Anton Lunyk, a Capitol rioter, received a phone call from the White House on January 6, 2021. At this time, a mob in Washington DC had already broken into the Capitol chambers to halt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential elections. 

The recipient of the phone call, Anton Lunyk, was identified by CNN. He is reportedly a 26-year-old supporter of former US President Donald Trump. He travelled to Washington DC from Brooklyn a day before the riots. Two friends also accompanied Anton Lunyk, according to CNN reports citing unnamed sources. 

Also Read: Who is Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, Jan 6 rioter who dressed up as Adolf Hitler?

What do we know about the White House phone call?

The identity of the caller remains a mystery. It is, however, the only call made from the White House number to a rioter who was inside the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. The call lasted for nine seconds.

According to records acquired by CNN, the call was made from 202-456-1414, a publicly available contact number for the White House. The records show no caller extension, which makes tracing the origin of the call difficult. 

The call was placed at 4:34 PM on January 6, 2021. This was 17 minutes after then-President Donald Trump posted a video message on his social media to curb the violence. “Go home, we love you, you are very special”, Trump told the rioters in the message, which was posted at 4:17 PM.

Also Read: January 6 committee schedules likely final public hearing, but nothing ‘set in stone’

What did Anton Lunyk say about the White House phone call?

Capitol rioter Anton Lunyk said that he does not remember the nine-second phone call on January 6, 2021, according to reports from CNN. Lunyk added that he did not personally know anyone who worked at the White House at that time.

Publicly available court documents of Anton Lunyk with the United States Justice Department also do not mention the call from the White House.