Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Capitol Police Officer Charged with Obstruction After Warning Jan. 6 Rioter on Social Media

Capitol Police Officer Charged with Obstruction After Warning Jan. 6 Rioter on Social Media
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

It's well established that on January 6, a mob of pro-Trump extremists, motivated by the former President's election lies, stormed the United States Capitol in hopes of preventing the peaceful transfer of power. The insurrectionists shattered windows, ransacked offices, and threatened the lives of any lawmaker perceived as disloyal to Trump. They even trampled one of their own co-conspirators to death, one of multiple casualties that day.

No one experienced the chaos and calamity more head-on that day than Capitol and D.C. Metro police officers, who stood in between the rioters and the lawmakers they were terrorizing. The rioters beat the officers, crushed them between doors, inundated them with racial slurs, and sprayed them with chemical irritants.


In his testimony before the House committee investigating the riots, Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell recounted the day:

"What we were subjected that day was like something from a Medieval battle. ... I bitterly heard officers screaming in agony and pain, just an arm length from me. ... I too was being crushed by the rioters. I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, this is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance."

The law enforcement that defended the Capitol that day has been universally praised for preventing the worst of the rioters' intentions, but now at least one Capitol Police Officer has been charged with obstruction of justice for siding with the rioters, despite the violence inflicted on his fellow officers and a wave of suicides among Capitol Police officers in the days and months after the riots.

The Justice Department has accused Officer Michael A. Riley of encouraging at least one rioter to hide evidence they'd posted to social media, warning that investigators were pursuing anyone who'd entered the building that day.

The court filing details that Riley sent a Facebook friend request to someone referred to in the documents as "Person 1," after seeing the person had been in the Capitol during the riots.

After Person 1 accepted, Riley wrote in a Facebook message:

"Hey [Person 1], im [sic] a capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance. Take down the part about being in the building they are currently investigating and everyone in the building is going to charged [sic]. Just looking out!"

They continued to exchange Facebook messages, with Riley noting that over 50 officers had been hurt and proceeding to advise Person 1 on how to avoid charges. Eventually, they exchanged numbers shortly after and spoke on the phone for nearly half an hour before continuing to text and exchange messages.

Reed later offered the person a free place to stay if they ever came to D.C. again, saying:

"Next time you want to come to DC just call me, you can stay at my house on the shore for free and bring your daughter to the museums. If you want to see the capitol building, lets do it legally this time...Its [sic] behind you now...lesson learned! Just ask your attorney whats next."

One of the Capitol police officers who testified before Congress—Officer Harry Dunn—appeared to be responding to the news on Twitter


Others were also disgusted to see a Capitol Police Officer so chummy with one of the mob that endangered his colleagues.




Others were astonished at the carelessness with which Riley broke the law.



It's unclear what Riley will plea.

More from News

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less