Emily Rainey: Army Officer Under Scrutiny for Busing Capitol Protesters to DC

The U.S. Army is investigating Captain Emily Rainey, a psychological operations officer, for busing people from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., to attend President Donald Trump‘s rally, which later turned into a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. After receiving a letter of reprimand due to her actions at a previous protest around Fort Bragg, Rainey resigned from her commission, reports CBS News. Fort Bragg commanders are reviewing her actions, but Rainey told the Associated Press on Sunday that she acted “within my rights” as a “private citizen.” She said no one in her group did anything illegal.

Rainey, 30, was still on active duty when she led the group to Washington and is set to leave the Army in February. Rainey said she led 100 members of the Moore County Citizens for Freedom group, which claims to be a nonpartisan network with conservative values. They planned to go to Washington to “stand against election fraud” and show support for the president. Rainey confirmed the group was at the rally but did not know if any members went inside the Capitol during the riot. She said they went back to their buses long before the emergency curfew began.

The Army is investigating how many other soldiers joined Rainey, a Defense official told CBS News. However, Army spokesperson Maj. Dan Lessard later told NBC News they do not believe there were any other service members with her. Lessard said Rainey submitted a resignation letter in October and it was approved in November so she could leave the Army in April.

In May, Rainey caught North Carolina media’s attention when she shared a video of herself pulling down police caution tape from a playground closed due to the state’s coronavirus protocols. Southern Pines, North Carolina police charged her with injury to persona property. Police told WRAL-TV she was warned twice before she ripped off the tape. Lessard said the Army knew of Rainey’s protests and “took appropriate administrative action.”

At least 90 people have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot. Rainey described the people who joined her as “peace-loving, law-abiding people who were doing nothing but demonstrating our First Amendment rights.” Military members can join political organizations and events when not in uniform but the Defense Department does bar active-duty members from sponsoring political groups, CBS News notes. Rainey told CBS News she was on leave and never advertised that she was an Army officer. “I told my bosses before I went that I was going, and I told them when I got back,” she said.