Over the last few years, there’s been no shortage of reporting on suspected and convicted Jan. 6 figures, many of whom were caught by way of Capitol security camera footage. But late last week, USA Today published a report that stood out as a little different from most.
The article highlighted a young Trump supporter, with distinctive shoes, who was seen entering the Capitol by way of the west door of the upper west terrace. USA Today’s research pointed to a possible culprit with a notable background:
The security footage is among videos released during the trial of another Jan. 6 participant, a member of the Proud Boys prosecuted for seditious conspiracy. In it, and in other photos from the day, his face remains partly concealed behind the mask. But all signs point to Oliver Krvaric, a young Republican star and scion of a powerful GOP family from San Diego. Krvaric is most notable for his job at the time of the riot.
According to the reporting, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, by the time of the Jan. 6 violence, Krvaric had already “built a public persona as an up-and-coming student GOP leader.” His name was also “used to create an identity” on a site for white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
But also of interest was the apparent fact that Krvaric — if he is the man seen in the footage — was working for the White House’s Office of Personnel Management in early 2021. Or as USA Today’s report put it, he would be “the first full-time employee of the Trump administration identified entering the Capitol in the insurrection.”
He was, of course, offered an opportunity to respond. It led to this rather extraordinary paragraph:
Asked whether he was at the Jan. 6 riot, Krvaric initially told USA TODAY he was not. Pressed about the photos that online researchers say show him that day, Krvaric acknowledged he attended former President Donald Trump’s speech, but said he didn’t go inside the Capitol. Asked about images that appear to show him inside the Capitol, he then said he didn’t remember whether he went inside. Sent copies and links to the footage, he stopped responding.
It’s difficult to say with confidence what, if anything, law enforcement might do with a report like this one, though it’s worth noting that others have been charged with simply entering the Capitol building.
But I’m also interested in learning more about how someone with Krvaric’s background managed to get a job at the White House’s Office of Personnel Management in the first place.
