Army officials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are investigating a psychological operations captain after she attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., that ended in a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Maj. Dan Lessard, a spokesman for 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), told the Washington Examiner the command is aware of Capt. Emily Rainey’s presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is investigating.
“It is unclear if she violated any laws or regulations, as the DOD encourages members of the Armed Forces to carry out the obligation of citizenship, so long as their actions are in keeping with DOD policy and do not impair the good order and discipline of the service,” Lessard said in a statement. “The investigation will determine whether further actions by the command are warranted.”
Rainey, 30, led 100 members of a nonpartisan network that promotes conservative values to D.C. last week to rally and support President Trump against what she deemed was election fraud. She defended her right to be at the protest but added she didn’t know anyone who entered the Capitol and that they headed back to their buses hours before an emergency curfew went into effect.
“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told the Associated Press.
Rainey is assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, a group that uses information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making, and actions of U.S. adversaries.
Lessard said she submitted her resignation last October, which was approved in November for a separation date set for April of this year.
Rainey said her group, and most people who traveled to D.C. for the rally, “are peace-loving, law-abiding people who were doing nothing but demonstrating our First Amendment rights.”
Army officials have been looking into whether any soldiers were engaged in the escalations at the Capitol, which violently ended with the deaths of five people, including one Capitol Hill officer. So far, at least 90 people have been arrested on various charges. Lessard said there’s no indication to believe any other members were present at the Capitol.
The riot took place hours after the start of a planned Trump rally held earlier in the day. Lawmakers and press were escorted to an alternate location and returned later to complete the certification process for President-elect Joe Biden.
After the certification, Trump agreed to a peaceful transition of power on Jan. 20.
