Woman Accused of Stealing Nancy Pelosi's Laptop Appears in Video Making Nazi Salute
A video has emerged that allegedly shows Riley Williams—the woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Capitol riots—giving a Nazi salute.
The short clip, obtained by Bellingcat, shows a woman alleged to be Williams, with her face covered by a skull mask of the type often worn by neo-Nazi groups such as Atomwaffen. The woman is wearing a hat featuring the Sonnenrad, or Black Sun, far-right symbol.
In the video, the woman dances to music while a voice plays over the top stating: "Hammer was right all along. There is no political solution. All that is left is acceleration. Heil Hitler."
The woman then gives a Nazi salute while a negative color filter is added to the clip and her eyes glow—a visual effect often used in far-right imagery and known as "fashwave."
The "Hammer" mentioned is believed to be a neo-Nazi channel on the encrypted messaging service Telegram.
Although the woman in the video does not show her face or speak, a joint investigation by Bellingcat and NBC News has gathered enough evidence for them to identify her as Williams, the 22-year-old who faces decades in jail if convicted for her alleged role in the January 6 attack.
This evidence includes social media posts of Williams posing in a skull mask, including one in which she appears to be wearing the same dress as the one seen in the Nazi salute video. She has also expressed support for white supremacy and white nationalists in online posts.
In the photo with the dress and skull mask, Williams also appears to be wearing the same pair of glasses as she wore on January 6 at the Capitol.
Williams is also identifiable by a tattoo on her side, which can be seen in videos she has posted online. These clips appear to have been filmed in the same room as the "Heil Hitler" video.
In a statement to NBC News, Williams' lawyer A.J. Kramer said the video was meant as a "joke."
He added that it was an "ironic internet joke about and against people called wignats, who are like national socialists and who are like Nazis."
The term "wignat" was coined by neo-Nazis to mock other white nationalists. The term was made popular by white nationalists including Nick Fuentes.
Williams has frequently showed support for Fuentes on social media and posed for a picture with him at a pro-Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 2020.
The 22-year-old from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is accused of theft, obstruction and trespassing, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds in connection to the January 6 attack.
Kramer has been contacted for further comment.
