Himes Tweets Through Capitol Siege, Calls Trump Mob “Shame of the Nation”

By
GOOD Morning Wilton Staff
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Congressman Jim Himes, Wilton’s representative in DC, was in the House Chamber Wednesday morning, live-tweeting about the Congressional count of Electoral Votes, when hundreds of demonstrators supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol Building.

Himes continued tweeting, grippingly describing events as they unfolded, starting with his first post after the mob breached the doors of the Capitol.

He continued tweeting as the incident escalated.

His tweets captured the rising panic of the situation, sharing security alert texts from Capitol Police instructing people to “seek cover, and remain silent.”

As millions watched images of Trump flag-waving rioters tearing down barricades, breaking windows and clashing with Capitol Police as they made their way into “the People’s House,” Himes tweeted from the other side of the barricaded doors separating the legislators from those very insurgents.

“Police have just told us to be prepared to get under our chairs in the chamber. They’ve placed guards in the galleries. Lieutenant advising us to be prepared to get behind our seats. There is no behind our seats.”

Just four minutes later, Himes relayed an instruction he’d been given by security officers that surely had never been heard in Congress before:  to put on a gas mask.

For the next 90 minutes, Himes’ Twitter feed went silent. His aide made a statement on the Congressman’s Facebook page:  “This is Patrick, Congressman Himes’s Communications Director. The Congressman has been evacuated from the House Floor and is in a secure, undisclosed location. All staff is also safe. The situation is very frightening and fluid, but we will try to keep you up to date as we learn more. Thank you all for your concern.

Once the Capitol had been secured, Himes responded to a tweet from the CT Republican Party condemning the violence in Washington, calling it, “too little, too late.”

Like his colleagues, Himes was defiant about not allowing the rampaging Trump supporters to claim any success and to make clear who he holds ultimately responsible:

Later in the evening, when the House of Representatives finally reconvened in its Chamber, Himes tweeted photos from the floor, including an image of the door that earlier had separated agitators from the legislators and staffers inside, its glass pane marred by jagged holes and damage caused by the insurgents.

It’s the very door captured in the images widely shared on websites, social media, airwaves and newspapers, showing Capitol security officers with guns drawn and pointed at the intruders whose faces peered through the broken glass from the other side. It’s a symbolic scar that Himes plans on trying to keep as it now is, to be a vivid reminder of just how fragile the Republic is.

Himes Statement on Seditious Riots

Later Wednesday evening, Himes released a statement on the riot, reiterating his assertion that it was incited by President Trump:

“Today’s seditious riot, attempting to overturn the rightful election of Joe Biden, is the inevitable and tragic result of months and years of lies and incitement by Donald Trump and his craven enablers. There is blood on their hands. This is domestic terrorism, and the traitors who brought this violence to the hallowed halls of democracy are the shame of the nation and must be brought to justice.

“We will never be dissuaded from carrying out our sacred oaths to the Constitution and ensuring the transition of power on behalf of the American people. On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will be President. Kamala Harris will be Vice President. And no lies, threats, or mobs can change that truth.”

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1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you Congressman Himes and I support your suggestion about keeping the broken window in place as a reminder of January 6th, 2021 and just how vulnerable our democracy has become over the last four years!

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