An Army psychological warfare officer is being investigated for searching for people more than 300 miles away to attend the Trump rally that turned into deadly riots at the Capitol, army officials have confirmed.
Captain Emily Rainey, 30, confirmed to the Associated Press that she addressed more than 100 people in Washington, DC on Wednesday, as part of a North Carolina protest group she leads, called Citizens for Freedom, from Moore County.
While his Fort Bragg commanders were reviewing his involvement in the rally, Rainey said he was fully aware of his plans to go and insisted that his group would not participate in the Capitol takeover.
“I was a private citizen and I did everything right and within my rights,” the avid anti-masquerade told the AP on Sunday, saying he was on leave at the time.
“I told my bosses before I went that I was going there, and I told them when I got back.”
His group, in addition to the majority at Wednesday’s rally, were “peace-loving and law-abiding people who did nothing but prove our rights to the First Amendment,” he said.
He even shared a video on Facebook where he insisted that riot police were antifa, saying, “I don’t know any violent patriots. I don’t know any patriot who smashes the windows of a national gem like the [Capitol]”.
Rainey is assigned to Fort Bragg’s fourth psychological operations group, according to Major Daniel Lessard, a spokesman for the first command of the special forces.
Known as PSYOPS, the group uses information and misinformation to model the emotions, decision-making, and actions of American adversaries.
Members of the U.S. military are allowed to participate in non-uniformed political organizations and events, but are prohibited from sponsoring partisan organizations.
It’s unclear if Rainey’s involvement with his group Wednesday goes against DOD policy.
Rainey made headlines earlier last May after posting an online video of him repeatedly throwing caution tape at a playground that was closed under North Carolina’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Police in Southern Pines, a community about 30 miles west of Fort Bragg, accused her of injuring personal property for the incident after leaving her twice with warnings.
In Facebook posts, Rainey called her “movement” to her Moore County citizens for freedom. In a November post, the group boasted of having a “peaceful protest,” warning at the time, “They should pray for us to continue like this.”
With mail cables