On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, I was on the House floor as a mob descended on the Capitol. Deceived by the former president into believing the election had been stolen from them, these insurrectionists were armed, angry and pointed in our direction. They beat Capitol and Metropolitan police officers — sprayed them with chemicals, broke their bones and gouged them with flagpoles. They even desecrated the American flags that hung on these now-weapons.
The insurrectionists made it into the building that day, but they did not accomplish the former president’s objective. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the police, we finished our job. The electoral votes certifying the 2020 presidential election were counted. Joe Biden became the president of the United States, as voters intended.
As I left the Capitol that night, I was convinced that the Republican Party could see the terrible end to which Donald Trump and his “Big Lie” had brought us — to the point of a violent attack on our own government. Surely now, he and everything he stood for would be repudiated. I was wrong.
