This is a developing story. We’ll update as more information becomes available.
Members of Congress were evacuated from the U.S. Capitol today, after armed rioters stormed in during the process certifying electoral college votes.
“It’s a strange feeling to be locked in a room that you know is not really designed to be secure.” – Sen. Jeff Merkley
In a call Wednesday afternoon to Oregon media from an undisclosed location, Sen. Jeff Merkley described the scene in the Senate chamber. Before protesters rushed in, Merkley said they’d heard a “very powerful speech from Mitch McConnell,” now-outgoing Senate majority leader, about the Constitution.
Fellow senators had just raised an objection to the electoral college votes filed from Arizona when Merkley said he began to hear the sounds of protesters outside.
At that point, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon yelled “Lock the door!,” according to reports from The New York Times.
There was “lots of confusion about where the keys were and how to lock the door and lock the press gallery above,” Merkley said. “It’s a strange feeling to be locked in a room that you know is not really designed to be secure—a lot of folks trying to check through their cell phones to find out what’s going on.”
In those first moments, senators got instructions first to evacuate, and shortly after, to stay put. Eventually, all senators were moved to a secure location, Merkley said. For him, the riots outside—and inside—the Capitol were rooted in the unfounded claims that the election was “stolen.” Elections officials in every state have certified the November election, finding no evidence of widespread election fraud.
“When I envision a mob that is being fed bad information—but local leaders know it’s bad information… but it’s popular so they decide not to speak up—and then the local leaders see how strong the mob is, and they’re afraid of it,” Merkley said. “And then the mob starts to move toward some objective—so many people believe that something has gone wrong. The position should have been correcting the lies and conspiracy.”
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Ron Wyden stated:
“What’s happening today in our nation’s Capitol is a direct assault on democracy, a riot by insurrectionists that caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism. Every Republican lawmaker who supported his efforts to overturn a legitimate election shares responsibility for the violence at the heart of our democracy.
“All Americans must be able to elect House and Senate members safe in the knowledge that their views will be represented in civil debate here in Congress without mob rule ever squelching that discussion.
“As a steadfast defender of the First Amendment, I will always support peaceful protest even if I disagree with the views that are expressed. This is far from peaceful protest. But I thank the Capitol Police for their courage protecting all elected officials from criminals bent on destroying democracy. And I very much look forward to resuming the urgent work for our country, as soon as possible.”
Biden reacts to Capitol unrest
In a televised statement Wednesday afternoon, President-elect Joe Biden called the riots “an assault at the Citadel of Liberty,” which “borders on sedition.”
“Scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America,” Biden said, adding that the “words of a president matter,” offering the ability to inspire or incite.
Biden ended his speech by saying, “President Trump, it’s time to step up.”
Later, in a video address on Twitter, Trump—who Wednesday morning held a rally outside the White House and encouraged supporters to move to the Capitol—continued to characterize the election as “stolen” while also telling rioters, “you have to go home now.”
“What’s happening today in our nation’s Capitol is a direct assault on democracy, a riot by insurrectionists that caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism.” Sen. Ron Wyden
What’s happens next?
From his “undisclosed location,” Merkley said Wednesday afternoon that he hoped to reconvene with his colleagues soon to continue the work of certifying states’ electoral college votes.
“I’d love us to be able to proceed just to defy the protesters
who are outside,” Merkley said. “I’m sure the wiser souls will arrange for us to reconvene
after all appropriate safety measures have been taken—whether it’s tonight or tomorrow.”
As for the question of why the Capitol grounds were not further secured before this vote—which, in other years, is something of a non-event for most Americans—Merkley said, “Everyone will want to know what went wrong and how to prevent it again—both sides of the aisle are saying this is a colossal failure of preparation. We’ll need to come together to find out what went wrong.”
The Source also attempted to reach out to incoming Congressman Cliff Bentz, who replaced Rep. Greg Walden in representing Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District on Jan. 3. Bentz, a Republican, earlier called for an investigation into the recent election. He told the Medford Mail-Tribune Wednesday that he was safe, saying, “We are working as hard as we can, my little team, to sort through the Constitutional issues — and there are a lot. We are going to do our best to do the right thing.”
