Prosecutors: Capitol cop told Jan. 6 rioter to hide evidence

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Capitol Police officer has been indicted on obstruction of justice charges after prosecutors say he helped to hide evidence of a rioter’s involvement in January’s insurrection. The officer, Michael A. Riley, is accused of tipping off someone who participated in the riot by telling them to remove posts from Facebook that had showed the person inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, according to court documents. Riley worked on Jan. 6 and has been a Capitol Police officer for about 25 years. He appeared virtually in federal court and was released with several conditions, including that he surrender any firearms and not travel outside the U.S.