Capitol riot suspect who put his feet on Pelosi’s desk asks court for permission to go to car show
Richard Barnett is currently on home detention pending his trial
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Your support makes all the difference.The Capitol riot suspect who is accused of storming Senator Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office during the siege and putting his feet up on the lawmaker’s desk has reportedly requested court permission to loosen his release conditions so he can attend a car show.
Richard Barnett, 65, has been put on home detention pending trial in the wake of the 6 January insurrection that saw five people killed.
However, according to multiple reports, lawyers for Mr Barnett have asked US District Judge Christopher Cooper to give their client permission to attend a classic car show in Arkansas.
According to The Daily Beast, Mr Barnett’s lawyers said the “lifelong hobby” is their client’s primary source of income.
“This is the only way that he has the opportunity to make ends meet, provide for his family and pay for his legal defence,” defence attorney Joseph McBride reportedly said in the Monday request.
The lawyer also said his client had suffered in the wake of the insurrection after being “terminated from his career position as a window salesman”.
His motion reportedly says Mr Barnett now has to travel more than 50 miles to sell cars.
Federal prosecutors have opposed the request however, asserting that Barnett has reportedly previously had a “civil dispute” at a classic car show.
Mr Barnett is facing several charges, including theft, after he was identified in a photo posing in Ms Pelosi’s office and holding a stun gun during the 6 January insurrection.
In a tweet, NBC4 reporter Scott MacFarlane said it was “gonna take a long time to get thru these Jan 6 cases,” as he noted Mr Barnett’s request for permission to attend the car show.
Mr MacFarlane said the judge on the case “will consider” Mr Barnett’s request.
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