Former Olympic swimmer and accused Capitol rioter takes plea deal, report says

‘Mr Keller is prepared to go forward’ with the deal, accused Capitol rioter Klete Keller’s lawyer says

Accused Capitol rioter Klete Keller, who was previously a gold-winning Olympic swimmer, has accepted a plea deal in relation to the 6 January attack, NBC Washington has reported.

“Mr Keller is prepared to go forward” with the deal, the former swimmer’s lawyer said in court in Washington, DC on Wednesday, according to NBC reporter Scott MacFarlane.

Mr Keller has been indicted on seven charges related to the January insurrection, including disorderly conduct, impeding a law enforcement officer, obstructing an official proceeding, and unlawfully entering a restricted building. It is not yet clear which of these charges he plans to plead guilty to.

A plea hearing and sentencing hearing are being scheduled, but the judge wants some changes made to the language of the plea deal first, Mr MacFarlane reported.

Before he was spotted at the Capitol riot, Mr Keller was a highly successful swimmer. He competed in three different Olympics, and won gold medals in 2004 and 2008.

When video footage first began seeping out of the 6 January mob attack, Mr Keller was recognized almost immediately. The former Olympian is six and a half feet tall, and wore his Olympic team jacket to the riot.

USA Swimming, of which Mr Keller was once a member, quickly denounced him after he was indicted.

“Mr Keller’s actions in no way represent the values or mission of USA Swimming,” the organization said in a statement. “And while once a swimmer at the highest levels of our sport – representing the country and democracy he so willfully attacked – Mr Keller has not been a member of this organization since 2008.”

At Wednesday’s court hearing, the DC judge reportedly asked Mr Keller if he’d been vaccinated for Covid-19. According to Mr MacFarlane, Mr Keller “very quietly and meekly answered ‘no.’”

When the judge asked him why not, the former Olympian reportedly said he’d already had Covid and “doesn’t need” the shot. The judge then ordered him to “talk to a physician”.

Mr Keller’s next hearings may be in person, meaning he and others present may be vulnerable to the virus if they are not vaccinated.

“It’s quite striking to hear Jan 6 defendants dig in on anti-COVID-vax position with judges...    just weeks before they’ll be asking those judges for mercy and leniency,” Mr MacFarlane commented.