People Are Claiming To Sell Podium From The House Of Representatives Online
A number of posts purporting to flog the speaker podium that as taken from the House of Representatives on Wednesday have popped up on eBay.
The posts, which have been called out for being fakes, appeared on the online auction site just hours after the rioters broke into the US Capitol and were seen carrying various bits of furniture.
One ‘seller’ wrote: “House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Speaker Podium.”
While another posted, ‘As seen on TV’ alongside an image of the bobble hat-wearing rioter carrying the podium across the ransacked Capitol’s floor.
However, on the Sportsbook Review forum, where the posts were shared – people have been quick to highlight the fakes.
One person wrote: “Bogus eBay auction. Seen these a million times.
“If the seller was the guy who took it (which I don’t believe he even got it out of the building) he would have taken pictures of it in his house, not used pics from the internet.
“On a side note, that would be cool as s*** to have in your game room.”
Some of the ‘sellers’ have since pulled their listings or edited them to state that it is only a photo of the podium that is being bid on.
A rep for eBay said: “We are currently in the process of reviewing and removing listings.
“At eBay, we have a strict policy against hate and discrimination to ensure our platform remains a safe, trusted and inclusive environment for our global community of buyers and sellers. Stolen items are illegal and not allowed on eBay.
“We actively work to prevent these items from making their way onto our marketplace and collaborate with law enforcement and others to prevent the sale of stolen goods. We will continue to monitor for any stolen goods and will have them quickly removed.”
The photo of the man carrying the podium went viral on Wednesday, leading to a rather unusual mix up when people erroneously believed his name was Via Getty.
As the photos of the man did the rounds, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza credited the photo to news agency Getty – which owned the rights to the photo – writing: “Via Getty, one of the rioters steals a podium from the Capitol.”
But others believed that ‘Via Getty’ was the bloke’s name.
In response to the image, one person said: “I want Via Getty and everyone else who participated in this domestic terrorism at the Capitol today arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Someone else said: “Boom! We got one of these MAGA chuds!
“Via Getty look him up I bet he flunked out of high school and f***s his sister! Via Getty that is his name let’s get this guy and serve justice.”
Man seen carrying Pelosi’s podium in US Capitol riot arrested
Adam Johnson, 36, of Florida, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the United States Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Johnson, 36, was booked into the Pinellas County jail on Friday night.
It is alleged that on Jan. 6, Johnson illegally entered the US Capitol and removed the Speaker of the House’s lectern from where it had been stored on the House side of the Capitol building, the attorney’s office said