Former GOP Congressman Rohrabacher confirms he was at Capitol riot

Former Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has acknowledged being at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 after online investigators spotted him at the riot.

"I marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand," Rohrabacher on Monday told the Portland Press Herald. "But I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do."

The former California congressmen lost a reelection bid in 2018 amid a run of Democratic wins in House races that year in the state's Orange County. He is former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and an ardent supporter of former President Trump. Rohrabacher moved to Maine after losing his House seat.

His acknowledgement about being at the riot came after a group of anonymous investigators called @capitolhunters posted screenshots from footage showing him in a crowd that had pushed through a police line at the Capitol. However, the researchers did not find any video evidence of him entering the building, the newspaper also reports.

"By going into the building, they gave the Left the ability to direct the discussion of what was going on in a way that was harmful to the things we believe in," Rohrabacher said, arguing that he thought "Leftist provocateurs" encouraged the crowd to enter the Capitol.