Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Congressman Brian Higgins says President Trump and others egged on protesters who breached security and entered the US Capitol Building on Wednesday. He considers the incident an act of domestic terrorism.
Higgins says he was alerted shortly after 2pm. "I was walking into the House Chamber, and I was advised by Capitol Police that no one can come in or leave. So, I was in a secure place at the Capitol," says Higgins, adding he is fine.
Higgins doesn't hesitate to look at the other side of the aisle when it comes to who's to blame. "This is a violent assault on American democracy, perpetrated and incited by President Trump, Senators Cruz, Hawley and their cowardly, gutless colleagues," says Higgins. "You have the president and members of the US Senate and House encouraging people to come to the Capitol and not protest in a civil way but with violence, an assault on American democracy."
Higgins is furious. "You have a situation where there was obviously a major security breach. I'm concerned some members who were encouraging this were complicit in helping protesters enter the United States Capitol," says Higgins. He calls the breach inexplicable. "Anyone who's been to the Capitol knows it's an arduous security system, and you have protesters with flags and weapons infiltrating offices of congressional leaders including the chamber where the Vice President sits and the chamber where the Speaker sits."
The protest took place on the same day Congress was to certify the electoral college results, declaring Joe Biden the winner of the 2016 presidential election. "This is an election that was conducted freely and fairly. They don't like the results of the election. There was no count done today. That was done by the individual states," explains Higgins.
Higgins issued this statement: "The US Capitol is a sacred space - a building at the literal center of our capital and central to our democracy. The actions of protestors today, egged on by the outgoing President to disrupt the certification of electoral votes of what is a ceremonial formality, should be seen by all Americans as a challenge to the legitimacy of our democracy. This is domestic terrorism, and it has no place in America."
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar says she is drafting articles of impeachment against Trump for the protest. Higgins says there's not enough time. "The president will be gone in two weeks, so let's get him out of the way. He lost an election, and we just need to move on with a new administration and work to restore America's place in the world," says Higgins. But he says if charges against Trump as a civilian, that's a different story but we're far from that.
