Politics

Feds Accidentally Questioned Biden Staffer With Same Name as Jan. 6 Rioter

OOPS

The FBI reportedly met with John Richter, a Biden campaign staffer with the same name as a Capitol rioter.

Trump supporters take the steps on the east side of the US Capitol building.
Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Months after the Jan. 6 insurrection, two FBI officials showed up at the home of John Richter to question him about pipe bombs that had been left outside government buildings on Jan. 5, unaware the man they were grilling for information wasn’t the rioter they sought, but a Biden campaign staffer with the same name. The incident is detailed in Sedition Hunters, an upcoming book by Ryan J. Reilly that delves into the widespread efforts of the FBI and others to find those who stormed the Capitol, an excerpt of which was shared with NBC News. Two years after visiting the wrong John Richter, the FBI arrested the John Richter alleged to be involved in the insurrection. “I was always curious why they were asking me questions,” the other Richter said. “This might make sense now.”

Read it at NBC News