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Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern looted by Florida man returned and will be used to announce Trump’s impeachment

Videos posted on Twitter showed a staffer wheeling the lectern through the Capitol’s Statuary Hall and into the Rayburn Room, just off the floor of the House of Representatives

The lectern of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, taken by a rioter during the January 6 riots, is back at the Capitol. The now-iconic lectern has been placed for the "engrossment" ceremony of the House impeachment resolution in the Capitol's Rayburn Room, according to reports. Pelosi will use it to speak after today's vote on January 13 to impeach President Donald Trump for "incitement of insurrection" was successful.

Videos posted on Twitter showed a staffer wheeling the lectern through the Capitol’s Statuary Hall and into the Rayburn Room, just off the floor of the House of Representatives.

The lectern was looted by rioter Adam Johnson, 36, from Florida, who was arrested in the state on January 8 and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. He was released on January 11 on a $25,000 bond. A photo of Johnson, taken by Getty Images photographer Win McNamee, was one of many that went viral during the armed insurrection of the Capitol on January 6 by supporters of President Donald Trump. The FBI searched for Johnson as part of a nationwide effort to find and charge those who stormed the building.

Johnson's lawyer, Dan Eckhart, admitted to the press on January 11 that the photograph of his client in the building was a "problem". "That would be a problem. I’m not a magician,’’ he said. “So yeah, we’ve got a photograph of our client in what appears to be inside a federal building or inside the Capitol with federal property.’’ Johnson's lawyer has assured a court that his client “is not going to be attending the inauguration,” according to reports.

The return of the lectern was seen as symbolic as the Capitol returning to order. Frank Thorp of NBC News tweeted: "Remember that lectern seen being carried around the Capitol by a rioter (who was later arrested)? Well it’s back and it’s gonna be used for a press event for Pelosi to speak after the House votes to impeach the President a second time". 

The House Speaker's lectern was wheeled into the building earlier today on January 13 and it looks like it hasn't suffered any damage and will have been presumably sanitized. There is no news yet on if the gavel was also returned. 

A parody account has been set up on Twitter for the lectern in 2019 with the handle @PelosiLectern with "Speaker Pelosi's Lectern" as the name of the account and the tagline: "Don't fuck with the lectern." It did not tweet anything on January 6 but has since been posting tweets around the impeachment and posted a picture of a dam breaking before the impeachment vote. The Twitter account for 'The View' also tweeted about the return of the lectern, saying "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern, stolen in Capitol riot, returned". 

Another showed the reinstated lectern with the words: "Speaker Pelosi’s engrossment ceremony for the second impeachment of President Trump will feature her lectern that was messed with during the insurrection in the Capitol last week. For the ceremony Pelosi is expected to be joined by her leadership & appointed impeachment managers."

White House correspondent for Cheddar Inc., JD Durkin, also tweeted saying: "impeachment is one thing, but to me -- this image of Architect of the Capitol staff reaffixing Speaker Pelosi's swiped lectern is the image of the day"