Trump appointee arrested over Capitol riots complains to judge about sleeping arrangement in jail

‘I really haven’t slept all that much, your honour’

A mob of supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump fight with members of law enforcement at a door they broke open as they storm the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on 6 January 2021 ((Reuters))

A Trump appointee arrested on Capitol riot charges has appealed to a judge over his sleeping arrangements, asking if he could stay somewhere “I don’t have cockroaches crawling over me”.

Former State Department aide Federico Klein, 42, was arrested on Thursday. According toThe New York Times, the charges included obstructing Congress and law enforcement, unlawful entry, violent and disorderly conduct, and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.

He is the first known Trump appointee to be facing criminal charges in connection with the deadly riot, in which five people died.

Speaking to a judge on Friday during his first court appearance, Mr Klein described the conditions of his overnight stay atMetropolitan Police Headquarters in Washington, saying: "I wonder if there’s a place where I can stay in detention where I don’t have cockroaches crawling over me while I attempt to sleep ... I mean, I really haven’t slept all that much, your honour," The Washington Post reported.

“It would be nice if I could sleep in a place where there were not cockroaches everywhere."

Magistrate Zia M. Faruqui told Mr Klein that should it prove to be a safety issue or if conditions were found to be dirty, they would be addressed. Mr Klein replied: “Very well, I appreciate that.”

The former State Department aide is not the first alleged Capitol rioter to complain of conditions in jail.

The so-called QAnon Shaman, Jake Angeli, complained that the food in jail did not meet the requirements of his organic diet.

Mr Angeli was later provided with organic food following an appeal from his lawyers. This included a statement from Mr Angeli that explained: “Because of my being a Shamanic practitioner, I only eat traditional food that has been made by God. This means no GMO’s, herbicides, pesticides, or artificial preservatives or artificial colours.”