A MAGA Rioter Reportedly Stole A Laptop From Nancy Pelosi And Tried To Sell It To Russia And Everyone Made ‘Burn After Reading’ Jokes

As the days pass and the arrests mount, we’re learning more and more about the people involved in the MAGA riot at the capitol that left five people dead at the US Capitol earlier in the month. And that includes just what the insurrectionists did after they breached the capitol and what they’ve done in the aftermath of the coup attempt.

And according to Politico, at least one of those self-described “patriots” attempted a bit of espionage that has a lot of people on social media making jokes about Burn After Reading. According to the report, a woman stole a laptop from Nancy Pelosi’s office during the attack and tried to sell it to Russia. The FBI is currently investigating a Pennsylvania woman, Riley June Williams, who entered the Capitol during the January 6 attack, took either a laptop or hard drive from Pelosi’s office and hoped to sell it to Russia.

According to the affidavit, a witness who spoke to authorities claimed to have seen a video of Williams “taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Speaker Pelosi’s office.””[Witness 1] stated that WILLIAMS intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service,” the agent noted. “According to [Witness 1], the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and WILLIAMS still has the computer device or destroyed it.”

“This matter remains under investigation,” the agent concludes.

While actual acts of treason are apparently all the rage these days, it is a pretty serious matter. Who can really know what’s on the laptop, of course, and Russia has actively worked to hack the US government and gain access to all sorts of information in recent years. But given the litany of problems we collectively have these days moments for levity are scarce, and so a bit of botched espionage was a chance for people on social media to make jokes about Burn After Reading.

Burn After Reading is, of course, a very good Cohen Brothers movie from 2008 that featured an embarrassment of acting talent and hilariously bad espionage. Two gym employees find some sensitive data in their hands thanks to an unemployed former CIA agent, and hijinks ensue as they try their best to sell it. It had a lot of great lines, and a lot of them popped up on Twitter after the news broke.

And much like Sunday’s Master and Commander incident, it was also a good opportunity for people to just talk about a movie they like and feel is underrated.

If you’re choosing your screening options based on recent online events, you’re certainly in luck this week. Burn After Reading is currently streaming on Peacock, and it makes for a nice follow-up to a movie about the Napoleonic Wars, if you need it.

[via Politico]