Laptop stolen from Pelosi's office during storming of U.S. Capitol, says aide

[January 09, 2021]  By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A laptop was stolen from the office of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, one of her aides said on Friday.

Drew Hammill, an aide to Democrat Pelosi, said on Twitter that the laptop belonged to a conference room and was used for presentations. He declined to offer further details.

The theft of electronic devices from congressional offices has been a persistent worry following the invasion by pro-Trump followers. They were encouraged by Republican President Donald Trump at a rally beforehand to march to the Capitol while Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden's Nov. 3 election win.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, said on Twitter that a laptop was taken from his office. On Thursday, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said that some of the thefts might have potentially jeopardized what he described as "national security equities."

"We just don't know the extent of that damage at this point," he said.

The demonstrators who broke into the Capitol posted several photographs of themselves using congressional phones and various other devices. One reporter with the right-wing outlet Blaze posted a photograph of what purported to be a computer from Pelosi's office with emails "still on the screen."

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks to reporters a day after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump occupied the Capitol, during a news conference in Washington, U.S., January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott

What else might have been taken during the chaos is not yet known. Some information technology experts worry that intruders may have planted malicious software on computers, although it's not clear that devices were the focus of any particular attention.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter; editing by Grant McCool)

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