Former Republican legislative candidate pleads guilty to role in the US Capitol riot

PORTLAND, Maine — A former Republican congressional candidate has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers during the U.S. Capitol riot, officials said.

Matthew Brackley, 40, of Waldoboro, Maine, traveled to Washington for former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021, entered the U.S. Capitol and asked about the location of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office before shouting, “Let’s go!” and using his elbows to push past police officers, according to prosecutors. His group was stopped again by police before chemical spray was used to disperse the demonstrators, prosecutors said.

Brackley will be sentenced on May 14 in Washington DC after reaching a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty on Thursday to assaulting, resisting or obstructing law enforcement officers. This crime carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.

Attorney Steven Levin said his client has accepted full responsibility for his actions.

“His aberrant behavior, which lasted less than an hour and for which he is extremely remorseful, is in stark contrast to his otherwise lifelong law-abiding character,” Levin said in an email Friday.

Brackley tried unsuccessfully to unseat Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic last year. On his campaign website, he was described as a graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy whose approach would be to have “respectful, thoughtful conversations about the issues.”