The FBI on Thursday arrested former State Department aide Federico Klein, a Trump appointee who worked on the former president's 2016 campaign, on charges related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, according to a court filing.
Why it matters: The 42-year-old Klein is the first member of the Trump administration to be arrested in connection with the insurrection, which led to the former president's second impeachment and charges against over 300 people.
Details: Prior to resigning from the State Department on Jan. 19, Klein — whose arrest was first reported by Politico — worked in the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs and possessed a "Top Secret" security clearance that was renewed in 2019, according to the FBI affidavit.
- Surveillance video from Jan. 6 allegedly captured Klein attempting to enter a Capitol tunnel with a mob of rioters. Police body cameras showed that Klein "physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line, thereby affecting their ability to disperse the crowd," according to the affidavit.
- Body camera and open-source footage captured Klein violently shoving a riot shield taken from an officer and "inciting the mob" — including by calling for "fresh people" at the front of the crowd — in his attempts to breach the police line.
The bottom line: Klein was arrested on charges that include unlawful entry, violent and disorderly conduct, obstructing Congress and law enforcement, and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.
