Army investigating officer at DC rally
The Army is investigating a psychological operations officer who led a group of people from North Carolina to the rally in Washington that led up to the deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Commanders at Fort Bragg are reviewing Capt. Emily Rainey’s involvement in last week’s events in the nation’s capital, but she said she acted within military regulations and that no one in her group broke the law.
“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Rainey said she led 100 members of Moore County Citizens for Freedom, which describes itself online as a nonpartisan network promoting conservative values, to the Washington rally to “stand against election fraud” and support Trump. She said she didn’t know of anyone who entered the Capitol and that they were headed back to their buses hours before an emergency curfew took effect.
Rainey, 30, is assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, according to Maj. Daniel Lessard, a spokesman for 1st Special Forces Command. Known as PSYOPS, the group uses information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making and actions of American adversaries.
Lessard said there’s no indication other members of Rainey’s division were at the Capitol.
This isn’t the first time Rainey’s actions have come under scrutiny. In May, the captain made headlines after she posted a video online of her pulling down caution tape at a playground that was closed under North Carolina’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Police in Southern Pines charged her with injury to personal property.
‘Zip tie guy’ arrested in Nashville
A Tennessee man who had expressed pro-trump views and was accused by online researchers of carrying plastic hand restraints in the U.S. Senate during the Capitol riot has been arrested.
The Nashville man, Eric Munchel, 30, was being held in a Nashville jail Sunday on a federal warrant, online records show. An FBI spokesperson, Samantha Shero, confirmed the arrest.
The federal prosecutor’s office in Washington is handling the case.
“Photos depicting his presence show a person who appears to be Munchel carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cellphone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day,” the office said in a news release, which identifies him by his full name, Eric Gavelek Munchel.
His arrest follows extensive online efforts to identify the two men in photos carrying hand restraints in the Senate – one masked, one unmasked.
Online researchers identified Munchel as the man who was masked and a Texas man, Larry Brock, as the one who was unmasked.
Brock was also arrested, the prosecutor’s office said.
At this point, neither man is charged with plotting to use the hand restraints against people.
Each man faces one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Melania Trump speaks out
First lady Melania Trump broke her silence on the storming of the Capitol with a statement defending herself against what she called “salacious gossip,” while seemingly accepting election results.
In a lengthy statement titled “Our Path Forward” posted Monday morning to the official White House website,
Trump denounced violence and urged Americans to “rise above what divides us.”
She said her “heart goes out to” the people who died at or after the riot: Ashli Babbitt, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Rosanne Boyland and Capitol Police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood.
She said she prayed for their families’ “comfort and strength during this difficult time.”
The first lady criticized “personal attacks” on her related to the riot by supporters of her husband. She did not get into specifics, though CNN reported over the weekend that the first lady had been overseeing a photo shoot at the White House while rioters stormed the Capitol.
“I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week,” Melania Trump said. “I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me – from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”
Washington Monument closing until Jan. 24
The National Park Service is shutting down public access to the Washington Monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The agency said Monday that it was implementing the temporary closure “in response to credible threats to visitors and park resources.”
Park officials say that groups involved in last week’s riot are continuing to “threaten to disrupt” Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
As a result, officials are shutting down tours at the Washington Monument beginning Monday, running through Jan. 24.
They say they may also institute some temporary closures to roads, parking areas and restrooms on the National Mall and could extend the closures “if the conditions persist.”
Contributing: USA Today, Memphis Commercial Appeal