WASHINGTON (KNWA/KFTA) — A man photographed inside Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s office during protests in Washington D.C. is from Northwest Arkansas.
This Getty Image photo is going viral after Wednesday’s protest.
Our KNWA & FOX24 team immediately recognized the man, and we spoke to members of the Benton County Republicans who also identify the man in this photo as Richard Barnett of Gravette, Arkansas.
We interviewed Barnett back in November during a Stop the Steal rally in Bentonville. He supports President Trump’s claims of voter fraud and believes that cost him this election.
Shortly after the photo was circulated, Christine Pelosi, a Democratic strategist and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, posted a tweet, stating this was, in fact, not her mother’s desk.
Another journalist in Washington, D.C. snapped a photo of Richard outside the Capitol, claiming to have taken a letter from Pelosi’s desk.
A New York Times reporter spoke to Barnett outside the Capitol. In a profanity-laced statement, he told the Times reporter he left Pelosi a note on her desk, along with a quarter, “even though she ain’t ******* worth it.”
UPDATE @ 8:49 p.m. January 6, 2020: KNWA & FOX24 spoke with Barnett by phone, who confirms he was in the Capitol and that he left the note for Rep. Pelosi. He says he was escorted out of Capitol after being tear gassed. He says he wasn’t arrested, but is hiring an attorney because he and his family have received multiple threats.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack represents the 3rd District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. Barnett’s home city of Gravette falls within Womack’s district. Wednesday, the congressman took to Twitter to condemn Barnett’s actions.
