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Man who tweeted about assassinating Ocasio-Cortez faces charges in Capitol riot

Garret Miller, 34, is one of at least 119 people facing federal charges in connection with crimes committed during the Jan. 6 attack.

A Texas man who posted numerous comments and images on social media showing him participating in the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, including a tweet calling for the assassination of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been arrested, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Garret Miller, 34, was arrested Wednesday and was held in the Dallas County jail before he was transferred to federal custody early Friday morning. Miller is now facing charges in U.S. District Court related to the storming of the Capitol.

Image: Garret Miller
Garret Miller.Dept. of Justice

His charges include knowingly entering and remaining in restricted buildings without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, obstructing and impeding an official proceeding, and performing acts of civil disorder.

Miller is one of at least 119 people facing federal charges in connection to crimes committed during the Capitol riots.

The FBI first received a "referral from law enforcement" on Jan. 8 indicating that Miller posted a video from inside the U.S. Capitol on his Twitter account. The 14-second video posted on Jan. 6 captioned "From inside congress” pans across a crowd inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda as people wave pro-Trump and U.S. flags. Upon further investigation, authorities found that Miller's Facebook account had "many posts relating to his involvement in criminal activities at the Capitol," according to the criminal complaint.

Five days after storming in the Capitol, Miller posted photos of himself inside the building's rotunda while wearing a pro-Trump hat. The images seem to match some of the rotunda surveillance video obtained by law enforcement. In responding to comments left on his Facebook page, Miller acknowledged his participation in the pro-Trump riots to multiple individuals. In one tweet, Miller threatened to "bring the guns" next time, according to the criminal complaint.

In a string of tweets responding to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Miller asserted that rioters “acted with honor and we where [sic] not armed. We where [sic] gentle with the police,” the criminal complaint reads. He then tweeted, “Assassinate AOC.”

Image: Garret Miller
In a criminal complaint, Garret Miller is accused of tweeting "assassinate AOC'.Dept. of Justice

In addition to posting his own actions at the Capitol on social media, Miller also discussed the shooting of a woman by a U.S. Capitol Police Officer during the pro-Trump riots saying, “We going to get a hold of [the USCP officer] and hug his neck with a nice rope,” the criminal complaint reads.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.