The White House has confirmed that EJ Antoni, the conservative economist selected by President Trump to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was among the crowd of Trump supporters outside the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 riot.
Footage archived by ProPublica and originally posted on Parler shows a man matching Antoni’s appearance, wearing a red varsity jacket with the University of Pennsylvania crest, near the Capitol’s west entrance about 10 minutes before rioters breached police lines. Additional footage captured him on the east side of the building later that day.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told NBC News the images do depict Antoni but insisted he was merely a “bystander” who observed events and then left. “EJ was in town for meetings, and it is wrong and defamatory to suggest EJ engaged in anything inappropriate or illegal,” Rogers said.
Antoni, a little-known figure until his nomination, attended Catholic school and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary before earning degrees from Northern Illinois University. His family appears to have ties to the University of Pennsylvania, Trump’s alma mater.
Public curiosity about Antoni has also touched on his personal interests. In a 2023 podcast, he acknowledged that a painting visible behind him, used repeatedly as a backdrop in media appearances, depicted the German battleship Bismarck from Nazi Germany’s fleet, calling it “in all his glory.”
The revelation of Antoni’s presence near the Capitol on January 6 comes as Trump faces criticism over his appointment choices and the political signals they send ahead of his second administration.
Written By Rodney Mbua
