Former New York state Senate candidate charged in Capitol attack

The Capitol riot.
(Image credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Daniel Christmann, a Brooklyn plumber who unsuccessfully ran for the New York state Senate last year, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Christmann, 38, was detained on charges of disorderly conduct, entering a restricted building, and demonstrating in a Capitol building, the Department of Justice said. Authorities say the FBI received several tips from people who saw videos Christmann posted to his "dannyforsenate" Instagram account, which showed the crowd inside the Capitol.

The criminal complaint states that Christmann wrote messages online confirming he was involved in the riot, and surveillance footage captured him climbing through a window to get into the Capitol building and standing in the crowd, holding up his cell phone. After two of his friends were arrested in connection with the riot, federal authorities say Christmann messaged people and asked them to delete photos and videos showing him inside the Capitol.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In 2020, Christmann attempted to become the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee, and after that campaign failed ran as a Libertarian candidate for New York state's 18th Senate District in Brooklyn; he was again unsuccessful. Since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, more than 500 people linked to the incident have been arrested.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.