The FBI appears to have used a photoshopped image from the Capitol riot as evidence in an arrest warrant for Brian P. McCreary, The Daily Mail reported.
The doctored image replaces a 19th-century painting of a Kentucky senator with the lewd meme called “Wood Sitting on a Bed,” which portrays a nude man exposing his genitals. According to the publication, the viral internet image is known for its shock value and is often sent to unsuspecting recipients without context.
The mistake was acknowledged and mocked by many on social media.
“This is unreal! The people working in the FBI must be idiots,” one user tweeted .
Seamus Hughes, the deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, suggested the mistake was not a common one.
“I’ve studied extremism for 15 years, I’ve reviewed mostly every court record for decades,” he tweeted .
“I can honestly say very little surprises me. That said, I have absolutely no idea what to say about the Internet image the FBI used in a criminal complaint of the picture hanging on the wall.”
According to The Daily Mail , the image went sent to the FBI by one of McCreary’s co-workers. Nevertheless, the meme appears to have slipped past investigators before it made it to the Wednesday warrant filed by special agent Emily Eckert.
The image is one piece of evidence that shows McCreary’s involvement in the Capitol riots on January 6. The picture shows McCreary behind the notorious QAnon Shaman Jake Angeli, who is leading a group of men as they stand in the halls of the historic United States building. Per Global News , Angeli is currently in jail and was moved from Washington to Virginia on Thursday after a federal judge ordered that he receive organic food as long as he’s in custody. Previously, Angeli refused to eat food that was not organic.
According to the FBI, McCreary was arrested and charged with three counts of violent entry, two counts of illegal entry, and disorderly conduct.
“McCreary told the FBI he traveled to D.C. to attend Donald Trump’s rally on the National Mall because he was upset that an audit had not been carried out into voter fraud,” The Daily Mail reported.
Others, including the infamous QAnon Shaman , are arguing they were tricked into storming the U.S. Capitol by former President Donald Trump , who spoke at the nearby Stop the Steal rally held shortly before the riots. The former president is notably also facing scrutiny for possible incitement of violence.