Man pictured kicking his boot up on Nancy Pelosi's desk is arrested on 3 federal charges



The man who was photographed getting comfortable in Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office as pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday has been arrested, federal law enforcement officials confirmed.

According to the Department of Justice, the man, identified as 60-year-old Richard Barnett of Gravette, Arkansas, was arrested in his home state Friday and he was charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and theft of public money, property, or records."

If convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of one year in prison. He is expected to make his initial appearance in court on Friday before ultimately being extradited to Washington, D.C.

"The shocking images of Mr. Barnett with his boots up on a desk in the Speaker of the House's office on Wednesday was repulsive," said acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. "Those who are proven to have committed criminal acts during the storming of the Capitol will face justice."

A photograph of Barnett kicking his boot up on Pelosi's desk amid the uproar quickly circulated on social media Wednesday.

@kwelkernbc A supporter of President Trump sits inside Speaker Pelosi's office. https://t.co/xyhj0Lziro
— NBC News (@NBC News)1609965158.0

After exiting the Capitol, Barnett, who apparently goes by the nickname "Bigo," was not shy about his whereabouts during the riot. He identified himself and gave an interview to a New York Times reporter, showing off the personalized letter he took from the Speaker's office.

He insisted that he didn't steal it, saying he "left a quarter on her desk."

In addition to the quarter, Barnett said he left a note on her desk as well, saying, "Bigo was here, you b***h."

(Content Warning: Video contains vulgar language).

Here’s Mr. Barnett, who goes by “Bigo,” telling the story in his own words https://t.co/oSyKiCDXgy
— Matthew Rosenberg (@Matthew Rosenberg)1609975952.0

"This case is just one in a number that demonstrate the brazen acts that were committed at the Capitol on Wednesday," added Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. "My Office is committed to prosecuting all individuals who participated in these abhorrent acts to the fullest extent of the law."

On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that it was planning to file charges against some individuals who participated in the Capitol breach and was accepting tips and digital media to help identify perpetrators.

Democratic US rep calls out 'white supremacy' of Capitol siege, says rioters 'would have been shot' if they were black



Brand-new U.S. Rep. Cori Bush — a Black Lives Matter proponent who was part of the mob that confronted Mark and Patricia McCloskey outside their St. Louis home over the summer as the couple armed themselves — said the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday "would have been shot" had they been black.

What are the details?

Bush — a Missouri Democrat — told MSNBC "had it been people who look like me, had it been the same amount of people, but had they been black and brown, we wouldn't have made it up those steps. We wouldn't have made it to be able to get into the door and bust windows and go put our feet up on the desks of Congress members. We wouldn't have made it that far. We would have been shot. We would've been tear gassed ... rubber bullets. That would've happened before we made it there."

@kwelkernbc A supporter of President Trump sits inside Speaker Pelosi's office. https://t.co/xyhj0Lziro
— NBC News (@NBC News)1609965158.0

She continued: "We need to call it what it is. It's white supremacy. It was white privilege, and it was the call of our president, and it was encouraged by our Republican colleagues."

NEW: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed on Fox News minutes ago that he heard on a Capitol Police radio… https://t.co/tuoDKJdzLH
— NPR Politics (@NPR Politics)1609964606.0

Several hundred supporters of President Donald Trump — among tens of thousands who gathered Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to protest the results of the 2020 election — breached police lines, broke into the Capitol building, and rioted, forcing a lockdown and evacuation of elected officials and their staff members.

She also wants GOP legislators expelled who wanted to overturn election

Bush also told MSNBC that Republican lawmakers who disputed the election results "have been the ones trying to steal this election. That's why we are calling for them to be removed. They should not be seated."

Indeed, the Hill reported that her first legislative act is introducing a resolution to investigate and possibly remove them.

"I believe the Republican members of Congress who have incited this domestic terror attack through their attempts to overturn the election must face consequences," Bush said, according to the outlet. "They have broken their sacred Oath of Office. I will be introducing a resolution calling for their expulsion."

Questions for law enforcement

Bush in her MSBC interview also questioned the actions of law enforcement during the Capitol rioting.

"It was strange because it was almost like there was this call to not use force," she said. "I'm not used to seeing this where there could be this many people, and there is nothing that looks like it's in place. There are pictures and video of police officers ... walking away. I'm even hearing people talking about ... that they just stood by."

Bush added that lawmakers at the Capitol have been reassured that "when we are here on these grounds that we are safe ... but today was not that day."

"We need to call it what it is — it is white supremacy — it was white privilege and it was the call of our presiden… https://t.co/sUETyCTc0p
— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1609981510.0

Anything else?

During their appearance at the Republican National Convention in August, the McCloskeys called Bush a "Marxist liberal activist" who was "leading the mob through our neighborhood" and "stood outside of our home with a bullhorn screaming 'you can't stop the revolution'" — and "that Marxist revolutionary is now going to be the congresswoman for the 1st District of Missouri," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said.

Bush responded to the couple's remarks that "this is their way of just trying to get attention, trying to get some notoriety," the paper added.

