An Oregon man was arrested for breaking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (Ca.) sign during the January 6th riot.
34-year-old David Medina, of Sherwood, was arrested by FBI agents in Portland for allegedly smashing a wooden sign with Pelosi's name and title.
Medina was charged with several misdemeanors, including destruction of government property and entering a restricted area. His most serious charge is a felony for obstruction of an official proceeding.
The Justice Department has charged hundreds of January 6th participants with the same crime, which also forms half of Jack Smith's January 6th indictment against President Trump.
The scope of the obstruction statute is set for a review by the Supreme Court in a dispute involving another January 6th defendant.
During the Capitol incursion, Medina allegedly smashed a wooden sign outside Pelosi's office that said, “Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.”
Medina was also seen waving an "ornate American flag" that was likely taken from inside the Capitol, the DOJ said.
The day after January 6th, Medina boasted about his participation and said it felt "so good" to break Pelosi's sign. He also identified himself as the FBI's "favorite citizen" in a post on X.
“So as these guys break into the Capitol, obviously the doors are wide open. I walk in and I am screaming ‘1776,’ cause it’s powerful man. It’s a powerful move, a powerful time,” Medina said at the time.
The arrest comes more than three years after the January 6th riot, which has continued to play a significant role in the campaign rhetoric of the Democratic party.
President Biden, facing low approval ratings, has focused on the January 6th "insurrection" to paint his Republican opponent, Donald Trump as a threat to "our democracy."
The Biden Justice Department has continued to prioritize cracking down on January 6th participants, with over 1,300 defendants charged. The majority have not been accused of violence.
Pelosi relinquished the Speaker's gavel following GOP gains in the 2022 midterms elections that gave Republicans control of the House.
In one of her last acts as Speaker, Pelosi spearheaded the January 6th committee, which produced a lengthy report accusing Trump of causing an insurrection.
Those claims are at the heart of multiple legal efforts to prosecute Trump and disqualify him from the ballot in 2024.
