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- House of Commons Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that members of Congress could face prosecution if an investigation shows they were complicit in the Capitol riots.
- “If they aided and abetted the crime, there may be action taken beyond Congress in terms of prosecuting it,” Pelosi said at a press conference.
- Pelosi also pointed to a rioter captured on camera in a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt, describing him as a “punk”.
- “Seeing this punk in that shirt and his boasted anti-Semitism being part of a white supremacist raid on this Capitol, requires us to have an after action review,” Pelosi said.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that members of Congress could face prosecution if an investigation shows they collaborated on the Capitol riots last week.
“If, in fact, it turns out that members of Congress were complicit in this insurgency, if they aided and abetted the crime, there may need to be action taken beyond Congress in terms of prosecution for this, “Pelosi said in a report. conference.
The California lawmaker’s warning comes after some House Democrats said people inside, such as members of Congress and police officers, may have been instrumental in carrying out the attack.
New Jersey Rep Mikie Sherrill suggested earlier this week that some lawmakers were complicit in the siege. Although she did not mention any names, Sherrill said she saw members of Congress “who had groups walking across Capitol Hill, which I saw on January 5, for recognition for the next day.”
Pelosi announced on Friday that she had appointed Ret. Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré to lead a security review on Capitol Hill.
“When we talk about security, we have to talk about truth and trust. In order to serve here with each other, we have to trust that people keep their oath of office, respect this institution,” she said. declared. “We must also have the truth, and that will be examined.”
It has been more than a week since supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol building and forced Congress to shut down. The siege left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. The House impeached Trump on Wednesday with the backing of 10 House Republicans on a charge of incitement to insurgency.
The FBI and the Justice Department said Tuesday they had opened an investigation into the incident and expected the number of arrests “to reach hundreds.”
During his press conference, Pelosi singled out a rioter widely filmed in a sweatshirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz”, a reference to Nazi Germany’s concentration camps that killed over a million Jews. The riot, a 56-year-old man named Robert Keith Packer, was arrested on Wednesday.
“To see this punk with that shirt and his anti-Semitism he bragged about, to be part of a white supremacist raid on this Capitol, requires us to have an after action review,” Pelosi said, in order to “ assign responsibility to those who participated in its organization and incitement. “
The House speaker also noted that lawmakers were “very interested” in launching a 9/11-type commission to investigate last week’s violation.
Security measures on Capitol Hill were tightened in preparation for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, as FBI officials warned of possible violence.
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