Chicago Cop In Capitol Breech Was Going to 'Save The Nation:' FBI

CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer charged in connection to the Jan. 6 breach on the U.S. Capitol, texted a friend that he was going to Washington, DC, to “save the nation” and “[expletive] up commies,” according to a federal complaint.

Officer Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, is charged in a complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington with five misdemeanor counts, including entering a restricted building, disrupting government business, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds with intent to impede a congressional proceeding.

A 19-page federal complaint includes images from security video inside the U.S. Capitol building and other publicly accessible images of a man in a beige hoodie who the FBI identified as Chwiesiuk, as well as excerpts of text messages and emails.

Around 8:30 p.m. Jan. 4, Chwiesiuk set out for Washington, D.C., arriving at 7:50 a.m. Jan. 5. That evening, Chwiesiuk saved an email from Ali Alexander, founder and organizer of Stop the Steal, which portends that the November 2020 election was stolen by the Democratic Party.

The email from Alexander laid out the day’s schedule for Jan. 6. The email included two venues, the Ellipse and the U.S. Capitol, where a demonstration was planned outside the building as Congress certified the electoral vote.

“This will be one of the most historic events of our lifetime,” Alexander wrote.

Chwiesiuk took an evening walk to the Capitol, where he texted his friend that he had “knocked out a commie,” followed by “(racial slur) don’t snitch,” the complaint said.

The next day, Jan. 6, Chwiesiuk went to Trump’s speech on the Ellipse, and then walked with other Trump supporters to the U.S. Capitol, where Chwiesiuk drove fiery speech on the Ellipse. Chwiesiuk saved an email from Ali Alexander, founder and organizer of Stop the Steal, which portends that the November 2020 election was stolen by the Democratic Party.

The email from Alexander laid out the day’s schedule for Jan. 6. The email included two venues, the Ellipse and the U.S. Capitol, where a demonstration was planned outside the building as Congress certified the electoral vote.

“This will be one of the most historic events of our lifetime,” Alexander wrote.

According to the complaint, approximately 73 messages were sent or received inside the U.S. Capitol building between 2:37 and 3:24 p.m. (ET) on Jan. 6. During that time, Chwiesiuk is alleged to have sent 36 texts from inside the U.S. Capitol building, including seven to a person identified in the complaint as “subscriber.”

“We inside the capital. lmfao,” the complaint said.

When the subscriber texted Chwiesiuk to let him know that guns were drawn near broken windows in the chamber, Chwiesiuk responded: “Yeah I was there” and “(Racial slur) don’t snitch.”

Chwiesiuk is also believed to have taken a selfie inside the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who later tweeted a video of the destruction in his office. The Chicago police officer is also said to have appeared on CCTV inside the building. Images are included in the federal criminal; complaint.

Federal authorities were able to track down Chwiesiuk’s friend who received seven messages, identified in the complaint as “subscriber.” The FBI said the subscriber confirmed knowing Chwiesiuk for more than 10 years and regularly communicated with him. During the interview, federal authorities maintain the subscriber identified Chwiesiuk photos texted inside the Capitol as the man in the beige hoodie. The subscriber confirmed receiving texts and pictures from Chwiesiuk around Jan. 6, the complaint said

Chwiesiuk was most recently assigned to the Harrison Police District. He has since been suspended of his police powers and reassigned to desk duty, news reports said.

“The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil, makes me sick to my stomach,” CPD Supt., David Brown said in a news conference. “And yes, if these allegations are true, it breaks my heart. Participating in the siege on the Capitol in any way was a betrayal of everything we stand for, the oath (and) the law.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes, who ordered Chwiesiuk eleased on bond, ordering the police officer to surrender any firearms as well as his firearm owner’s identification card.

The police officer’s attorney, Tim Grace, said that Chwiesiuk has been a Chicago police officer since 2018. Prior to that, he worked in the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.

Grace said his client followed the crowd into the building, and, after a pleasant conversation with a U.S. Capitol police officer, left when asked to leave, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Chwiesiuk is the 11th Illinoisan to be charged in connection to the U.S. Capitol breech. The police officer is due back