House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) stated in a Thursday interview that the Capitol Hill riot was akin to someone in the White House dropping an explosive device on Congress.
“It breaks your heart — it’s as if somebody in the White House dropped a bomb on the Congress of the United States,” Pelosi told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. “But the thing that is unforgivable about January 6 is the traumatic impact that it had on the people who serve our country.”
Earlier Thursday, Pelosi led a moment of silence on the House of Representatives floor to mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot. She said:
That day and the days after, they were the defenders of our democracy. And their courage and patriotism remain an inspiration. Today, we accept responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generations of leadership have faced. As we reflect on that darkest day, we remember that the insurrection sought not only to attack the building, but to undermine democracy itself.
Only one Republican lawmaker — Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) — attended the moment of silence. Cheney, who was removed from her House GOP position over her repeated attacks on former President Donald Trump, was flanked by her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.
“It’s great coming back,” the former vice president told reporters. “Liz is doing a hell of a job. I’m here to support her.”
Trump hit back at criticism, namely from President Joe Biden, saying the president used his name “today to try to further divide America.”
The former president added that Biden “is destroying our nation with insane policies of open borders, corrupt elections, disastrous energy policies, unconstitutional mandates, and devastating school closures.”