Clifford James Meteer

Case Summary

Clifford Meteer left a stream of public comments on Facebook in the days following the U.S. Capitol riot, along with private messages to at least three people containing photos from inside the building, according to a criminal complaint. “I was one of those idiots scaling the wall,” he reportedly wrote to one friend, describing news coverage of the event as “extremely overblown.” “I saw no violence. I saw no destruction. Are you surprised he media is distorting reality?” he wrote in a public comment on Jan. 7, 2021, the complaint indicates. “I saw 2 kids trying to kick in a door and we told them to stop and they did. As to violence, I was right around the corner from the vet who was murdered.” Meteer’s relative and a former classmate both sent photos to the FBI in January, claiming they showed Meteer at the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, according to the complaint. The classmate told the FBI he’d seen several now-deleted posts of Meteer’s Facebook page, including a photo of Meteer holding up a sign reading “Save the republic.” The complaint alleges that video footage shows Meteer in various parts of the Capitol throughout a half-hour span.

Case History

Meteer pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 4/21/2022 to 60 days of Incarceration followed by 36 months of Probation (with conditions); Restitution of $500; Special Assessment of $10. Meteer received a full pardon on January 20, 2025

Sources

• Primary Documentation
  NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR
• Primary Documentation
  Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR

Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.