Congress reacts: What politicians are saying about the Capitol Building coup
On January 6th, Trump supporters marched their way into the Capitol building in Washington D.C. Politicians around the world have commented on the violent upset and are wondering if this is the beginning or the end of political unrest in the wake of the 2020 election.
According to ABC News, the U.S. Capitol building lockdown has caused a major disruption amid the Senate confirmation of Joe Biden as the next U.S. president. Earlier Wednesday afternoon, disgruntled Trump supporters broke through barriers and entered the House chamber. The protestors are claiming they refuse “to accept the president’s election loss”, citing concerns about election fraud.
ABC News reported that the crowd of people broke into the Capitol building when the current Senate & House were holding a debate about the Electoral College results. The debate concerned Arizona’s election results, which Ted Cruz & Rep. Paul Gosar objected.
Politicians’ responses
The Republican Representative of Illinois’ 16th District, Adam Kinzinger, tweeted about the protest at the Capitol building: “This is a coup attempt”. Kinzinger said, responding to both President Donald Trump & Vice President Mike Pence’s tweets, “You (Donald Trump) are not protecting the country. Where is the DC guard? You are done and your legacy will be a disaster.”
Adam Kinzinger continued to share his thoughts about the Capitol building protest with a video on Twitter stating that what happened today “is not the America that stands as a beacon of freedom & hope for the world”. The Republican claimed that Donald Trump has “incited the coup” and “encouraged it”.
In an interview with ABC’s news chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, Adam Kinzinger spoke about the storming of the Capitol building. He exclaimed: “If we continue down this road of culture war, own the left, you know, storming the capital, I figure we will be a failed party in the not too far future.”
Sheltering in place
Illinois Rep. Raja Krisnamoorthi found himself trapped in the Capitol building alongside Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. Per ABC News, politicians evacuated from the chamber and Mike Pence was sent to a secure location far from the Capitol building.
Krisnamoorthi told ABC news: “basically everybody has been asked to find an office and shelter in place, so that’s why I’m barricade in with my good friend Joaquin Castro in his office.”
The New York Times reported Senator Mitt Romney commented on the Capitol building event stating: “This is what you’ve gotten, guys”. The Republican Senator from Utah was yelling when the crowd entered the chamber. Romney angrily told the media, “This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection.”
UK Politicians
Even the UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented on the turmoil at the Capitol building. BBC reported that Boris Johnson truly hopes for a “peaceful and orderly transfer of power”. The UK’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stated there is “no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and proper transition of power.”
According to the BBC, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey called the mass protest at the Capitol building “absolutely horrendous”. This is a similar response to the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon who called the swarm of people “utterly horrifying”.
Now what?
Joe Biden responded to the violence at the Capitol building asking “President Trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.” The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump later sent a short video on Twitter asking the crowd to “go home” and that “we love you”.
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Politicians are definitely upset about the recent break in at the Capitol building. Let us know in the comments what you think about the recent political outcry.
