Remembering The Weed-smoking Capitol Rioter Who Compared Himself To Elon Musk And Called Jan. 6 A 'Beautiful Day'

Brandon Fellows, who represented himself in trial wherein he was convicted of one felony count of obstruction and four misdemeanors for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, famously said in his opening statement that he didn’t see anything wrong with his actions. He called Jan. 6 a “beautiful day” and said he was glad members of Congress were afraid of the rioters. 

Fellows, whose trial took place in August 2023, was filmed smoking a joint with his legs on Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley's (D-OR) desk on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“I didn’t know it was a senator’s desk. It felt very comfy,” he said, while also insisting that the rioters “had the right to overthrow” the government. 

And Then He Compared Himself To Elon Musk And A Supreme Court Judge

Fellows told the court he had Asperger’s syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, although he considered himself to be high-functioning, just like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom he admires.

He also compared himself to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford while they were in high school. 

“View me as a human being despite our differences,” Fellows said at the trial. “I don’t hate you guys, but my politics are different from the Democratic party’s.” 

At the time, Justice Department attorney Carolina Nevin countered Fellows’ “almost comedic” actions of him smoking weed and charging his phone as cool as a cucumber at Merkley’s desk.

Judge Nevin, according to Courthouse News Service, said the photos of Jan. 6 represented a sharp break in the nation’s democratic traditions, which include the peaceful transfer of power — a pillar of American democracy. 

In the 31 months since the Capitol riots, the Justice Department has charged more than 1,100 people in connection with their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, reported the outlet, and sentenced at least 597 people. The investigation is ongoing, with an estimated 321 people who assaulted officers still unidentified. Fellows, who had been in custody since June 2021, was given a five-month jail sentence. 

Photo of Brandon Fellows circulated on Twitter and later used by government officials