Benjamin says pro-Trump mob’s storming of US Capitol ‘a stain on the republic’
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said he was angered and disappointed — but not surprised — after protesters stormed and breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was meeting to certify the 2020 presidential election.
Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump took to the streets in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to protest the results of the November election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. On Wednesday, a joint session of Congress was convened to certify the the electoral college results. Trump has consistently, particularly in recent days, alleged widespread fraud in the election and rallied his supporters to the cause.
On Wednesday, some of those supporters breached the Capitol building, bringing the certification to a screeching halt as lawmakers were sequestered and evacuated. Windows were smashed, and some rioters clashed with police in images broadcast worldwide. Some protesters went onto the Senate floor and were seen rummaging through desks. One rioter was photographed walking around inside the Capitol holding aloft a podium that was affixed with the seal of the U.S. House Speaker.
“Angry. Upset. Disappointed. But not surprised,” Benjamin shared on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. “Words matter. Leadership matters. Today will remain as a stain on the republic and do lasting damage to our standing in the world. The men & women who built this country— our children — deserve better.”
In the tweet, Benjamin also shared a link to a news story headlined “Pro-Trump protesters overrun Capitol, forcing evacuation.”
In an address Wednesday afternoon, Biden called the storming of the Capitol an “assault on the citadel of liberty.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 4:42 PM.
