New from NPR's Embedded: Marine Sgt. Joshua Abate was in the middle of a routine polygraph test to receive top-secret clearance when he made an extraordinary admission: He had followed the crowd that broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This admission leads to a different kind of January 6 story. Abate says he's not an insurrectionist. So why did it take him so long to talk openly about that day? This is episode 1 of a two-part series. To hear the final episode, head to NPR's Embedded podcast.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy