Sen. SCHUMER. It is very, very difficult to put into words what has transpired today. I have never lived through or even imagined an experience like the one we have just witnessed in this Capitol…. Unfortunately, we can now add January 6, 2021, to that very short list of dates in American history that will live forever in infamy.
https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2021/1/6/senate-section/article/s18-2?s=1&r=52
We’ve all seen hundreds of photos and thousands of frames of the January 6th Capitol riots, incited by Trump. And now as his second impeachment trial begins, I felt it appropriate to view the physical damage the domestic terrorists left behind: Splintered wood, shards of glass, pillaged offices, fire extinguisher residue discharged by rioters covering desks and floors.
It’s difficult to know where to start, so let’s just begin with huge amounts of trash the rioters left behind:
Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) was so distraught over what he saw, he felt the need to help in the cleanup: “What else could I do?”
“I was just overwhelmed with emotion,” Kim, 38, told NBC Asian America. “It’s a room that I love so much — it’s the heart of the Capitol, literally the heart of this country. It pained me so much to see it in this kind of condition.”
So for the next hour and a half, he crouched down and filled a half dozen trash bags with debris. When he finished cleaning up the rotunda, he began working on the adjacent rooms, including the National Statuary Hall and the Capitol crypt downstairs.
Afterwards, Rep. Kim received numerous requests asking why he did what he did. He responded with this childhood photo:
Many of you asked me why I cleaned the Capitol on Jan 6. I want to show you this photo. This is my mom, an immigrant from Korea, bringing me to DC for the first time. She took me to the Capitol and taught me to love and care for this nation that gave us everything. pic.twitter.com/PecgTb5HWB
— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) January 28, 2021
And there was lots of broken glass – both involving windows …
And doors – both inside and out …
There was damage and debris that’s not so easily classified:
Although some damage will not be easily washed away or repaired, we must still pay tribute to the scores of hardworking congressional staff that diligently worked to clean up the damage done by Trump’s domestic terrorists – Trump’s thugs who transformed the very center of our democracy into a deadly crime scene.
Your yeoman’s work is much appreciated!
