A former Trump State Department official who was arrested and charged in connection with the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, was given top-secret security clearance by the Trump White House despite his extensive criminal record, VICE News reported Friday.
The report alleges that during a crime spree, Federico “Freddie” Klein assaulted a woman and stole two items from her car during an altercation in 2013, just under four years before he joined the Trump administration as a political appointee.
According to VICE, Klein’s rap sheep goes back to 2013 when he was charged with public drunkenness and “had a half-dozen charges in separate incidents from 1997 to 2003” including driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession, and underage drinking.
On Jan. 6, Klein allegedly used a police shield to repeatedly attack officers. He was also caught on video trying to incite rioters to continue to attack police. Prosecutors say he only stopped assaulting officers when he was subdued by pepper spray.
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The court this week ruled that Klein had to remain behind bars because he “switched sides” and helped the rioters strike “directly at the heart of our democracy.”
