Pro-Trump Terrorists Invade the U.S. Capitol
Some of the Capitol invaders paraded around destructive hate symbols such as a noose, a “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirt, and several confederate flags. photo via Flickr under the Creative Commons license
January 7, 2021
On January 6th, 2021, the certification of the presidential election results was set to occur. However, at around 1:00p.m, congressional proceedings were disturbed by terrorists who stormed the U.S Capitol. These Pro-Trump rioters invaded the symbolic building, resulting in the death of one of their intruders while in a stand-off with law enforcement officers. According to the Los Angeles Times, they raided the chamber of the House floor by breaking the glass door and marched past the Capitol police force (who were presumably unprepared). These extremists were also pictured scaling the building’s walls with religious, confederate, and Pro-Trump flags in hand, as stated by CBS News.
The New York Post declared that this was the first U.S. Capitol invasion since the British’s attack in the War of 1812.
CBS News says that this was directly in response to President Trump’s speech which claimed false accusations of voter fraud and that he is the President-elect. Additionally, his tweet specifically urged Trump supporters to gather and protest in front of the Capitol.
photo via Frank Schulenburg under the Creative Commons license (Frank Schulenburg)
ABC News disclosed that Trump released a video on Twitter encouraging his supporters to go home, however, he still repeated his former false accusations regarding election fraud. As a result of Trump’s direct involvement with the riots, Twitter has locked his account for 12 hours until the tweets are deleted. Also contributing to the violence was Rudy Giuliani, who advocated for “trial by combat”.
The violence that President Trump incited on January 6th halted the electoral college voting process and also resulted in some House members as well as Vice President Mike Pence being evacuated. Many other congressional members were directed to remain inside, low to the floor, and find safety.
When asked to make a statement on CNN, Ambassador John Bolton, Former Trump National Security Advisor, labeled today as the “saddest day in history” and claims that Trump’s actions were an “assault on our constitutional process.” Many senators shared similar views as Bolton; Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) states that “What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.” He goes even further to urge his fellow congressmen to accept election results and denounce any objections – “The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth… move forward with completing the electoral count, to refrain from further objections and to unanimously affirm the legitimacy of the presidential election.” (CNN)
Protestors remained outside of the Capitol, as of 7:00 p.m., even though the DC mayor implemented a 6:00 p.m. curfew due to the chaos. The D.C National Guard has been called to help the U.S. Capitol Police, in addition to many other police forces.
Stay tuned for more information on live updates from CBS News.