Last month a judge dismissed the St. Louis prosecutor from the McCloskey case, saying improper fundraising emails by Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner's campaign infringed on the couple's right to a fair trial. Gardner filed felony gun charges against the McCloskeys in July.

NBC's Kristen Welker wins high praise from the left and right in moderating of final debate



NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker received rave reviews from Democrats, Republicans, and folks in between for her performance in moderating Thursday night's final debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

What are the details?

After President Trump warned ahead of the debate that Welker has "always been terrible and unfair," midway through the debate he tipped his hat to the journalist for how she was conducting the bout.

The Hill reported that "as he accused former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday night of wanting to ban fracking, Trump threw out a compliment to Welker, saying that he respected her handling of the debate."

"By the way so far I respect very much the way you're handling this, I have to say," Trump told the moderator, before returning to his back-and-forth with Biden.

Toward the end of the debate, conservative writer Carmine Sabia tweeted, "There is time left but Kristen Welker has given a master class on how to moderate a debate fairly. Is Chris Wallace watching?"

When the debate was over, pundits, politicians, and journalists of all stripes declared Welker as the person who came out on top in the evening's performances.

Conservative Wayne Dupree tweeted, "#KristenWelker did one of the best moderator jobs we've seen in years. She didn't give Biden snowball questions and that was huge!"

#KristenWelker did one of the best moderator jobs we've seen in years. She didn't give Biden snowball questions and… https://t.co/bjcG6P9khC
— W.E. Dupree (@W.E. Dupree)1603421131.0

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) also sang Welker's praises, saying the NBC News rising star "did an excellent job moderating tonight."

Several of Welker's colleagues at NBC sent shout-outs for her performance, but so did other journalists.

Former Fox News reporter Adam Housley tweeted, "@kwelkernbc handled it fantastically. Maybe a couple more topics could have been explored, but she was fair and kept control."

He had his chance and his ego got in the way. He has only himself to blame because ultimately he was in control.… https://t.co/CMAKq7n8g3
— Adam Housley (@Adam Housley)1603421388.0

The audience appeared happy, too. Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs reported from the debate in Tennessee, "'Home run,' one person in Nashville debate audience said loudly of moderator @kwelkernbc, and dozens who heard that comment voiced agreement."

“Home run,” one person in Nashville debate audience said loudly of moderator @kwelkernbc, and dozens who heard that… https://t.co/YluvXgE3ne
— Jennifer Jacobs (@Jennifer Jacobs)1603421773.0

Former Sen. Bob Dole accuses bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates of bias against Trump



Former Sen. Bob Dole (KS), who was the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, voiced his concern Friday that the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates might favor Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, saying that none of the GOP members support President Donald Trump.

What are the details?

"The Commission on Presidential Debates is supposedly bipartisan w/ an equal number of Rs and Ds," Dole tweeted. "I know all of the Republicans and most are friends of mine. I am concerned that none of them support @realDonaldTrump. A biased Debate Commission is unfair.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is supposedly bipartisan w/ an equal number of Rs and Ds. I know all of the… https://t.co/Ed7hQia3p2
— Senator Bob Dole (@Senator Bob Dole)1602273762.0

President Trump responded, "Thank you @SenatorDole. So true!"

The Hill noted, "Members of the commission's board of directors include former GOP Sens. John Danforth (Mo.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine). All of the living former presidents serve as honorary co-chairs."

Dole's public statement came amid uproar over accusations that the moderator selected for second debate, C-SPAN's Steve Scully, reached out to notorious anti-Trumper Anthony Scaramucci via Twitter on Thursday, asking if he should "respond to Trump."


Scully deleted the comment the next day, but was already facing heat and accusations of bias, over reports that he was an intern for Biden in 1978.

Several fellow journalists came to Scully's defense, saying that he has been balanced in his reporting, while a co-chair on the debates commission claimed Scully's Twitter account was hacked. C-SPAN also released a statement saying that Scully's account was hijacked and that authorities were investigating.

Meanwhile, Fox News reported that "Scully has a history of blaming hackers for his social media posts," citing previous times he made the same claim on the platform. Twitter refused to comment to the outlet on the matter.

Following Dole's comments, The Wall Street Journal reported that the second presidential debate between Trump and Biden, which was slated for Oct. 15, had been canceled.

The commission had previously announced that the town hall debate would be virtual following Trump's coronavirus diagnosis, but the president said he would not participate unless the event was held in person.

President Trump tweeted after the cancelation, ".@SteveScully, the Never Trumper next debate moderator, got caught cold. Pulled out the old, 'I've been hacked', line. That never works. His bosses are furious at him as he's lost all credibility!"

.@SteveScully, the Never Trumper next debate moderator, got caught cold. Pulled out the old, “I’ve been hacked”, li… https://t.co/X1cNyoyGRH
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1602286280.0

Scully tweeted on his own account afterward, "I want to thank the @CPD for the honor of moderating the town hall meeting debate in Florida next Thursday. With news tonight the debate was cancelled, I want to wish @KWelkerNBC the very best on October 22nd. Presidential debates are part of America's great democracy!"