Capitol police said Friday they are investigating allegations by Democratic members of Congress that Republican lawmakers toured the Capitol with supporters of President Donald Trump a day before a pro-Trump crowd revolted.
Representative Mikie Sherrill, DN.J. he had said Tuesday that on Jan. 5 he saw “members of Congress who had groups passing through the Capitol … a recognition for the next day.”
Sherrill pledged to hold accountable “the members of Congress who incited this violent crowd, the members of Congress who tried to help our president undermine our democracy.”
She has said the visits were very unusual both for the time just before the invasion of Congress halls, and for the Covid-19 restrictions that have limited public access to Congress buildings.
On Wednesday, in a letter, Sherrill and more than 30 Democrats in Congress called on Capitol police and House and Senate gun sergeants to investigate “suspicious behavior and visitor access to the Capitol complex.” January 5th. .
Capitol police spokeswoman Eva Malecki told NBC News on Friday that she is “under investigation.”
The Jan. 6 riot prompted members of Congress, along with Vice President Mike Pence, to flee ongoing proceedings in the Senate and House of Representatives to seek safety in safe places as a horde of Trump supporters crossed the complex. .
Five people were killed during the riot, including a Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, who was killed by members of the crowd.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Warned on Friday of possible criminal proceedings if it is found that a member of Congress has incited riot police.
“When we talk about security, we have to talk about truth and trust,” Pelosi told a news conference.
“To be able to serve here among us, we have to trust that people have respect for their oath of office and respect for this institution,” he said.
“If in fact it is found that members of Congress were complicit in this insurrection, if they helped and incited the crime, you may have to take action beyond Congress in terms of prosecution for it,” he said. west.
The violence at the Capitol complex began after Trump spoke with supporters during a rally in the Ellipse in front of the White House and urged them to march on the Capitol in protest of the ongoing proceedings there to confirm the election of Joe Biden as president.
Trump was charged Tuesday by the House with inciting rioting.
California Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell on Monday released a claim that Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, had “met with terrorists who attacked the Capitol and killed an officer. He told them that.” they kept fighting. “They listened.”
Swalwell, added that, “Out of guilt, Sessions deleted this tweet.” But Swalwell included an image from the now-removed tweet from Jan. 3 Sessions, which said, “Today I had a big meeting with people from ‘Stop the Steal’ at our nation’s Capitol.”
“I encouraged them to keep fighting and I assured them that I look forward to fulfilling MY duty on January 6,” Sessions wrote.
The sessions deleted this tweet on January 7, a day after the riot.
A Sessions spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
The riot interrupted confirmation by a joint session of the Biden Congress victory in the Electoral College.
After resuming proceedings on the night of Jan. 6, Sessions joined more than 100 Republicans in the House voting against accepting Biden’s victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania.