Crime Capitol rioter allegedly tweeted he wanted to 'assassinate' AOC

A man who allegedly made an online threat to "assassinate" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., faces five charges in connection with the U.S. Capitol insurrection, authorities said.

© Paul Sancya/AP, FILE In this March 8, 2020, file photo Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., speaks at a campaign rally for then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Garret Miller was arrested Wednesday in Texas. His charges include threats and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. A detention hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.

© FBI The FBI said Garret Miller posted this selfie to his Facebook account on Jan. 6, 2021, which was released in a criminal complaint.

Newly released court documents chronicle a series of social media posts Miller allegedly made on Jan. 6 and in the days following the riot, including threats to the Democratic lawmaker, a regular target of conservatives, and a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Democrats demand probe into nature of Capitol tours on day before assault

Democrats are calling for investigation into the nature of tours of the Capitol the day before the assault. During a Facebook Live on Tuesday, New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill claimed that she witnessed unnamed members of Congress lead groups of people through the Capitol on a "reconnaissance" tour on Jan. 5, though it is common for lawmakers to guide constituents through the building.

They also say he called for violence in online posts, including a tweet that simply read “ Assassinate AOC ,” a reference to the liberal Ocasio-Cortez. After posting a photo on Facebook showing him inside the Capitol , Miller responded to a comment on the picture with: “just want to incriminate myself

“ Assassinate AOC ,” he wrote in one message, according to the DOJ. Miller also threatened the officer who shot and killed protester Ashli Babbitt, an act that Miller was open about his involvement in the riot, posting a selfie of him in the Capitol to Facebook, joking that he wanted to “incriminate” himself.

"Assassinate AOC," Miller tweeted on Jan. 6 in response to a call by Ocasio-Cortez to impeach former President Donald Trump, according to the criminal complaint.

In a Facebook discussion on Jan. 10 about the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot a rioter, Miller allegedly said, "We going to get a hold of [the USCP officer] and hug his neck with a nice rope[.]"

© FBI The FBI included this Twitter thread in a criminal complaint.

On Jan. 11, Miller allegedly posted to Facebook a selfie of himself inside the Capitol Rotunda. When someone commented on the post, "bro you got in?! Nice!," Miller replied, "just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol," according to the affidavit.

The Republican Party Has Distanced Itself From The Capitol Riot. But Local GOP Officials Fueled Supporters' Rage Ahead of Jan. 6

Many Republican officials continue to back Trump's claim that the election was stolenLess than a month later, on Jan. 6, pro-Trump rioters overtook the U.S. Capitol by force, smashing windows and forcing lawmakers into hiding in a violent insurrection that resulted in the death of five people, including a Capitol Hill police officer. In the aftermath of the violence, Republicans have scrambled to distance themselves from the mob. The Republican National Committee condemned the attack and on Jan. 13, 10 Congressional Republicans voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the riot.

The man allegedly tweeted multiple times from inside the Capitol including one where he wrote, “ Assassinate AOC .” A criminal complaint released by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia alleges that Dallas, Texas, resident Garret Miller illegally entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The

He appeared in federal court in Dallas on Friday for an initial hearing and has a bail hearing Monday. Miller’s arrest comes as federal officials fear hundreds of cases of rioters being charged could clog the court system He also said on Instagram that he had a rope in his bag on the day of the Capitol riots.

A few days after the siege on the Capitol, Miller "admitted on Instagram that he 'had a rope in [his] bag on that day,'" according to the affidavit.

Miller's Twitter account has been suspended and his Facebook page has been deleted. The FBI affidavit included screengrabs of social media posts they attributed to Miller and stills of surveillance footage that allegedly placed him in the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

© FBI The FBI said it identified Garret Miller as the man in surveillance video from the Capitol, in this image released in a criminal complaint.

In a statement to ABC News, Miller's attorney said that his client "regrets the acts he took in a misguided effort to show his support for former President Trump."

"His social media comments reflect very ill-considered political hyperbole in very divided times and will certainly not be repeated in the future," attorney Clint Broden said in the statement. "He accepts responsibility for his actions."

In response to news of Miller's arrest, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "On one hand you have to laugh, and on the other know that the reason they were this brazen is because they thought they were going to succeed."

Ocasio-Cortez spoke of the threat to representatives in an Instagram livestream Jan. 12, saying she "had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die."

"Perhaps my colleagues were not fully present for the events on Wednesday, but half of -- we came close to half of the House nearly dying on Wednesday," Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on Jan. 10.