympics in swimming, was apparently among the protesters who invaded the US Capitol last week, according to video footage.
The video appears to show Keller, 38, without a mask and wearing a US team jacket during the rebellion. Keller was part of the United States swimming team at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, anchoring the 4×200 freestyle. In 2004, in Athens, he held Ian Thorpe from Australia to help his team – which featured Michael Phelps – win gold.
A spokesman for USA Swimming, contacted by ESPN, could not confirm or deny that it is Keller seen in the video, which was first reported by the swim news website SwimSwam. Several former teammates and coaches said they recognized Keller in the video, according to a report in The New York Times.
A Townhall Media reporter shared the now viral video from inside the Capitol Rotunda on January 6, and Keller reportedly appears around the 12-second mark.
“[W]We respect the rights of individuals and private groups to protest peacefully, but in no way tolerate the actions taken by those on Capitol Hill last week, “a USA Swimming spokesman told ESPN on Tuesday.
Keller had recently worked as a real estate agent in Colorado Springs with Hoff & Leigh. Your job has been confirmed for SwimSwam, but your profile has been removed.
Since then, Keller has deleted all of his social media accounts, although he has in the past posted his ardent support for President Donald Trump. His most recent public photos on Instagram are from 2017, at an event outside Boston.
The January 6 riots by pro-Trump supporters in protest against President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral certification resulted in the deaths of five people, including a United States Capitol officer. Since then, dozens of people have been arrested, and the FBI said on Tuesday that it has opened more than 160 case files and is investigating more than 100,000 pieces of digital evidence they have received.