Trump State Department appointee Federico Klein offered plea deal in Capitol riot case

WASHINGTON – Plea negotiations are underway in the case of Federico Klein, a former Trump State Department appointee who’s accused of charging a police line during the deadly Capitol assault Jan. 6.

Prosecutors offered a plea deal earlier this week, but the offer has not been accepted, Klein’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, said during a hearing Thursday. Woodward said the offer was not “reasonable,” although he did not offer more details.

Prosecutors said Klein, whose image was captured on police body cameras, appeared in front of a mob clashing with officers near the Capitol’s west terrace. Klein and others ignored several orders from officers to back away and, instead, Klein “shoved” a shield into the door opening to prevent officers from securing the entrance, according to court documents.

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Federico Klein, a Trump appointee to the State Department, is among those charged with participating in the Capitol riot. (Photo: U.S. Department of Justice)

Court records say Klein also repeatedly called for reinforcements, yelling, “We need fresh people! We need fresh people!”

Klein is the first known Trump appointee to be charged in the Capitol assault. 

Two other people charged in the Capitol assault on Jan. 6 have reached plea agreements with the Justice Department.

Jon Schaffer, a member of the extremist group Oath Keepers, pleaded guilty to obstruction and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly weapon. Paul Hodgkins, a Florida man who was pictured carrying a Trump flag on the Senate floor, pleaded guilty to obstructing a government proceeding. 

The Justice Department has charged about 465 people in the Capitol attack. More than 130 defendants have been charged with assaulting or resisting officers or employees, including 40 defendants who prosecutors say used deadly weapons or seriously injured officers. 

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