BADLY MISJUDGED

Capitol Rioter Decides to Represent Himself in Court, Accidentally Admits to Two New Felonies

Brandon Fellows was advised against representing himself, but he ignored that warning.

A Capitol rioter who allegedly smoked weed in a senator’s office on Jan. 6 decided to represent himself in court on Tuesday—and it went exactly as badly as could have been expected. Washington, D.C. news network WUSA reports that the wild hearing opened with a judge advising Brandon Fellows against representing himself, but he ignored that warning and went on to bolster the case against him by admitting to two new felonies. “Most people do not do this,” U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden reportedly told Fellows. “I do not think this is a good idea… but I’m going to allow you to take the stand, if you wish.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst reportedly got Fellows to admit that he gained access to the Capitol through a broken window, and that he tried to get a previous judge removed from the case using the judge’s wife’s contact information. At the end of the hearing, McFadden ordered Fellows back into custody and told him: “You’ve admitted to incredible lapses of judgment here on the stand, not least of which was seeking to disqualify a New York state judge.”