CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) – The military is investigating a psychological operations officer who led a group of North Carolina people to the Washington rally that led to the deadly riot in the U.S. capital by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Fort Bragg Commanders Investigate Captain Emily Rainey’s Involvement in the Events Last Week in the capital of the country, but she said she acted according to military regulations and that no one in her group violated the law.
“I was a private citizen and did everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Rainey said she led 100 members of Moore County Citizens for Freedom, who describe themselves online as a non-partisan network that promotes conservative values, to the Washington rally to “stand up against election fraud” and support Trump. She said she knew no one who had entered the Capitol and that they had returned to their buses hours before an emergency bell rang.
Rainey, 30, according to Maj. Daniel Lessard, a spokesman for the 1st Special Forces Command, assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group in Fort Bragg. The group is called PSYOPS and uses information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision making and actions of US opponents.
This is not the first time Rainey’s performance has come under scrutiny. In May, the captain made headlines after posting a video online about how she pulled down a warning tape on a playground under the COVID-19 restrictions in North Carolina.
Police in Southern Pines, a community about 50 miles west of Fort Bragg, have charged her with personal property injury. Police told WRAL-TV that they had left her twice before with warnings after she tore off the band that closed the playground.
The military has given Rainey ‘appropriate administrative action’ for the incident and according to Lessard, she submitted her resignation in September. He said the resignation process for an officer could take six months or more and that Rainey would leave the army in April.
Insurgents took over the chambers of the House and Senate in Washington on Wednesday, smashing windows and waving Trump, American and Confederate flags. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, were killed. The riot followed the protest where Trump repeated false allegations that the election was directed against him and incited his supporters to fight like hell.
So far at least 90 people have been arrested on charges ranging from violating curfews to crimes related to assaults on police officers, possession of illegal weapons and the death threats against Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif of the House.
Rainey said her group and most of the people who traveled to Washington were “peace-loving, law-abiding people who did nothing but show our rights for first amendment.”
Members of the U.S. military may participate in political organizations and events in uniform. However, there are reservations. The Department of Defense’s directive prohibits service members from sponsoring partisan organizations. It is unclear whether Rainey’s participation in her group on Wednesday was in violation of DOD policy.
Rainey said she attended the Trump rally while on leave, did not advertise that she was an Army officer, and told her bosses ahead of time that she would leave. “We are confident that justice will prevail which can prove our innocence,” she told AP.
In June, Rainey wrote an article for the online military publication SOFREP on compliance with the regulations surrounding political activities. “The more you know about the rules, the freer you become,” she wrote.
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Bleiberg reported from Dallas and LaPorta of Delray Beach, Florida.