A U.S. Army captain who served as a psychological operations officer has reportedly resigned after leading a group of people from North Carolina to a Washington, D.C., rally that eventually led to hundreds storming the U.S. Capitol where a deadly riot erupted.
Capt. Emily Rainey has resigned from her role after the Army began an investigation into her involvement with last week’s events at the nation’s capital, according to CBS News reports. Insurrectionists took over the House and Senate chambers Wednesday, smashing windows and other property, waving flags in support of President Donald Trump and attacking Capitol police. The riots led to the death of five people, including an officer.
Rainey, 30, was assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, according to Maj. Daniel Lessard, a spokesman for 1st Special Forces Command. That group is responsible for information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making and actions of American adversaries.
“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The Fort Bragg captain said she led 100 members of Moore County Citizens for Freedom, which describes itself online as a nonpartisan network promoting conservative values, to Washington to “stand against election fraud” and support Trump. She said the group attended the rally but she didn’t know of anyone who entered the Capitol and that they were headed back to their buses hours before an emergency curfew took effect.
Rainey said her group and most people who traveled to Washington “are peace-loving, law-abiding people who were doing nothing but demonstrating our First Amendment rights.” Members of the U.S. military are permitted to take part in political organizations and events out of uniform. However, there are caveats. The Department of Defense directive prohibits active-duty servicemembers from sponsoring partisan organizations. It is unclear if Rainey’s participation with her group Wednesday went against DOD policy.
Rainey gained national attention in May when she tore down caution tape at a North Carolina park that had been closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to reports. At the time, police in Southern Pines, a community about 30 minutes west of Fort Bragg, charged the soldier with injury to personal property. She had been warned two other times about tearing down the tape from the playground.
Rainey said she attended the Trump rally while on leave and didn’t advertise that she was an Army officer. She added that her commanders had not inquired about her time in Washington as of Sunday.
So far, at least 90 people have been arrested on charges ranging from misdemeanor curfew violations to felonies related to assaults on police officers, possessing illegal weapons and making death threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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