Peter Stager, of Conway, and Richard “Bigo” Barnett, 60, of Gravette, Arkansas were arrested last week and charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack of the Capitol, reported Associated Press News on Thursday, January 14.
The Capitol was raided by thousands of rioters on Jan. 6, following a “Stop the Steal” rally held after the presidential election in Washington D.C, where national security was threatened by violence and the obstruction of democracy, reported by BBC news.
The Washington Post recorded a tweet from GOP spokesman Michael Ahrens on Jan. 6 that stated, “What happened today was domestic terrorism.”
Stager and Barnett were among over 100 arrested in connection to the four-hour insurrection at the Capitol, with the FBI reporting more than 200 case files opened.
“Those who are proven to have committed criminal acts during the storming of the Capital will face justice,” said Jeffrey A. Rosen, Acting Attorney General of the United States in a news release from the Justice Department.
According to court documents, Stager was charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer when photos and videos showed him beating a police officer with a flag pole at the Capitol riots.
In the video, angry Pro-Trump rioters dragged a police officer down a set of stairs where they repeatedly beat him with poles, according to the affidavit of FBI special agent Jason Coe.
Stager was ordered to remain in jail as he awaits trial by U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Ray.
KATV reported that Stager went to the rally on Jan. 6 because “the president asked him to. To show his support,” his boss said.
Barnett’s case is being investigated by U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, according to the Arkansas Times.
Washington Post reports that Barnett described himself as a “white nationalist,” and was charged with purposely entering and remaining in a restricted area without proper authority; theft of public money, property, or records; violent entry on Capitol grounds; and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
A photo of Barnett surfaced on the internet of him sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk in the Capitol with his feet up on Jan. 6., with documents surrounding him and an American flag at his side.
Matthew Rosenberg, a New York Times reporter, tweeted on Jan. 6, “Barnett, whose shirt was ripped open and who kept shouting about being ‘maced,’ was loudly entertaining fellow protesters with tales of his exploits.” He continued, “After getting into Pelosi’s office, he said, ‘I wrote her a nasty note, put my feet up on her desk and scratched my balls.’”
Barnett claimed “he was pushed in Pelosi’s office by other protesters,” after knocking on the door, and later said, “I’ll probably be telling them this is what happened all the way to the D.C. jail.”