A growing number of House Democrats are calling for an investigation into whether their Republican colleagues aided President Trump’s supporters who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to overturn the results of last year’s election.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., told Yahoo News that many of his Democratic colleagues are discussing the possibility Republican House members played a role in the attacks.
“I would hope no member did this, but the truth is there are more questions than answers: What kind of communications did people have with members? Did members give them a heads up about certain things like which entrances to use or other intelligence before or during the attack?” Richmond asked, adding, “That’s a real concern, and I’ve heard many people talk about that.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., a freshman member of Congress, told Yahoo News he wants to see an investigation into the role his Republican colleagues might have played in the attacks.
“Many of my colleagues and I feel strongly that Donald Trump’s most egregious enablers in Congress should be investigated for their complicity in the insurrection against the United States,” Torres said.
Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol following a rally the president held on the National Mall. During a speech to the crowd, Trump reiterated his false claim that his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden was fraudulent.
Trump also urged the crowd to “fight like hell” and indicated he knew they planned to march on to the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Biden’s victory. The subsequent riots briefly stopped the electoral certification. Five deaths have been linked to the violence, including that of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was reportedly struck by a fire extinguisher, and Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was shot by law enforcement. On Wednesday evening, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for his role in inciting the riot.
Concerns about potential involvement from Republican members gained steam on Tuesday evening after Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., claimed she witnessed “members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 for reconnaissance for the next day.” Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, detailed her claims further on Wednesday evening in a letter she and her colleagues Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., sent to officials charged with securing the Capitol.
That letter suggested multiple members observed “suspicious” groups being given tours of the Capitol complex the day before the attack. It also claimed these groups were reported to officials at the time.
“The visitors encountered by some of the Members of Congress on this letter appeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day,” the letter said. “Members of the group that attacked the Capitol seemed to have an unusually detailed knowledge of the layout of the Capitol Complex.”
That letter was addressed to the acting sergeants at arms of the House and Senate and the acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
The rioters penetrated deep inside the maze-like Capitol complex and reached key locations including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and the chambers of both the House and Senate. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed during an Instagram Live broadcast on Tuesday that she “didn’t feel safe around other members of Congress” when she was evacuated to a secure location during the attack.
“I myself did not even feel safe going to that extraction point because there were QAnons and white supremacist sympathizers and, frankly, white supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point who I know and who I had felt would disclose my location,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
This comes on the heels of a video posted by a QAnon 'Stop the Steal' organizer who says that he worked directly with GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, and Paul Gosar to help plan the event.
A growing number of House Democrats are calling for an investigation into whether their Republican colleagues aided President Trump’s supporters who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to overturn the results of last year’s election.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., told Yahoo News that many of his Democratic colleagues are discussing the possibility Republican House members played a role in the attacks.
“I would hope no member did this, but the truth is there are more questions than answers: What kind of communications did people have with members? Did members give them a heads up about certain things like which entrances to use or other intelligence before or during the attack?” Richmond asked, adding, “That’s a real concern, and I’ve heard many people talk about that.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., a freshman member of Congress, told Yahoo News he wants to see an investigation into the role his Republican colleagues might have played in the attacks.
“Many of my colleagues and I feel strongly that Donald Trump’s most egregious enablers in Congress should be investigated for their complicity in the insurrection against the United States,” Torres said.
Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol following a rally the president held on the National Mall. During a speech to the crowd, Trump reiterated his false claim that his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden was fraudulent.Trump also urged the crowd to “fight like hell” and indicated he knew they planned to march on to the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Biden’s victory. The subsequent riots briefly stopped the electoral certification. Five deaths have been linked to the violence, including that of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was reportedly struck by a fire extinguisher, and Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was shot by law enforcement. On Wednesday evening, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for his role in inciting the riot.
Concerns about potential involvement from Republican members gained steam on Tuesday evening after Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., claimed she witnessed “members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 for reconnaissance for the next day.” Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, detailed her claims further on Wednesday evening in a letter she and her colleagues Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., sent to officials charged with securing the Capitol.
That letter suggested multiple members observed “suspicious” groups being given tours of the Capitol complex the day before the attack. It also claimed these groups were reported to officials at the time.
“The visitors encountered by some of the Members of Congress on this letter appeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day,” the letter said. “Members of the group that attacked the Capitol seemed to have an unusually detailed knowledge of the layout of the Capitol Complex.”
That letter was addressed to the acting sergeants at arms of the House and Senate and the acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.The rioters penetrated deep inside the maze-like Capitol complex and reached key locations including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and the chambers of both the House and Senate. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed during an Instagram Live broadcast on Tuesday that she “didn’t feel safe around other members of Congress” when she was evacuated to a secure location during the attack.
“I myself did not even feel safe going to that extraction point because there were QAnons and white supremacist sympathizers and, frankly, white supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point who I know and who I had felt would disclose my location,” Ocasio-Cortez said.This comes on the heels of a video posted by a QAnon 'Stop the Steal' organizer who says that he worked directly with GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, and Paul Gosar to help plan the event.