2 Charleston-area men who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 charged, bring SC’s total to 16

Two Charleston-area men were arrested Friday and arraigned in federal court on charges connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

David “Dave” Charles Johnston, 69, and Chadwick “Chad” Gordon Clifton, 47, a construction worker, were released on $25,000 unsecured bond by Magistrate Judge Molly Cherry, according to federal court records.

Johnston is an attorney — the first attorney from South Carolina arrested in connection with the Capitol breach.

The pair are neighbors in a residential community in Summerville, a town northwest of Charleston in Dorchester County.

Their arrests Friday bring to 16 the number of South Carolinians charged so far in the storming of the Capitol, an event that forced Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to flee and injured more than 100 police officers. Seven of those charged from South Carolina have pleaded guilty.

The pair were turned over to the FBI by tipsters. They are both charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in any of the Capitol Buildings.

One tipster told the FBI that Clifton told him and other co-workers at Maintain, Inc., a Mount Pleasant property management company where Clifton used to work, that he “went inside the U.S. Capitol building, and sent a photograph showing himself inside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021. “

The tipster said that Clifton “brags about what they did and has shown all of his coworkers videos and pics. He sent me a pic when he was there.”

Clifton also posted photos of his experiences in the Capitol on Facebook and TikTok, a video app, saying on Facebook three days after the riot, “We are in a war and 95% of the people don’t even know it. When I went to DC that was an experience of a lifetime.”

Clifton, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, wore a cap that said, “Trump 2020 - Keep America Great.”

Johnston also wore Trump regalia that included a blue winter cap with white and red trim embroidered with a circular circular “45” logo and the word “TRUMP.”

Lawyer part of pair who joined the Capitol riot

In addition to social media posts and tips, evidence against the two men includes government surveillance videos, GPS phone location data and witnesses who identified photos of Johnston and Clifton that place them inside the Capitol during the riot, according to a federal complaint.

Johnston is an attorney with the George Sink personal injury firm, a 41-lawyer group with offices around South Carolina.

The Sink law firm had no immediate response to a query about Johnston.

On the firm’s web site, Johnston is described as a married “proud father,” who graduated from Campbell University Law School in North Carolina.

It was not known as of Friday afternoon whether Johnston will face disciplinary action by the lawyers’ conduct body, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an arm of the S.C. Supreme Court.

John Nichols, chief attorney at the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, declined to comment Friday on Johnston’s specific situation, but said, “Generally speaking, a lawyer charged with a serious crime is required to self-report that within a specified period of time (15 days) and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel will advise the Supreme Court accordingly.”

Rules governing South Carolina lawyers’ behavior say that a “lawyer’s conduct should conform to the requirements of the law, both in professional service to clients and in the lawyer’s business and personal affairs.”

Any crime that “reflects adversely on a lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer” or “involves interference with the administration of justice” is subject for potential review, according to the state’s rules of attorney professional conduct.

On a firm promotional video, Johnston said has been riding motorcycles since he was 13, and handles lawsuits involving his fellow bikers. He notes he owns a 1977 BMW motorcycle and also said, “I have a relationship with the Lord that is first and foremost in my life. That means everything to me.”

The pair’s arrest came one day after the FBI arrested four members of a South Carolina family, one of whom lives in North Carolina, on similar charges. A fifth member of the family, a minor teenage boy, was not charged because of his age.

Johnston is represented by Randy Hough, a Columbia criminal defense lawyer. Clifton is represented by Nate Williams, a former federal prosecutor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse handled the two cases for the government Friday. All South Carolina cases so far have been transferred to District of Columbia federal courts, and Johnston and Clifton’s cases are likely to also be transferred there.

More than 800 people from around the country have been arrested by the FBI in what the U.S. Department of Justice has described as its biggest criminal investigation ever.

The riot — which shut down Congress for five hours as lawmakers were trying to certify President Joe Biden’s election — came after Trump and others summoned supporters to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, by falsely claiming that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen by widespread voter fraud.

Claims of voter fraud have been debunked in numerous courts.

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 12:55 PM.