As a Trump-supporting mob descended on Washington, D.C., duringWednesday’s unprecedented riots, a man was seen carrying a Confederate flag inside the U.S. Capitol.
Washington Postreporter Rebecca Tan also shared photos of the flag being raised in protests outside the Capitol building.
The man seen carrying the Confederate flag inside the Capitol appeared to be standing near the Senate entrance.
A large group began to storm the Capitol after PresidentDonald Trumpgave a “Stop the Steal” speech on the National Mall earlier Wednesday, during which Trump refused to acknowledge that he’d lost the election to Joe Biden and repeated his baseless claims about fraud.
The massive crowd of rioters went on to breach Capitol security, forcing lawmakers into hiding while a joint session of Congress to ratify Biden’s election win was temporarily halted.
The riot includedreports of gunshots, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — who had supported Trump’s baseless challenges to the Electoral College vote — said people were “being hurt.”
At least one person was shot and injured.
There were various photos and videos of looting and vandalism as the rioters moved throughout the Capitol, including taking over congressional chambers and lawmakers' offices.
Hours after the Capitol had been breached, Trump delayed telling his supporters to leave the building, tweeting first, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
In a taped statement posted to his Twitter account at 4:17 p.m., Trump instructed rioters to leave peacefully, saying, “You have to go home now, we have to have peace.” (The video has been removed or restricted from social channels including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, due to “risk of violence.")
President-elect Bidengave a speechWednesday from Wilmington, Delaware, calling for an end to the violence in Washington and encouraging Trump to “step up.”
“Let me be very clear, the scenes at the Capitol do not reflect the true America,” the president-elect said. “What we’re seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it’s chaos.”
Biden told Trump to “go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to the siege,” saying, “It must end now.”
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakersdenounced Trump and the riotersthroughout the day during Wednesday’s events.
source: people.com
