Former New York state Senate candidate charged in riot

A former New York state Senate candidate is facing four charges in connection to his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot, CNBC reported.

Daniel Christmann was arrested on Wednesday in Brooklyn and faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or ground; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

According to a federal criminal complaint, videos and screenshots made under Christmann’s Instagram account “dannyforsenate” appeared to show different areas of the Capitol on Jan. 6 when supporters of former President Trump swarmed the building. 

In one video, the filing noted footage where a man who was not Christmann could be heard screaming, “We want Nancy … we want the rest of them.” 

The criminal complaint also states that after reviewing security camera footage from the Capitol, footage was found of Christmann entering the building through a window.

The complaint also shows comments that Christmann made on his Instagram account where he confirmed that he had entered the Capitol.

“So you stormed the capitol, huh?” an unnamed user allegedly sent Christmann.

“Yeah im not going to lie. I wasn’t one of the first people in. When realized it was happening I was scaling walls and shit,” Christmann reportedly responded on Jan. 7.

Christmann was also asked on Instagram if he “went inside,” to which Christmann responded on Jan. 7, “How could I not?”

According to the filing, three people, who were unnamed in the documents, provided information to authorities of some of Christmann’s social media postings and videos.

The filing showed that Christmann asked a social media user on Jan. 18 to delete videos of him after Christmann learned that two people he knew were arrested.

On Facebook, he reportedly told one user, “Please remove those videos.”

“It’s actually the only place I sent them. So delete them. My friend Jake got taken in and my campaign manager from this summer got taken in,” Christmann continued. 

Christmann is one of more than 500 people who have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, in which supporters of Trump stormed the building in an attempt to disrupt the official 2020 Electoral College vote county by Congress that affirmed President Biden as the winner. Trump had spent the weeks following the November election claiming that widespread voter fraud had occurred.

Christmann’s lawyer, Michelle Gelernt, declined to comment to The Hill.

Updated on Thursday at 8:51 a.m.