Man who posed with feet on desk in Pelosi's office vowed not to shave his beard until all Capitol rioters are free

Richard Barnett pledged the unusual form of protest while himself being prosecuted for his actions at the US Capitol during the insurrection.

• Riot defendant Richard Barnett said he won't shave his beard until others are pardoned.
• He seemed driven by Trump saying at a rally that he'd consider pardons for rioters if re-elected.
• Barnett became notorious when he was pictured lounging with his feet up in Nancy Pelosi's office.

A man who was pictured with his feet up on a desk in Nancy Pelosi's office during the Capitol riot said he will grow his beard out until all those who participated in the riot are freed. 

Richard "Bigo" Barnett, who is accused of joining the riot on January 6, posted a selfie of his beard in a tweet ahead of a court hearing on Tuesday.

"I have a court hearing this morning," he wrote. "Court artist will get to sketch the new growth of my beautiful goatee. I started it in prison and will continue to grow it until all my fellow #J6politicalprisoners are free." 

—Richard Bigo Barnett (@BigoBarnett) February 1, 2022

The tweet came after former President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would consider pardoning January 6 rioters if re-elected in 2024. Riot defendants often refer to themselves as political prisoners.

Barnett's tweet also echoed Trump's statement last September that his "heart is with those standing for rioters," and describing them as "persecuted."

Barnett leapt into the public consciousness after January 6 when a press photo of him lounging in the House Speaker's office amid the chaos was published widely. 

The image — in which his beard is closely-cropped — gained him such notoriety that in June last year he began auctioning off signed copies of the photo. 

FBI investigators cited the images in their complaint accusing him of entering restricted grounds with a weapon, violent entry and disorderly conduct, and theft. He pleads not guilty on all counts. 

Barnett — a self-described white nationalist — has remained unrepentant throughout his trial process. During a court hearing last year, he yelled "it's not fair!" at the news of his pre-trial detention, as The Daily Beast's Pilar Menendez reported at the time.