Capitol rioter attacks 'fool' Joe Biden in unhinged court appearance
Accused Capitol insurrectionist Brandon Fellows, who was recently sent back to jail after leaving a probation officer an obscene voicemail, asked a federal judge on Tuesday to allow him to represent himself.
During a status hearing in his case, Fellows reportedly read a nine-minute statement, saying he's been studying at the prison law library for two weeks and has made a "huge and life-altering decision," according to a report from WUSA9's Jordan Fischer.
"Your honor, you were spot on when you said last hearing that I was impulsive. But now that I have studied self-representation, it is what I want," Fellows told the court, citing late Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who once wrote: "If there is any truth to the old proverb 'one who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client,' the Court by its opinion today now bestows a constitutional right on one to make a fool of himself."
"Although, as Justice Blackmun says, I may be a fool to represent myself, I am nowhere near as big a fool as Joe Biden," Fellows told the court.
"Unlike Joe Biden in Afghanistan or Obama in Iraq, I recognize I lack skills," Fellows added, according to independent journalist Marcy Wheeler, before saying "something to the effect that he doesn't want to be as stupid as Biden."
Fellows was shown smoking marijuana with his feet up on a table in Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley's office in the infamous "Baked Alaska" live-stream from the Capitol insurrection. Fellows, a former grocery store worker from Schenectady, New York, has said he has "no regrets" about his actions during the insurrection.
On Tuesday, he told the judge there is "missing evidence" that would justify his release from jail, according to Politico's Josh Gerstein.
"I feel like there's a mountain of evidence that could really bring light to accusations against me," Fellows said.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden responded by telling Fellows he would need to file a written motion seeking his release. "Under no circumstances are you walking out the front door today," McFadden said.
Fellows told the court he has a "maverick-like personality" and mentioned a previous Zoom hearing where he was wearing sweatpants and eating cereal. He also claimed he was the "youngest intern at a Fortune 500 company," and that he once had two offers of million-dollar buyouts after creating some fitness classes at age 17.
Fellows' current attorney, Cara Halverson, told the court it was the first she'd heard of his desire to represent himself.
The judge advised Fellows to discuss his wishes with Halverson before returning to court on Sept. 20.
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