Federal authorities cuffed a failed Brooklyn politician for allegedly breaking into the US Capitol building on Jan. 6.
Daniel Christmann — who lost a race for state Senate against Julia Salazar in northern Brooklyn last year — allegedly posted multiple Instagram posts from his account “dannyforsenate” showing him amid a violent mob of rioters inside the building looking to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The now-deleted social media account, which featured Christmann’s name and image, included the phrase “3%’er soldier” in the bio — an apparent reference to the far-right, anti-government militia movement, which has been responsible for multiple terrorist plots over the past few years.
At least three tipsters forwarded photos and videos from Christmann’s account to federal authorities, who identified the suspect wearing a light plaid jacket and light-colored button-down shirt inside multiple rooms within the Capitol building.
After obtaining evidence of Christmann’s participation in the riot, investigators obtained a warrant to search Christmann’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, which showed him having conversations on Jan. 7 about the attack.
When one unidentified individual asked Christmann whether he had “stormed the Capitol,” the suspect responded by saying “Yeah im not gonna lie,” and added that he had been “scaling the walls and s—.”
On Jan. 18, Christmann followed up with an acquaintance on Facebook, asking the individual to “Please remove those videos…My friend Jake got taken in and my campaign manager from the Summer got taken in” — apparently afraid of being caught and arrested, as over 500 people have been since Jan. 6, including a number from Brooklyn.
In November of 2020, Christmann ran in the general election for state Senate on the “New Moderate Party” line against the incumbent Salazar — in the district that includes Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Brownsville — but was dealt a resounding defeat by a 97.5-to-2.3 percent margin. The alleged troublemaker won just 2,235 votes, compared to Salazar’s 95,939.
A Twitter account apparently connected to Christmann boasts the bio “1776 will commence again! Get a warrant” — and it seems that federal authorities called his bluff.
