Rep. Sherrill says colleagues gave ‘reconnaissance’ tours day before Capitol riot
"I'm going to see they are held accountable and, if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress," the New Jersey lawmaker said
During a Facebook Live broadcast, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) shared she witnessed members of Congress leading people through the Capitol on Jan. 5, the day before the violent riots occurred.
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“We can’t have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the election’s results,” Sherrill remarked according to news outlet North Jersey.
She continued, “I also intend to see that those members of Congress who abetted him; those members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 — a reconnaissance for the next day; those members of Congress that incited this violent crowd; those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy; I’m going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they don’t serve in Congress,’ she said.
Sherrill has been in office since January 2019 and her current term ends on Jan. 3, 2023. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1994 to 2003, worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and has worked as an attorney in private practice.
Read More: Capitol rioter caught hitting officer with fire extinguisher in viral video
The specific members have not been identified. Politico reported, but more than two dozen House Democrats are demanding information from Capitol security officials about “suspicious” visitors to the building. Led by Sherrill, members of Congress signed a letter asking security officials to reveal any logbooks of visitors if available, especially if they include names of those admitted to the building by lawmakers.
“Many of the Members who signed this letter, including those of us who have served in the military and are trained to recognize suspicious activity, as well as various members of our staff, witnessed an extremely high number of outside groups in the complex on Tuesday, Jan. 5,” the letter stated.
“It is important that we feel safe in the halls of Congress, and we applaud the Sergeant at Arms (SAA) and US Capitol Police (USCP) for their efforts. But the fact remains that there were unusually large groups of people throughout the Capitol who could only have gained access to the Capitol Complex from a member of Congress or a member of their staff.”
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also shared her feelings of fear during the incident. As theGrio reported, she also went live on social media with 100,000 users tuned into her Instagram Live broadcast to ask questions about the riot.
“I had a pretty traumatizing event happen to me, and I don’t even know if I can disclose the full details of that event due to security concerns, but I can tell you I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die. You have all of those thoughts where, at the end of your life, these thoughts come rushing to you,” she says. “That’s what happened to a lot of us on Wednesday. I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive. And not just in a general sense, but in a very specific sense,” she said.
According to theGrio, a laptop belonging to an aide of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and used for presentations was stolen from her office during the breach. A person who described themselves as a “nationalist” seen sitting at Pelosi’s desk in viral photos has been arrested and charged with three federal counts for raiding the government building.
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