Rioter who broke into Pelosi’s office: Not ‘fair’ I’m still in jail

The man charged with illegally entering Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office and stealing items including mail during the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol disrupted a court hearing on Thursday while yelling that his continued detention was unfair.

The New York Times reported that 60-year-old Richard Barnett began yelling during a virtual hearing on his case that it was not “fair” that he remained in custody while some others accused of participating in the riot have been released ahead of their trials. The Arkansas resident’s attorneys have reportedly attempted to secure his bonded release with no success thus far.

“They’re dragging this out!” he yelled at one point, according to the Times. “They’re letting everybody else out!”

His outburst appeared to come in response to the judge setting Barnett’s trial date in May, a prospect which he exclaimed would force him to remain in jail “another month.”

In response, Judge Christopher Cooper called a five-minute recess while Barnett’s attorneys calmed him down, according to the newspaper. It then resumed without incident.

Photos of Barnett with his feet up behind the desk in Pelosi’s office went viral in the hours and days after the Capitol siege, resulting in him becoming one of the most widely recognizable participants in the riot along with the self-proclaimed “QAnon Shaman” and another man who was seen grinning as he walked away with a stolen lectern.

Barnett pleaded not guilty earlier this month to a handful of charges stemming from the riot, including bringing a weapon into a restricted area as well as obstruction of Congress.