WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump supporter who continues to believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen told jurors at his trial on Tuesday that he “felt very comfy” sitting in a senator’s seat during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Brandon Fellows, who has called Jan. 6 a “beautiful day” and said he liked the fact that senators and members of Congress feared for their lives, is representing himself in a trial that began last week.
“We had to take the election back, it was stolen,” Fellows said on the stand on Tuesday.
Fellows is facing a federal felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting along with misdemeanors in connection with the Capitol attack. He’s also accused of smoking marijuana inside of a hideaway office that belonged to Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
“I didn’t know it was a senator’s desk,” Fellows said. “It felt very comfy.”
Fellows said he believed he was fighting against “the corrupt government” on Jan. 6, but said he did not take part in violence himself, even if he supported it. Fellows said that he believed that some violence on Jan. 6 was preferable to more violence down the line.
“It’s the people’s house,” Fellows said. “We had the right to overthrow it.”
After the jury left the courtroom on Tuesday morning for a short break, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden said that he believed Fellows had forfeited his right to engage in a rebuttal because, when answering the questions during the government’s cross-examination, he offered a running commentary and avoided answering yes-or-no questions.
“I would expect nothing less from a kangaroo court,” Fellows remarked as he came off the witness stand.
McFadden, who was appointed by Trump, has been critical of the government’s approach to some Jan. 6 cases and has often handed out sentences far below those requested by the government.
The jury finished hearing evidence midday on Tuesday, after Fellows’ testimony. Jury instructions were expected to take place on Tuesday afternoon, followed by closing arguments.
About 1,100 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and more than 300 defendants have been sentenced to periods of incarceration. This week, another federal judge will sentence five members of the Proud Boys, four of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy. The government is seeking sentences of 33 years for two of the defendants — Enrique Tarrio and Joseph Biggs — as well as sentences of 30 years for Zachary Rehl, 27 years for Ethan Nordean and 20 years for Dominic Pezzola, the sole defendant who was not convicted of the top seditious conspiracy charge.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com