The man who was seen in a photo carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the fatal Capitol riot has pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor.
36-year-old Adam Johnson of Florida pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, according to court records cited in an NBC News report Monday night. Other charges, per a separate report from the Bradenton Herald, will be dismissed. Johnson is set to be sentenced in February.
Speaking to Johnson on Monday, Judge Reggie B. Walton was critical of Johnson’s gullibility and also wondered if he might do something like this again, specifically mentioning Donald Trump and the “troubled situation” in which the country still remains.
“Al Gore had a better case to argue than Mr. Trump and he was a man about what happened to him and he accepted it for the benefit of the country and walked away,” Walton told Johnson, who was seen wearing a Trump beanie during the riot.
Johnson was initially arrested on Jan. 8, per regional booking records, followed by his release on Jan. 11. He had been identified thanks to a widely circulated Getty Images upload, social media activity, and a tip to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center.
As for the lectern, it was briefly reported as missing after being taken from its storage location in the Speaker’s Suite. Johnson, per plea agreement sentencing guidelines, could face up to six months behind bars. He’s also expected to be sentenced to pay $500 in restitution.
Word of Johnson’s plea arrives just days after the sentencing of Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman.” Chansley, 34, was sentenced to 41 months behind bars for his involvement in the riot.
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