This article appears in Dec 30, 2020 – Jan 6, 2021.
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Incitement to insurrection is treason and should be dealt with accordingly.
18 U.S. Code § 2383 – Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
“When I envision a mob that is being fed bad informationbut local leaders know it’s bad information… but it’s popular so they decide not to speak upand then the local leaders see how strong the mob is, and they’re afraid of it,” Merkley said. “And then the mob starts to move toward some objectiveso many people believe that something has gone wrong. The position should have been correcting the lies and conspiracy.”
It’s good to see Jeff finally acknowledging the truth about the death, destruction, and danger caused by the “mobs” in Portland and other cities across the country!
Hopefully he’ll continue to use his position to encourage other state and local “leaders” to begin to seek and speak the truth!
Open letter to Cliff Bentz.
Representative Bentz, you claim to have identified irregularities in Pennsylvania as the basis for your objection to counting electoral votes for Biden-Harris. But, in so doing, you disregarded numerous court decisions at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Federal level that upheld the Biden victory.
The “irregularities” you describe consist of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Kathy Boockvar acting to ensure that all mail-in ballots postmarked by election day and received by Nov. 6 were counted. She felt it necessary to circumvent repeated efforts by the Republican controlled Pennsylvania State Legislature to suppress the vote. Who are you to oppose the decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that upheld her effort to assure Pennsylvanians every opportunity to participate fully in their democracy in a time of the pandemic?
In your objection from the House floor you repeated the same abstruse and fuzzy legal points that had already been rejected in court. This is not the time for lawyer’s tricks to muddy the waters. By continuing to object to the results of the Nov. election, you were using your power and influence to undermine election integrity, muzzle the ability of Americans to vote, and betray the trust in what even a Trump DHS official called “the most secure election in American history.” See 60 Minutes interview with Trump’s former cybersecurity chief Christopher Krebs:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-resu…
Finally, Mr. Bentz, why did you continue to object to the Biden victory even after the horrendous Capitol takeover by Trump insurrectionists? We lost 5 Americans, including a Capitol police officer and Ashli Babbit, an Iraq war veteran. We know that even you and your staff were endangered and had to shelter in place due to this unprecedented event (if you don’t count the War of 1812 attack on Washington).
I dearly hope that you and other GOP officials can finally get over your unquestioning loyalty to Donald Trump and once again work to place country over cult of personality.
This aside, I wish you well as you begin your term in Congress. We the people of your District need the kind of leadership that addresses the real concerns that we face.
We will not, as a nation, condone domestic terrorists who committed treason and sedition. They must be hunted down and punished to the maximum extent of our laws.
They are a disgrace to our nation. Traitors and criminals.
On Wednesday we witnessed white privilege on full display as a white mob of fake patriots was essentially given free rein in the Capitol building. We all know what would have happened if those folks had been BIPOC. We also witnessed white supremacy as the mob waved Confederate flags along with their Trump flags. The Confederate flag is the banner of racism and treason. And, in the weeks leading up to the mob, and the Congressional votes cast after the mob, we heard racism spoken loud and clear. Trump did not randomly choose the states where challenges were made. This was a specific effort to disenfranchise BIPOC voters in Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Cliff Bentz, newly-elected Representative from Oregons Second District, sided with Trump in one of his first votes in Congressafter white supremacists incited by Trump stormed the Capitol. Bentz can make all the unsupported and ludicrous “legal” arguments he wants, but the fact is he stood with a racist President who incited insurrection. In doing so he raised a big middle finger to 37% of the Second District voters, made it clear that he only represents those who voted for him, and disgraced his office. –Michael Funke
The congress people who supported and fanned the flames of fabricated falsehoods and lies are equally as responsible for the insurrection on Jan. 6th, as their so-called leader. All should be stripped of office and be held accountable accordingly. Clearly there were those who helped from within the capital building letting the terrorists know the location of many congress people’s offices and where their office panic button were located. These individuals need to be sought out and punished also. Further they should be banished from any government position whether civil servant or office within the US there after. Nothing must stand in the way of our Congress to do the right thing for our country and the American People. No excuses! Do your job!