'This Is Not Who We Are': Colorado Congress Members Jason Crow And Diana Degette On Lockdown At U.S. Capitol
(CBS4) - Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat who represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District, says he has gone into lockdown at the U.S. Capitol. Photos from inside the House chamber showed people smashing the glass in the doors and with police with guns drawn and aimed at the door.
CBS News reported that supporters of President Donald Trump stormed barricades and confronted police outside the Capitol on Wednesday, shortly after Trump gave a speech once again falsely claiming to have won a second term.
Rep. Crow tweeted: "I'm currently in lockdown in the House chamber as the President of the United States incites his supporters to violence and to storm the Capitol. This is the outcome of Trump's presidency."
About 30 minutes prior to that he tweeted: "I'm in the House chamber for debate while just a few feet away supporters of Donald Trump riot and fight with Capitol police outside the Capitol. It didn't need to be this way. Enablers of Donald Trump led us to this point."
Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat who represents Colorado's 1st Congressional District, tweeted that she is also locked down.
"We are locked down in the US Capitol because the president has instigated a riot to try to block us from certifying the election for his opponent," Rep. DeGette tweeted. "This is not who we are as Americans. We are so much better than this."
Republican Congressman Ken Buck, who represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District, condemned the violence at the Capitol.
"Every American has the right to peacefully protest. But storming the US Capitol and attacking the brave men and women of the Capitol police force is wrong. This is not who we are."
Rep. Buck told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd that members of the House were told to put on gas masks and lead out a back door as protestors stormed the House chamber, breaking the glass doors. He said he heard shots fired.
Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
RELATED: Protesters Gather At Colorado State Capitol; Hancock Orders City Buildings To Close Early
