The judge and federal prosecutors in the criminal case against Freddie Klein, who has been charged after allegedly participating in the violent Capitol insurrection on January 6 while he was still working at the State Department as a Trump political appointee, slammed him for abandoning his duty to serve the country.
In a court document filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, the prosecutors argued that the “dangerousness” of Klein’s alleged involvement in the attack was exacerbated the fact that he worked for the government at the time.
“By his actions on January 6, 2021, Klein abdicated his responsibilities to the country and the Constitution,” they wrote.
“Despite the trust the country and government placed in Klein’s character, stability, trustworthiness, reliability, discretion, honesty, judgment, and unquestionable loyalty to the United States, Klein’s behavior revealed that his true allegiance lies elsewhere,” they continued. “Rather, Klein’s actions established that his own personal beliefs override the rule of law and that he will use violence in an attempt to halt the legitimate functions of the United States government with which he disagrees.”
The prosecutors also noted that police body cam footage captured Klein shouting “we just want a fair election,” echoing former President Donald Trump’s myth about the 2020 election being rigged against him.
Judge Zia Faruqui told Klein during his detention hearing on Tuesday that he had “switched sides” by joining those who attacked the Capitol and struck “directly at the heart of our democracy,” according to the Washington Post.
Klein, who was the first member of the Trump administration to be arrested for allegedly taking part in the insurrection, was taken into custody last Thursday. He has been charged with assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon, physical violence and disorder on Capitol grounds, unlawful entry and obstruction of Congress.
The former official worked at Trump’s 2016 campaign before he was appointed to the State Department, where he held top-secret security clearance.
The FBI’s criminal complaint against Klein describes how he allegedly attacked police officers as he and the rest of the mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol building. The complaint also included screenshots of surveillance footage and police body cams that purport to show Klein attempting to barrel past law enforcement and calling over other insurrectionists for help.
Read the court filing below:
