[Image from capitol interior via Win McNamee/Getty Images; mugshot via Pinellas Co., Fla. Sheriff’s Department]
The Florida man who was seen gleefully carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s podium in the Capitol on Jan. 6 has asked for permission to modify the conditions of his bond so that he can travel to celebrate Christmas with family members.
Adam Johnson pleaded guilty on Nov. 22 to entering and remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority.
Now, just one week after filing his plea, he wants to be able to travel to see his father and father-in-law for Christmas.
In a filing Monday, Johnson asked Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton for permission to leave the Middle District of Florida “so his five children can visit their grandparents for the Christmas holiday.”
Specifically, Johnson wants permission to travel to the Southern District of Florida, where his father lives, and the Northern District, where his wife’s father lives. He is currently restricted to the state’s Middle District.
“Mr. Johnson and his wife have five children, all boys. His father-in-law lives in Pensacola, Florida, is in his 80’s and in poor health having sustained multiple surgeries,” Johnson’s request states. “Mr. Johnson’s father resides in Miami, Florida and the Johnson family has traditionally gathered at his residence on Christmas Eve.”
The request says that Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Arco does not object to Johnson’s request to travel.
As support for his request, Johnson says that he has not been accused of any violent or destructive crime.
“There have been no facts provided in discovery that indicate that Mr. Johnson was involved in any violence towards police or destroyed government property on January 6, 2020,” his motion says. “Additionally, there is no evidence that he is either a flight risk or a danger to the community.”
It’s worth noting that he was charged with theft of government property, and the FBI values Pelosi’s lectern at more than $1,000.
Walton, a George W. Bush appointee, set Johnson’s sentencing hearing for February.
Johnson, who is described by the local Bradenton Herald as a “stay-at-home father, who makes and sells furniture,” says that he will provide his probation office with his travel plans three days prior to his departure.
On Jan. 6, Getty photographer Win McNamee captured an image of Johnson, then 36, traipsing through the U.S. Capitol carrying a podium with the seal of the speaker on it. Johnson is grinning widely, carrying the lectern in his right arm while looking directly at the camera and waving with his left hand. That picture, one of the first disseminated on Jan. 6, became emblematic in many ways of the crowd of Donald Trump supporters that breached police lines and stormed the Capitol building in an effort to stop the Electoral College from certifying Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.
Johnson also posted a picture to social media of himself standing behind a sign that said “Closed to all tours.” Johnson is touching the top of the sign with one hand, while his other appears to be indicating the text itself. Johnson wrote just one word to accompany the photo: “No.”
Read Johnson’s travel request, below.
[Image from capitol interior via Win McNamee/Getty Images; mugshot via Pinellas Co., Fla. Sheriff’s Department]
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