Capitol Hill rioter who put feet up on Pelosi's desk throws tantrum in court, shouts at judge

When Richard Barnett broke into Capitol Hill along with the MAGA mob and put up his feet on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk, little did he know he'd end up behind bars for a while. Barnett, who hails from Arkansas, posed for pictures and ended up being one of the more prominent faces during the riots that killed five people including a policeman on January 6, 2021. Barnett also stole mail from Pelosi's office. He has been in jail since and was seen throwing a tantrum during a virtual court hearing on Thursday. He yelled at the judge who postponed his hearing and shouted at his own lawyers as well, reported New York Times. He said it wasn’t “fair” that he was still in jail weeks after his arrest while some of the others had been let out. “This has been a bunch of crap,” yelled Barnett before recess, claimed a Daily Beast reporter.

The 60-year-old was part of the violent mob that charged into Capitol Hill with the intention of stopping Congress members from confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the Presidential election. Barnett was photographed with a 950,000-volt cattle-prod-like stun gun dangling from his belt. He was arrested less than a week after the riots and entered a plea of not guilty. He was one of 300 people to be charged with federal charges. Court records revealed he drove back to Arkansas, turned off his phone’s location services, and used only cash to make transactions, reported The Washington Post. He also kept his face covered, having posed for photographs on the day of the insurrection.

Richard Barnett has been trying to get out of jail by posting a bond but he has been unsuccessful, angering him further during the virtual proceedings in front of Judge Christopher Cooper of Federal District Court in Washington. Barnett shouted at the judge and his lawyers after Judge Cooper postponed his case to a day in May. He shouted that he did not want to spend "another month" behind bars. “They’re dragging this out! They’re letting everybody else out!” shouted the 60-year-old. After allowing Barnett to calm down, Judge Cooper said he would consider a new motion for release if and when the Arkansas man's lawyers filed one.

Barnett thought he was really smart to be held accountable and reportedly told agents he had removed his guns from his house before it was searched. “He also commented that the agents may not find much at his house because he is a smart man,” wrote prosecutors in a memo. He had also reportedly stolen mail from Pelosi's desk which he held up for reporters later. “I did not steal it,” said Barnett, according to a video the FBI obtained. “I bled on it because they were Mace-ing me and I couldn’t [expletive] see so I figured I am in her office. I got blood on her office.” A grand jury indicted Barnett in January on seven counts, including disorderly conduct, obstruction of an official proceeding, and theft of government property.

Another popular face from the riots was “QAnon shaman” Jacob Chansley, who was photographed in a fur headdress and horns during the insurrection on January 6. He had demanded improved conditions in jail and requested nonorganic food, claiming it was against his religion. A federal judge ordered Chansley be moved to a jail in Virginia where he would be served organic food, according to court records.

Former President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for his role in the deadly riots on Capitol Hill. Trump became the first President in American history to be impeached twice, after being earlier impeached by the House in December 2019 for seeking political favors from the Ukrainian President against Joe Biden. Ten Republicans broke rank with the party to impeach the President after Democrats charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection," reported The Huffington Post.