Alleged "associate" of Marjorie Taylor Greene appears in Jan. 6 video — inside the Capitol

Right-wing activist Anthony Agüero claimed to be an "independent journalist," but the evidence suggests otherwise

Published March 25, 2021 6:01AM (EDT)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., conducts a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus outside the Capitol to oppose the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, on Thursday February 25, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., conducts a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus outside the Capitol to oppose the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, on Thursday February 25, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

An ally of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has been caught red-handed in new video footage obtained by CNN's K-File, which shows the pro-Trump vigilante inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6.  

The conservative activist and live-streamer Anthony Agüero, whom CNN described as an "associate of Greene," is clearly seen in the newly uncovered video inside the Capitol, after previously denying that a picture shot inside the building depicted him. 

"At the time of that February report, Agüero declined to answer if he had been inside when pressed by CNN. He claimed videos later posted to social media accounts from both inside the Capitol and outside were not his," CNN reported on Wednesday afternoon.

As CNN reports, Agüero has sent mixed messages regarding whether he was inside the Capitol and in what capacity he was there. At one point, he claimed to be an "independent journalist" who had entered the Capitol to cover the breaking news. "The publicly posted videos of the riot reviewed by CNN's KFile are now the first ​visual confirmation​ that Agüero went inside the building. Agüero previously confirmed to CNN that he was at the Capitol on January 6 and said he was an 'independent journalist' there reporting the events," CNN's report added. 

Yet his claim of a journalistic or reportorial mission seems dubious, since Agüero never uploaded any video footage or other content from the siege on social media or elsewhere. CNN reports that in video footage, Agüero "can be heard chanting 'heave ho' as rioters were attempting to break in on the West Side of the Capitol. In a comment, Aguero wrote 'MAGA' under the video. Later, Aguero can be heard chanting 'our house' among the Capitol mob on the East Side of the building." 

CNN has also uncovered video footage in which Agüero says the riot was carried out by "patriots" and that "a message was sent."

"He later described those who broke in as 'patriots' and commented '#PatriotsSaveAmerica2021! Not Antifa/BLM!!!' in a since-removed comment made immediately following the ransacking of the Capitol by rioters," CNN further summarized. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Anthony Agüero (@realanthonyaguero)

On Sunday night during a CBS "60 Minutes" segment, Michael Sherwin, former interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the department continues to investigate many people connected to the Capitol riots, and did not rule out the possibility that former President Trump could face criminal charges.  

"Now the question is, is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege, during the breach? What I could tell you is this, based upon, again, what we see in the public record and what we see in public statements in court," Sherwin said during the interview. "We have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying, 'Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house.'"


By Zachary Petrizzo

Zachary Petrizzo was an investigative reporter at Salon. Follow him on Twitter @ZTPetrizzo.

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