At least 6 GOP legislators participated in Capitol riots
Rep. Justin Hill (R) of Missouri skipped his own swearing-in ceremony to attend the event.
Thanks to social media and news reports, at least six Republican Congress members were spotted participating in Wednesday’s Capitol riots. Legislators from across the country were seen supporting the event and showing solidarity with President Donald Trump, per The Hill.
“Just a whole heck of a lot of patriots here,” said Tennessee state Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R) to The Tennessean. “We never experienced any violence.”
Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) of Pennsylvania was in attendance but claims he did not participate in any violence.
“At no point did we enter the Capitol building, at no point did we tread upon the Capitol steps, and at no point did we tread upon police lines,” said Mastriano per WHTM, an ABC affiliate. “Obviously, we’re there together and we don’t want to get caught in any violence, so we left out of there.”
Rep. Justin Hill (R) of Missouri skipped his own swearing-in ceremony to attend the event.
“I wasn’t close enough to see anything. I didn’t see any vandalism,” said Hill. “It’s such a sad day.”
Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, once the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee caught wind of his attendance, they tweeted out:
“Any elected official who skips taking their oath of office to the Missouri Constitution in order to support insurrection is not fit for office.”
Read More: Foreign leaders respond as Capitol attack ‘shakes the world’
Democrats had strong words for the Republicans affiliated with the event. Jessica Post, who heads the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said:
“Any Republican legislator who took part in yesterday’s insurrection, in Washington, D.C. or anywhere else in the country, should resign immediately,” said Post. “Yesterday was a stain on our country’s history and a dangerous affront to democracy — all those involved have no place making laws.”
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