Jailed Capitol rioters have reportedly started their own handwritten newsletter
Richard ‘Bigo’ Barnett, who was one of the first rioters charged, told NBC 4 Washington “like in any prison, things get passed.”
“We would all contribute to it and pass it cell to cell.”
Barnett became one of the most widely recognised rioters, after an image of him with his foot on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk went viral.
He was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and theft.
“I’m innocent ’til proven guilty, but what’s happened with this particular pretrial detention, they have turned it into a punishment,” he says.
The Capitol rioters reportedly also sing the national anthem every morning and evening.
Barnett was ordered to remain in jail during a three-month pre-trial detention. A judge declared he has a “total disregard” for the law and “directives” from authorities.
But he was released in April when authorities found he does not pose a risk to remain in custody.
The 6 January Capitol rioters remain isolated from the rest of the jail in Washington D.C.
Together, the prisoners have reportedly labelled their area as ‘the patriot wing’.
It follows an ongoing investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives into the Capitol riots.
