Photos of Adam Johnson posing with Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Capitol riot will also pay a $5,000 fine
Protesters gather at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 06, 2021. (Getty Images)
Adam Johnson, a Florida resident and stay-at-home father of five, has been sentenced with 75 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for his actions during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Photographs of Johnson smiling while posing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern inside the Capitol building circulated widely after Jan.6, and Johnson has since been named as one of the main instigators of the attack on the building that day, according to The Washington Post.
Related: Trump takes control of the Jan. 6 story — while the media and Congress sleep on it
“A message just has to be sent,” Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton told Johnson during his sentencing. “If you’re going to associate yourself with this type of behavior, and you’re going to try to engage in conduct that undermines the fundamental fabric of this society, that your freedom is going to be taken away.”
Johnson, who flew to D.C. on January 5, 2021 and was caught on video by a Washington Post videographer at a rally that night, yelling things indicating he did not believe Biden to have won the presidential election legitimately, was arrested on January 8, 2021.
“There were things there that happened that should never have happened,” Johnson said during sentencing. “I’m ashamed to have been a part of it.”
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According to The Washington Post, Johnson entered three highly sensitive areas of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was photographed jiggling the handle of Pelosi’s office suite. He was unable to enter the suite, but did take her lectern.
“Removing the lectern from the place it was taken from was a very stupid idea,” Johnson said. “Foolish, and something I shouldn’t have done, and I did make a mockery of a very intense and not great day.”
The widely circulated photo of Johnson posing with the lectern was taken by news reporter Win McNamee.
The lectern was located in the Capitol’s Rayburn Room when it was hauled off by Johnson, and was eventually returned.
Read more:
- Capitol rioter punished with reading civics book for 60 hours
- The Bundy takeover is now complete: How the GOP has embraced pro-terrorist politics
- Donald Trump is done pretending. He is now openly celebrating the Capitol riot
Kelly McClure
Kelly McClure is a journalist and fiction writer who lives in New Orleans. She is Salon’s Nights and Weekends editor, and her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere. Her first novella, Something is Always Happening Somewhere, comes out on May 13, 2022 via WolfieVibes Publications.
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Photos of Adam Johnson posing with Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Capitol riot will also pay a $5,000 fine Protesters gather at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 06, 2021. (Getty Images) Adam Johnson, a Florida resident and stay-at-home father of five, has been sentenced with 75 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for his actions during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Photographs of Johnson smiling while posing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern inside the Capitol building circulated widely after Jan.6, and Johnson has since been named as one of the main instigators of the attack on the building that day, according to The Washington Post. Related: Trump takes control of the Jan. 6 story — while the media and Congress sleep on it “A message just has to be sent,” Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton told Johnson during his sentencing. “If you’re going to associate yourself with this type of behavior, and you’re going to try to engage in conduct that undermines the fundamental fabric of this society, that your freedom is going to be taken away.” Johnson, who flew to D.C. on January 5, 2021 and was caught on video by a Washington Post videographer at a rally that night, yelling things indicating he did not believe Biden to have won the presidential election legitimately, was arrested on January 8, 2021. “There were things there that happened that should never have happened,” Johnson said during sentencing. “I’m ashamed to have been a part of it.” Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. According to The Washington Post, Johnson entered three highly sensitive areas of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was photographed jiggling the handle of Pelosi’s office suite. He was unable to enter the suite, but did take her lectern. “Removing the lectern from the place it was taken from was a very stupid idea,” Johnson said. “Foolish, and something I shouldn’t have done, and I did make a mockery of a very intense and not great day.” The widely circulated photo of Johnson posing with the lectern was taken by news reporter Win McNamee. The lectern was located in the Capitol’s Rayburn Room when it was hauled off by Johnson, and was eventually returned. Read more: Capitol rioter punished with reading civics book for 60 hours The Bundy takeover is now complete: How the GOP has embraced pro-terrorist politics Donald Trump is done pretending. He is now openly celebrating the Capitol riot Kelly McClure Kelly McClure is a journalist and fiction writer who lives in New Orleans. She is Salon’s Nights and Weekends editor, and her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere. Her first novella, Something is Always Happening Somewhere, comes out on May 13, 2022 via WolfieVibes Publications. MORE FROM Kelly McClure • FOLLOW WolfieVibes Trending Articles from Salon