Man seen carrying Pelosi’s lectern during Capitol riot released on $25K bail

The man seen in a now-viral image carrying away Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) lectern during Wednesday’s deadly riot at the Capitol was released Monday on $25,000 bail.

Tampa, Fla.-area news outlet WTSP reported that Adam Johnson, 38, was released on bail with the conditions that he surrender his passport and wear an electronic monitoring device.

An attorney for Johnson addressed reporters at a press conference Monday afternoon and seemingly admitted that his client was the man in the photo carrying stolen property.

“You have a photograph of our client in a building, unauthorized to be there,” said Dan Eckhart. “I’m not a magician. … So, yeah, we’ve got a photograph of our client, what appears to be inside a federal building … with U.S. property.”

A statement from the U.S. attorney’s office indicated that the widely shared photo showing Johnson carrying Pelosi’s lectern led them to him. He faces charges of stealing government property, violent entry and entering a government building without permission.

“It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Johnson illegally entered the United States Capitol and removed the Speaker of the House’s lectern from where it had been stored on the House side of the Capitol building,” prosecutors said, according to WTSP. “A search of open sources led law enforcement to Johnson, who is allegedly seen in a widely circulated photo inside the Capitol carrying the lectern.”

Dozens of people have been charged over their alleged involvement in Wednesday’s riot, which left five dead, including one Capitol Police officer. Lawmakers, staffers and reporters were forced to hide in secure areas for hours while mobs ransacked the building and battled with law enforcement.