Capitol Riot Suspect Once Served As Marine One Squadron Crew Chief: Report

A man charged in the Capitol riot is a Marine Corps veteran who once worked as a crew chief for the presidential helicopter squadron, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

John Daniel Andries, charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct in the Jan. 6 insurrection, joined Marine Helicopter Squadron One in 2006. He worked under Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama , leaving the Marine Corps in 2009, per the Post.

The unit supervises presidential travel aircraft, including Marine One, the designation given to the helicopter when carrying the president, according to the Post. The squadron also tests and evaluates helicopters for the service.

The assignment requires top-secret security clearance and a special higher-level designation known as Yankee White for those working close to the president, unnamed officials told the newspaper. Andries’ crew chief duties included aircraft maintenance.

Andries was charged in the riot after an online tipster recognized him in TV news footage, according to an FBI affidavit obtained by HuffPost last month. He was spotted in a crowd that was “attempting to push past U.S. Capitol Police officers,” the affidavit said. Agents said video shows him participating in the siege at various junctures.  

He has pleaded not guilty.

More than 30 military veterans are among the nearly 300 people charged in the riot. Dozens of Republican elected officials participated in the mob insurrection.