Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com.
January 06, 2021
By Clay Bell
A large rally of President Donald Trump supporters in Washington, D.C., on the same day as Congress was set to vote on certifying electoral college results for the presidential election turned to chaos when some of the participants stormed the capitol grounds.
According to widespread media reports, hundreds of protesters pushed through barriers surrounding the Capitol’s perimeter, some even clashing with officers in riot gear. Some demonstrators apparently gained access to the Capitol building, and armed guards were sent to secure the front door of the House of Representatives. Authorities used smoke grenades to clear the Senate side of the Capitol.
The DC National Guard was quickly activated by the Department of Defense. "Acting Secretary Miller has been in contact with Congressional leadership, and Secretary McCarthy has been working with the D.C. government. The law enforcement response will be led by the Department of Justice," a Pentagon spokesman said.
After rallying the troops, Trump backed off quickly when some took matters into their own hands and tried to storm the Capitol building. According to reports, some Trump supporters were disenchanted with the president for telling them to go home after spending weeks encouraging them to come to D.C. and support him.
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For his part, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said that those who stormed the Capitol were wrong and “not who we are.” He tweeted, “Be peaceful and use your 1st Amendment rights, but don't start acting like the other side. We have a country to save and this doesn't help anyone."
Speculation among some Trump supporters was that many of those storming the Capitol weren’t Trump supporters at all, rather radical leftists trying to make those on the political right appear criminal. A photo accompanying an interesting thread at AR15.com showed one of the demonstrators with a hammer and sickle tattoo, a Communist Russia symbol.
Interestingly, the so-called “mainstream” media, which consistently referred to leftwing rioting, looting and vandalism by Black Lives Matter and Antifa as “peaceful protests,” have completely changed their tune. CNN and others referred to those on the right side of the political spectrum as a “mob,” “rioters,” “disgraceful violence” and a “coup attempt.”
During the chaos on the Capitol grounds, one female protester was shot in the neck and later died. Another report said that multiple officers had been injured, with at least one taken to a hospital for treatment.
Interestingly, in calling for an end to the unrest, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, chose to add to the confusion by incorrectly referring to the United States as a “democracy” when, in fact, most know it is a constitutional federal republic.
“Those who made this attack on our government need to be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Graham said on social media. “Their actions are repugnant to democracy.”
Congress has not yet set a time to reconvene and consider certifying the electoral college ballots.
