Pelosi aide says laptop stolen from her office during pro-Trump riot at US Capitol
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi heads back to her office after calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office either by invocation of the 25th Amendment by Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet members or Impeachmen
WASHINGTON - Electronics were stolen from prominent lawmakers’ offices during the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, including a laptop from the office of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A spokesperson for Pelosi confirmed Friday that the laptop was stolen on Wednesday when the angry mob stormed the building, upending a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the presidential election. The laptop belonged to a conference room and was used for presentations, according to spokesperson Drew Hammill.
Rioters were pictured tearing through Pelosi’s office, with one man identified as Richard Barnett posing for photos with his feet up on a staffer’s desk. Barnett, 60, from Arkansas, told news outlets that he cut his thumb and bled on an envelope in the office, which he then proceeded to take with him on his way out of the Capitol building.
Richard Barnett, a supporter of President Donald Trump sits inside the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
"As I’m looking for the bathroom I walked by and there were doors opened to offices. I looked in and saw it was Nancy Pelosi’s office," he told KFSM-TV.
"I sat down here in my desk. I’m a taxpayer. I’m a patriot. That ain’t her desk – we loaned her that desk," he continued. "And she ain’t appreciating the desk, so I thought I would sit down and appreciate the desk."
Barnett said at that point he realized he was cut and had "bled on her envelope."
"So I picked up the envelope and I put it in my pocket and I put a quarter on the desk. Cause I’m not a thief," he told local news outlet.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., also said a laptop was stolen from his office during the raid. In a video posted to Twitter, Merkley showed footage of his office in the Senate and an outside hallway that was ransacked by rioters.
The senator said his office door was left unlocked when he went to the floor, but "despite it being unlocked, the hooligans who attacked the Capitol smashed the door, virtually off its hinges."
The violent insurrection of the U.S. Capitol by the pro-Trump mob left five people dead, including one police officer, dozens hurt, and raised concerns over the security of the building and the upcoming inauguration ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden.
This story was reported from Cincinnati.