WASHINGTON, D.C.—President and founder of the #WalkAway campaign, Brandon Straka, was arrested in his home state of Nebraska on Monday, January 25 for allegedly being involved in the riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Straka has been charged with impeding a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, and entering a restricted area without lawful authority. The day before the riot, Straka spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally held at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., which was to challenge the presidential election votes.
On January 11, the FBI received a tip that Straka posted on Twitter indicating that he was at the event. The video depicted a location near an entrance to the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in which he shouted “Go, go.”
In the affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week, federal investigators received a tip with a YouTube video of Straka on the Capitol steps yelling to others in the crowd “Take the shield!” from a Capitol officer. On January 11, the videos were no longer available on Twitter.
The footage found by the FBI depicts a man wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a face mask making it difficult to recognize him. Most of the footage has since been deleted. The initial hearing for Straka is scheduled in federal court on Tuesday, January 26.
