Man in Pelosi’s Office Discusses Jail Conditions for January 6 Detainees
Unfortunately for dozens of political prisoners held hostage by their own government, freedom appears to be a long way off.
By Julie Kelly
May 25, 2021
In one of the most iconic images of January 6, a man is pictured with his feet up on a desk inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office.
Richard Barnett, 60, traveled from his home in Arkansas to hear Donald Trump’s speech then made his way to the Capitol complex. He entered Pelosi’s office, where a few photojournalists just happened to be stationed; Barnett put his feet on the desk, posed for the cameras, and left Pelosi a note. (He is quite a character, I can safely say after a lengthy phone interview.)
Two hours later, the photos went viral. Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, posted the picture of Barnett at 3:21 p.m. that afternoon. “The Trump rioter did vandalize her office,” she tweeted. “The trash will be removed and the seditionists will be prosecuted.”
That incident started a legal and personal nightmare for Barnett, who spent nearly four months behind bars before a federal judge finally released him in April.
By the time Barnett arrived home on January 7, his family already had received death threats and the FBI was at his door. Barnett was arrested January 8; he was indicted January 29 on various trespassing and disorderly conduct charges, including possessing a “dangerous or deadly weapon,” a walking stick that can also be used as a stun gun. (It had no batteries.)
“I was transported to a prison in Oklahoma City for two weeks,” Barnett, who goes by the nickname “Bigo,” told me in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “I had never been to prison before, it was my first experience. I thought how awesome it was that even though you’re in prison, you’re treated with respect and everyone follows the rules.”
But Barnett’s inaugural experience in America’s prison system quickly soured after he was transported to the nation’s capital. Like dozens of people charged with offenses related to the Capitol building protest, Barnett was ordered to remain behind bars in a D.C. jail with no chance to make bail even though he has no criminal record and faces no violent charges.
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https://amgreatness.com/2021/05/25/man-in-pelosis-office-discusses-jail-conditions-for-january-6-detainees/
