Richard “Bigo” Barnett, the Gravette man on trial in Washington, D.C., in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, took the witness stand in his own defense today and said he has “regrets.”“Because of all the controversies,” Barnett testified, according to a Washington Post article posted online this evening. Barnett contended the stun-gun feature of the Hike ‘n Strike walking staff he carried inside the Capitol wasn’t working anymore, Fischer reported. According to Fischer, Barnett also testified that his “long-held support for police was shaken by his belief that officers were attacking protesters.” Barnett repeatedly called riot police “stormtroopers,” Fischer noted. AdvertisementDefense attorney Joseph McBride asked Barnett about an encounter Barnett had with police in the Capitol rotunda. Barnett said he “was acting like a child making ‘nonsensical’ threats to try to get police to retrieve a flag he’d left in the Speaker’s office,” Fischer reported.

Source: Washington Post January 20, 2023 08:10 UTC