NJ man says he urinated in Nancy Pelosi’s office during Capitol riot
Facebook photos brought FBI attention to an Atlantic City man who claimed that he urinated in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the attack by Trump supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The FBI's Newark office announced the arrest of James Douglas Rahm on Feb. 5, a month after rioters forced their way into the Capitol building as a joint session of Congress met to certify the Electoral College votes, which President Trump had been falsely claiming were stolen from him. The charges were made public on Thursday.
Rahm is the 11th person from New Jersey arrested in connection with the riot.
Agents removed boxes and computers from Rahm's home on Penrose Avenue on Feb. 5 and took pictures of the house, according to NBC 4 New York, which posted video of the agents at work.
Pictures and videos Rahm posted on his Facebook page of himself inside the Capitol building were noticed on Jan. 8 by someone who later told the FBI. The images were deleted two days later, according to an FBI agent's statement attached to the criminal complaint. The individual, who was not named in the statement, said he knew Rahm for 10 years and took a screenshot of Rahm's response on another Facebook user's page.
"Riot shields and pepper spray never hurt anyone did they? Home alive. History made. I walked through Pelosi’s office I should have sh-- on her chair. [followed by 3 laughing emojis]," according to a screenshot of Rahm's conversation.
“He also replied, Pissed in her office (referring to Nancy Pelosi) when someone commented on his post Get back inside. Give Pelosi a kiss," according to the agent's statement.
Rahm was already under investigation by the FBI, which had taken screenshots of Rahm's Facebook account and matched them with video and audio the individual sent. The individual told investigators he was certain it was Rahm's voice heard saying, "We’re in. We’re taking our f---ing house back. We’re here. Time to find some brass and kick some frickin’ ass.”
A second individual contacted the FBI about comments he saw on Rahm's Facebook page. The second individual provided photos from Rahm's Facebook page showing him holding a Trump flag and another with swollen eyes with the caption "pepper spray."
When asked on the Facebook page if he was in the Capitol, the FBI said Rahm responded, "yes do not believe the media there were no anarchist no antifa just patriots trying to take our country back. Yes I was there the pepper spray is just wearing off…"
A picture of Rahm in front of the Capitol with the caption "they’re in there counting the electoral votes we have the building surrounded we’re ready to make a breach and take our Capitol back," was provided by a third individual. Rahm called himself a "patriot trying to take our house back" in another post the third person provided.
"Nobody burned anything, nobody broke anything except for a door and the window. All the papers running all over in the offices we’re done just for news cameras we destroyed nothing we didn’t knock over one piece of paper only the front door. We the people tried to take our house back now they will blame it on Trump. Disgusting anti-Americans," Rahm's post said.
Rahm was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, impeding the orderly conduct of government business or official functions, and obstruction of Congress though violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol ground.
He had an initial hearing on Feb. 5 in federal court in Philadelphia after his arrest and was released on $10,000 bond. His case was transferred to the Department of Justice's Washington office.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