Cpl. Micah Coomer, who worked with military intelligence in the Marine Corps, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor count of illegally demonstrating inside the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection in 2021.
More than 48 hours later, officials won't say whether the Marine -- allegedly part of the anti-government Boogaloo movement, according to court documents -- still holds a security clearance. Coomer is alleged to have told another person that the U.S. is corrupt and needs a second civil war.
The situation with Coomer comes as the Pentagon has ordered a review of the handling and access to classified information after a 21-year-old Guardsman who also reportedly expressed anti-government and racist views leaked top secrets documents online, causing friction with U.S. allies.
Read Next: 'That Was Nick': Special Forces Vet Killed in Ukraine Remembered as Big-Hearted Protector
Coomer was one of three active-duty Marines who were arrested in January after they stormed the Capitol with a violent mob in a bid to prevent Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's election victory. The trio also all held jobs in the intelligence community with one, Joshua Abate, a sergeant, being assigned to the Marine Corps' Cryptologic Support Battalion at Fort Meade, Maryland -- also home to the National Security Agency headquarters.
Pentagon Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at a Thursday briefing that removing clearances from Marines like Coomer who have been charged in connection with extremist activities "certainly could be something that we look into" but she added, "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty."
Singh said she would not comment on ongoing litigation, which is typical policy. Patty Hartman, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, directed questions on Coomer's clearance back to the Pentagon.
A spokesperson for I Marine Expeditionary Force confirmed to Military.com that Coomer is still assigned to 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
The service did not provide an update on Coomer's clearance, and Maj. Kevin Stephensen, a spokesman for the branch, said that "the Marine Corps does not comment on ongoing legal matters" but added that they are "fully cooperating with appropriate authorities."
In court documents filed by prosecutors, it was revealed that Coomer told another Instagram user in the weeks after the siege "that everything in this country is corrupt. We honestly need a fresh restart. I'm waiting for the boogaloo." When the other person asked what a boogaloo was, Coomer said "Civil war 2."
Boogaloo is a violent anti-government movement that refers to a future race war. However, some experts, such as the Anti-Defamation League, have noted that most participants in the movement are not white supremacists, though there are white supremacists within the movement.
The lack of comment on Coomer's access to classified information comes just days after it was revealed in court filings that Air Force enlisted leaders had issued multiple warnings to Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Guardsman accused of leaking numerous classified defense documents on the Ukraine war, as well as U.S. surveillance efforts around the world.
According to documents filed with the court, Teixeira was warned three times by superiors between September and February about his mishandling of classified information before his arrest in April.
It's still unclear whether Teixeira, who has been held in custody, has had his top level security clearance terminated. The Pentagon has said the Air Force and Justice Department are running parallel investigations into the leaks.
"We will take any piece from the investigation ... either the Air Force or what is happening at DOJ to inform our best practices moving forward when it comes to handling classified documents or accessing classified systems," Singh said.
Meanwhile, as part of his plea, Coomer made a statement to the court in which he acknowledged traveling from his military post in Virginia to the riot and entering the Capitol as "part of a statement about the presidential election and state of the nation."
According to a copy of Coomer's plea agreement provided to Military.com by the Justice Department, he faces a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison, 5 years' probation, and up to $5,000 in fines.
He has also agreed to pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the building.
Meanwhile, the cases against the other two Marines who were with him that day continue to make their way through the courts. Records provided by the Marine Corps show they have not been transferred out of their units.
-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.
Related: Air Force Superiors Warned Alleged Pentagon Leaker Multiple Times Before Arrest
