Global Courant
Jay Johnston turned himself in to the FBI on Wednesday.
Actor Jay Johnston has been charged in connection with the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.
Johnston, whose credits include “Anchorman,” “Arrested Development,” “Bob’s Burgers,” and “The Sarah Silverman Program,” is charged with unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol complex and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a prohibited area during the 2021 uprising, according to court documents.
He turned himself in to the FBI in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Attempts to find him a lawyer were to no avail.
Johnston was part of the mob in the Capitol’s West Plaza, where he and others forced police to enter a tunnel leading to the building, the Justice Department said. In the tunnel, Johnston reportedly used a stolen police riot shield to push back against the police several times.
Rioters shouted “Heave! Ho!” as they pushed against the agents, according to an FBI affidavit, which described Johnston as participating in a “group attack” against agents.
Jay Johnston attends the Comedy Central Emmy After Party at the Falcon on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles.
Noel Vasquez/Getty Images, FILE
As part of the January 6 investigation, the FBI shared a photo of Johnston at the Capitol, and in March 2021, his attorney called authorities to identify him.
Three people who know Johnston confirmed his identity, an FBI agent said in the affidavit, and one of those three shared a text they said Johnston wrote about his presence at the Capitol.
“The news presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t,” Johnston is said to have written, according to the affidavit. “I thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. I got maced and tear gas and found it kind of distasteful.”
Johnston’s arrest is one of more than 1,000 Jan. 6 cases filed to date by Justice Department prosecutors.
