Former New York state Senate candidate charged in Capitol attack

(Image credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

published 29 July 2021

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.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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