Former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller is ready to accept a plea deal for his involvement in the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Scott MacFarlane of NBC4 News in Washington, D.C., reported the news on Wednesday during Keller’s court appearance in D.C., detailing that Keller’s defense lawyer said he is “prepared to go forward” with the plea agreement.
Defense lawyer: “Mr Keller is prepared to go forward” in plea agreement.
Plea hearing and sentencing hearings will soon be scheduled, but judge wants some adjustments to plea agreement language
(Judge said “too much table-setting” included in current language)
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) September 1, 2021
Keller has been debriefed by the feds, per MacFarlane, and has a plea deal in place. However, the Judge reportedly wants to adjust the language in Keller’s current agreement, saying there’s “too much table-setting.”
According to MacFarlane, Keller told the Judge he was not vaccinated for COVID-19, claiming that he had already contracted the virus and didn’t need it. The Judge then told him to “talk to a physician” and “get his situation in order.”
This is an issue because some of the sentencing hearings will occur in-person at a DC court house.
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
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) September 1, 2021
Plea and sentence hearings for those involved in the insurrection of the Capitol will soon be scheduled.
MacFarlane had reported in early August that Keller was nearing a plea deal after initially pleading not guilty to the seven charges he’s facing in federal court.
Keller’s charges include:
- Civil disorder
- Obstruction of an official proceeding, and aiding and abetting
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
- Impeding passage through the Capitol Grounds or buildings
- Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building
On January 6th, supporters of President Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 presidential election, broke into the United States Capitol Building and clashed with police. The riot happened as Congress was tallying electoral votes in last November’s election, in which President-elect Joe Biden defeated Trump.
Multiple people within the swimming community identified Keller in video footage of the mob of people who had broken into the Capitol Rotunda. The 6’6″ Keller stood out in videos due to his height, and because he appears to be wearing his U.S. Olympic gear in the video. Keller represented Team USA in three Olympic Games: 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Keller turned himself in to federal authorities on January 14 after he was first charged.
I would also like to know this, I’m not familiar with the phrase in this context
Regardless of your political affiliation we need to come together as Americans and be more forgiving of Klete. Put things in perspective. After all, there are still people involved in our sport and running our sport that have done much worse than Klete. We have people in the sport that have committed sexual and physical abuse of athletes and USA Swimming employees and board members that covered it up, attacked the victims and committed massive insurance and financial fraud against the USA Swimming membership. Comparatively speaking, the outrage about this behavior is curiously underwhelming compared to that of Klete’s small involvement in the January 6 protest.
I agree! Let’s be more forgiving. But first, Klete needs to ask for forgiveness, acknowledge that what he did was wrong, and atone for what he did in a way that positively contributes to society.
Then we can talk about forgiveness.
You don’t get auto-forgiveness because your politics align with a creepy fabricated internet-persona who has gone so far as to make fake social media accounts to support the existence of his fake identity. You’ve gotta at least ask for it. Even the Catholics make you ask for it.
One action does not excuse another. Klete’s ok because there are other bad people out there is a silly thought.
Also Guerra, if this was Democrats storming the capital I guarantee your thought process would be different so get out of here with the “regardless of your political affiliation” bs. I’ve seen your antivax posts and other nonsense.
classic “whataboutism”. One has nothing to do with the other. Bring your US Swimming grievances to some other thread. This one isn’t about swimming, it’s about insurrection on Jan 6.
we always need to come together and be forgiving when it’s a crime of a crazy Trumpster but we will use our fists and the law to the fullest to punish when it’s a lib. You reek of double-standard.
Yea like no forgiveness on Cuomo and Hunter B. ?? Referring to Klete as a “crazy Trumpster” smacks me as idiocratic lunacy typical of lefties.
we always need to come together and be forgiving when it’s to acquit a crazy anti vax far right criminal but we will use our fists and the law to the fullest to punish when it’s a lib. You reek of double-standard.
What are you even talking about???
If that was just a “protest,” I must’ve been watching the wrong videos.
For the vast majority of people present it was a peaceful protest. FACT.
Best comment yet.
how could he have covid already if covid doesn’t exist?
Just let him go unvaxxed, then watch him get Covid again and never recover. Nature will take its course.
Its the delta variant that he will get highly contagious and severe illness.
Of course he isn’t vaccinated.
Sad to see Klete all pickled out by copious amounts of television & talk radio hooliganism. Because that’s what it is. I feel particularly sad for his family & loved ones. The younger jovial Klete was a bright light in the world. It’s terribly sad to see what happened to him over time.
I agree it’s sad, but I don’t think “it happened to him”. I think he made some big mistakes and is paying the price. He’s fortunate to get off with a plea deal. In the grand scheme of things, how fast you can swim 400 meters really doesn’t matter much.
Which current members of the U.S. Olympic or National Swim Team do you think will be next to foment an insurrection? This question is only partly rhetorical, as I’d love if people had some less obvious predictions.
Klete is hopefully the first and last
So you thought that comment warranted a response?
“very clever” MA teasing
I can’t be the only one thinking it after all the videos of his family at anti-lockdown “freedom” protests.
Zach Harting
In his batman costume
Except Zach will be on the right side of history!
Not surprising at all. The sense of entitlement that lead him to break into the US Capitol without expectation of hard consequences meshes well with the willful ignorance & selfishness his stance on vaccination shows.