Pro-Trump rioters inside Nancy Pelosi’s office.Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty
The Arkansas man photographed sitting in then-House SpeakerNancy Pelosi’s chair during the violent Jan. 6, 2021,insurrection at the U.S. Capitolwas found guilty on Monday of all eight charges he faced, including obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property.
CNN reports that Barnett, 62, will be sentenced in early May and until then will wear a GPS ankle monitor while in home confinement. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the charge of obstructing an official proceeding.
Barnett was taken into custody days after the riots, on federal charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds, violent entry and theft of public property.
Taking the stand inhis own defenseearlier this month, Barnett said he had “acted like a f—ing idiot,” but said he wound up in Pelosi’s office only after being “pushed” into the Capitol and wandering around looking for a bathroom, Politico reports.
Footage taken that day shows Barnett both inside Pelosi’s office and outside the Capitol, proudly waving the envelope he took.
He also toldThe New York Timesthat he had entered Pelosi’s office, saying he “wrote her a nasty note, put my feet up on her desk.”
Speaking to theTimes, Barnett was insisted that he did not steal the letter because he “put a quarter on her desk,” he told the newspaper.
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After obtaining a warrant, law enforcement officials discovered “the empty packaging for a ZAP Hike n' Strike Hiking Staff High Voltage Stun Device” inside Barnett’s home, but did not find the device itself.
Like other lawmakers in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 breach, Pelosi was whisked to a secure location as the rioters overtook the building.
U.S. Capitol Police revealed that Nancy was in Washington, D.C. at the time of the overnight assault, in which the intruder “confronted the speaker’s husband” and shouted, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” per CNN sources. The criminal then attempted to tie up Paul “until Nancy got home,” and was still “waiting for Nancy” when police arrived, sources said.
source: people.com
