Jurors hear from man who propped feet on Pelosi office desk – By Michael Kunzelman & Lindsay Whitehurst (Associated Press) / Jan 19, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arkansas man testified Thursday that he was “going with the flow” when he propped up his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, posing for photographs that made him one of the most memorable figures from the U.S. Capitol riot two years ago.
On the witness stand at his trial on riot-related charges, Richard “Bigo” Barnett said he was looking for a bathroom inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when he unwittingly entered Pelosi’s office and encountered two news photographers. He said one of the photographers told him to “act natural,” so he lounged back in a chair and flung his legs onto the desk.
“Did it dawn on you that what you were doing could cause some trouble?” defense attorney Joseph McBride asked Barnett.
“I was just in the moment,” Barnett replied. “I’m just kind of going with the flow at this point.”
