Dauphin County Prison/Handout via Reuters
- A 22-year-old woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the Capitol siege was identified in a new video.
- British outlet Bellingcat reported the same woman appears in a video making a Nazi salute.
- The disturbing video shows her dancing along to lyrics of “Hitler was right” and “Heil Hitler.”
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Riley June Williams, the 22-year-old woman accused of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the Capitol riot, appears in a video making a Nazi salute, according to Bellingcat, a British investigative journalism website.
The outlet was sent the disturbing video shortly after Williams was charged in January and identified her using extensive social media sleuthing outlined in their report.
The 36-second video shows a young woman dancing in a dress to techno music while wearing a mask with a skull printed on it and a hat with a circular symbol, both of which are associated with Nazi terrorist groups, Bellingcat reported.
While she dances, a voiceover says: “Hitler was right all along. There is no political solution. All that is left is acceleration. Heil Hitler.” The video then freezes on the woman making a Nazi salute while the colors go negative and glowing lights appear over her sunglasses.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the concept of acceleration as it is used by white supremacists “sees modern society as irredeemable and believes it should be pushed to collapse so a fascist society built on ethnonationalism can take its place.”
Williams was arrested on January 18 and charged with illegally entering the Capitol and with disorderly conduct. She was later also charged with theft of government property and obstruction, which, if she is found guilty, could land her 20 years in jail.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations received a tip from someone claiming to be an ex-romantic partner of Williams that said she had stolen the laptop with plans to sell it to Russia. The laptop's location is unknown, but an aide to Pelosi has said the laptop was only used for presentations.
Williams was captured in photos and videos on January 6, when supporters of President Donald Trump breached the US Capitol building during a violent riot that caused lawmakers to evacuate.
Her lawyer has since said that Williams "took the president's bait and went inside the Capitol."
Prosecutors have said that Williams was attempting to cover up her actions by deleting posts from social media while she was on house arrest.
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