Brandon Straka of WalkAway Campaign Charged After Capitol Riot

Brandon Straka, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who developed an online post denouncing Democrats as racist, anti-gay and violent, was accused on Monday of participating in the insurgency on Capitol Hill earlier this month.

An actor who describes himself as a “former liberal,” Straka founded the WalkAway campaign to encourage others to quit the Democratic Party, earning retweets from Trump as well as regular appearances on conservative television programs. On January 5, Straka was a speaker at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, DC. According to the Justice Department, on January 6, he urged rioters to force their way into the Capitol building – which can be seen in the video he recorded.

Federal charges against him include obstructing a law enforcement officer during civil unrest, knowingly entering restricted land without authorization, and disorderly conduct to obstruct a congressional hearing.

After going viral with a video in which he described why he quit the Democratic Party in 2018, Straka gained hundreds of thousands of followers and became a frequent commentator for media, including Fox News. He spoke out against the Black Lives Matter movement, he was banned from American Airlines in June after refusing to wear a face mask on a flight to Dallas, and he has been spreading lies about the election results of November on social networks.

According to a federal affidavit, at the Stop the Steal rally on January 5, Straka spoke for about five minutes, calling the movement a “revolution” and the participants “patriots.”

“We send a message to the Democrats: ‘We are not leaving. You have a problem! “” Straka said to the crowd.

The next day, according to court records, Straka was scheduled to speak again at the rally, and was on his way when he read reports that people had stormed the Capitol building.

In a video Straka posted of the events on January 6, he says he saw “nothing break” and “no one commit acts of violence”.

“I had no idea there had been any vandalism or violence or anything,” Straka says in the video.

One of Straka’s relatives then provided a video to the FBI showing him walking towards the entrance to the Capitol and pushing people in. The video was removed by Straka but reposted on YouTube.

“We’re going in, we’re going in,” Straka said, approaching the door. “Go Go.”

An officer attempts to ward off the crowd using a transparent shield, which rioters deflect, forcing him into the angry crowd, the video shows.

“Take it off him,” Straka said, according to the video and affidavit. “Take it! Take it!”

Moments later, some people can be seen walking away from the entrance.

“They use gas,” Straka says. “We are gassed right now.”

In the aftermath of the Capitol attack, Straka tweeted, berating Trump supporters and politicians who condemned the rioters.

“I’m completely confused,” Straka tweeted, according to the affidavit. “For 6 to 8 weeks, everyone on the right has been saying ‘1776!’ And that if the Congress advances, it will mean a revolution! So the congress is moving forward. The Patriots are storming the Capitol – now everyone is virtually signaling their embarrassment that this has happened. “

In another tweet, he criticized those who subsequently denied being on Capitol Hill.

“Also – be embarrassed and hide if you need to – but I was there,” he wrote on Jan.6, according to the affidavit. “It wasn’t Antifa on Capitol Hill. It was freedom-loving Patriots who were desperate to fight for the hope of our Republic because literally no one concerns them. Anyone can denounce them. I won’t. not.”

Straka’s Twitter account has since been made private and many posts have been deleted, according to the affidavit provided by the FBI. However, officers were able to obtain copies of the video and screenshots of the tweets.

Straka did not respond to BuzzFeed News requests for comment.