Vice chair of Oregon Young Republicans group among those arrested at Capitol

The vice chairwoman of the Young Republicans of Oregon was among those arrested amid the chaos at the Capitol on Wednesday, when a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the building.

The Oregon division of the Young Republican National Federation confirmed 28-year-old Kristina Malimon’s arrest in a Friday statement posted on the group’s Facebook page. 

The group wrote that its members “fully support Kristina’s right to peacefully assemble to address her grievances with the U.S. government” but said it was not aware of all the facts surrounding her arrest and felt it was “inappropriate for us to comment on it.” 

“In regards to the events at the capitol, we condemn any of those who took violent actions against the Capitol police officers that day,” the organization added in its statement. “We do not support the ways and manners of how the events unfolded.” 

Malimon, who posted videos on her Instagram account from President Trump’s rally ahead of the riots, was charged by Washington, D.C., police with unlawful entry and curfew violation, according to Metropolitan Police Department arrest data. 

OregonLive noted that a statement from a police officer filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court said that Malimon and five others were taken into custody as they remained on the grounds of the Capitol an hour after a citywide curfew took effect. Officers reportedly broadcast a warning that demonstrators would be arrested if they did not vacate the area.

Police records indicated that Malimon’s mother, Yevgeniya Malimon, was also arrested Wednesday evening, with ABC News reporting that the older Malimon required a Russian-language interpreter at her arraignment Thursday. 

Yevgeniya Malimon reportedly denied the allegations against her in Thursday’s hearing, saying through her court-appointed interpreter, “I’m not sure what unlawful entry you are talking about; I didn’t enter anything.”

Kristina Malimon said in an October video posted to Instagram that she was born in Moldova, where she said both her great-grandfather and grandfather were jailed for their Christian beliefs under the former Soviet regime.

The younger Malimon, who earlier this week urged her Instagram followers to attend Wednesday’s rally to “fight for our BEST President,” claimed last month to have witnessed voting irregularities while volunteering as an election monitor in Georgia, The Washington Post reported. 

According to her profile on the Young Republicans of Oregon website, she also served as an ambassador to Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization.  

The woman has repeatedly vocalized her support for Trump and his allies, sharing a photo last month with Trump ally Roger Stone and congratulating him on his presidential pardon in the post’s caption. 

Dozens of people have been arrested in connection with Wednesday’s riots, and five people died amid the chaos, including a woman who was shot by a Capitol Police officer and an officer who died after suffering injuries while responding to the rioting.