This post first appeared at Fellowship of the Minds
During the January 6 “storming of Capitol Hill,” someone(s) in the “mob” that breached police barrier into the Capitol building stole the laptop computers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff to Pelosi, tweeted that the laptop taken from the speaker’s office was stolen from a conference room and only used for presentations. He did not elaborate further on what information the laptop may contain.
Sen. Merkely said in a video posted to Twitter that rioters stole a laptop that was sitting on a conference room table in his office.
Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said that some of the thefts might have potentially jeopardized what he described as “national security equities”. He said: “Materials were stolen, and we have to identify what was done, mitigate that, and it could have potential national security equities. It will likely take several days to flesh out exactly what happened, what was stolen, what wasn’t. Electronic items were stolen from senators’ offices, documents and materials were stolen, and we have to identify what was done to mitigate that [damage].”
What else might have been taken during the chaos is not yet known. Some information technology experts worry that intruders may have planted malicious software on computers, although it’s not clear that devices were a particular focus of the attack.
Meanwhile, authorities announced Friday they had arrested and charged the man who was photographed sitting at a desk in Pelosi’s office. Richard Barnett of Arkansas has been charged with three felony counts, including theft of public property, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Adam Johnson of Florida has also been arrested on a federal warrant and booked into the Pinellas County jail, jail records show. According to Reuters, Johnson was the man photographed carrying Pelosi’s lectern from the House of Representative chambers.
Sources: The Guardian; Axios
Retired Air Force Lt. General Thomas McInerney claims that Special Forces were among those who broke into the Capitol building and took Nancy Pelosi’s laptop. McInerney says Pelosi is “frantic” and that this is why she is pushing for another impeachment and for VP Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump, even though the inauguration of 78-year-old Joe Biden is only days away.
Read the rest at Fellowship of the Minds
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