The man who was seen putting his feet up on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot had an outburst in federal court Thursday over his continued detainment.
Richard Barnett, reportedly screamed at Judge Christopher R. Cooper during a virtual hearing where it was determined he would remain detained until at least his next hearing in May. He yelled at Cooper that it was “not fair” that he remained in jail as others were released, according to NBC Washington’s Scott MacFarlane.
“Everybody else who did things much worse are already home,” Barnett said. He later added, “I’ve been here for a month, they’re going to set it for another month, and everybody else is getting out.”
Joseph D. McBride, Barnett’s attorney, denied reported characterizations that his client’s outburst was directed at Cooper.
“Mr. Barnett’s frustration stems from the fact that he is incarcerated pre-trial, despite lacking any criminal history, being gainfully employed, respected in his community, and in a stable relationship for over 20 years,” McBride said in a statement to NBC News. “Normally, facts like these are more than enough for an individual to fight their case from the outside.”
McBride added that the lack of in-person communication due to coronavirus restrictions placed on the hearing prevented his ability to explain to Barnett the court proceedings.
“The absence of our presence, in conjunction with Mr. Barnett’s inability to immediately understand the purpose of the forthcoming May 4th adjournment, is what he believed to be unfair,” McBride said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday’s hearing from NBC News.
Barnett was taken into custody in his home state of Arkansas in January on federal charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds, violent entry and theft of public property. He has also been charged with disrupting official proceedings, disruptive and disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court records.
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Images of Barnett reclining in Pelosi’s chair with his feet up on her desk were widely shared and quickly became synonymous with the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building. Barnett later spoke to a New York Times reporter, who tweeted about the exchange following the incident in Pelosi’s office.
He told the Times that he took an envelope from Pelosi’s desk and left her a quarter in exchange, even though “she ain’t f—— worth it.”
Barnett also claimed that he knocked politely on the door to the California Democrat’s office, but was then swept inside by other rioters who had breached the Capitol. He said he left a “nasty note” as well, using an expletive to refer to Pelosi.
“I’ll probably be telling them this is what happened all the way to the D.C. jail,” he added.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
