DEA agent charged in Capitol riot
An off-duty special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency attended the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, prosecutors say in court documents unsealed Tuesday, carrying his government-issued pistol and flashing his DEA credentials and badge.
Mark Ibrahim of Orange County, California, was arrested on Tuesday, and charged with making a false statement to investigators and possession of a firearm on restricted grounds. Prosecutors allege that Ibrahim crossed police lines to entered the restricted grounds outside the Capitol, and shared photos of himself there to a group chat on Whats App. There were at least five other law enforcement officers in the chat, and one responded, "Question Mark, you are carrying your duty weapon and your badge/creds? I need to know this mark."
Prosecutors also say Ibrahim climbed onto the Peace Monument, where he delivered "a monologue" to the crowd below. At the time, Ibrahim was a "probational employee" of the DEA, the court documents say, having given notice a few weeks before the riot that he was resigning. The DEA is under the Department of Justice, and in March, Ibrahim sat for a voluntary interview with the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General. He allegedly shared that he did bring his DEA credentials and badge and firearm to the Capitol, but said he "never exposed" them "that I know of."
Ibrahim also is said to have told the investigators his friend was sent by the FBI to the Capitol to document the events, and he went along to help. The friend spoke with the inspector general's office and said this story was made up by Ibrahim "to cover his ass," and the real reason why Ibrahim traveled to the Capitol was to gain exposure for a political podcast and cigar brand named "Liberty Tavern" that he planned to launch.
You may also like
Melania Trump reportedly tried 4 times to block an election night party at the White House
IRS enforcement off the table as funding in bipartisan infrastructure deal, GOP senator says
