CHARLESTON, West Virginia, USA (AP) – A West Virginia state lawmaker has been charged with entering a restricted area of the Federal Capitol after he aired a live video in which he is seen breaking into the building with a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump.
Ken Kohl, a federal prosecutor in Washington, announced the charge against state delegate Derrick Evans on Friday in a teleconference in which he filed new charges against members of the mob that violently entered Congress Wednesday.
His lawyer, John Bryan, said he had not seen the lawsuit against Evans and could not comment. He did not say if Evans had been arrested, but WSAZ TV posted a video on Twitter showing FBI agents pulling out a handcuffed house lawmaker.
“He’s a good man. And thank you, Mr. Trump, for inviting a riot in the White House,” a woman who identified herself as Evans’ grandmother told reporters at the station while her grandson was arrested.
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A growing number of Republicans and Democrats said they want to oust Evans from the legislature if he does not resign. Bryan said Thursday night that the delegate did not commit any crime and does not plan to resign.
Lawmakers from at least seven other states traveled to Washington to support Trump and protest the vote count that ratified Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
He did not know if any other elected officials joined the assault on the Capitol.
In Tennessee, a bill was introduced Friday that would require state authorities to investigate any resident of the state who participated in Wednesday’s riots.
Democrat State Representative London Lamar’s proposal specifies that any “act of sedition or treason” that has been committed in the Capitol by an elected official would be a reason for his immediate dismissal.
The proposal comes a day after Republican state Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver described the events in Washington as “epic” after participating in the protest. It was unclear whether Weaver entered the Capitol.