The 1st Special Forces Command is investigating a psychological operations captain for her involvement in the Jan. 6 pro- President Donald Trump rally in Washington D.C., a spokesman tells Military Times.
The command is investigating Capt. Emily Rainey’s involvement in the Wednesday rally. The 30-year-old psychological operations officer told the Associated Press she led 100 members of Moore County Citizens for Freedom who traveled to Washington to “stand against election fraud” and support Trump. The rally began peacefully near the White House but later grew deadly as pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
Rainey insisted she acted within Army regulations and that no one in her group entered the Capitol or broke the law.
“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told the AP.
“I can confirm our command is investigating her involvement,” Maj. Dan Lessard, a !st Special Forces Command spokesman, told Military Times. The command, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, oversees PSYOP troops.
Rainey is assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, according to Lessard. The PSYOP troops use information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making and actions of American adversaries. Its Latin motto “Verbum Vincent” means “words conquer” in English.
Rainey has had run ins with local authorities as well. In May, according to WRAL-TV, she was charged with damage to property and banned from Southern Pines playgrounds for a year after posting a video of her letting her kids play on equipment that had been closed off because of COVID-19 safety precautions. It was unclear late Sunday night what the status of the charges are. Moore County records are not available online.
Efforts to reach Rainey through the Moore County Citizens for Freedom Facebook group were not immediately successful.
Earlier Sunday, a retired Air Force officer was arrested for his involvement in the deadly Capitol riot that followed the rally.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr. of Texas was charged in federal court on Sunday after he was identified in photos showing him standing in the well of the Senate, wearing a military-style helmet and body armor while holding a pair of zip-tie handcuffs.
Two Air Force veterans — one a Capitol Police officer, the other a rioter — were killed as result of injuries sustained in the riots while three others died.
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This story contains information from the Associated Press.
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