Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) is pushing back on using the word “insurrection” to describe the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
During a hearing on the preparation and response to the violence on Jan. 6, Clyde said, “Let’s be honest with the American people, it was not an insurrection. And we cannot call it that and be truthful.”
“The Cambridge English dictionary defines an insurrection as, and I quote, ‘an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence,” he continued.
He also noted that he was in the Capitol during the violence. However, he said, “There was an undisciplined mob. And there were some who committed acts of vandalism. But let me be clear: There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bald-faced lie.”
“Watching the TV footage of those who entered Capitol and walked through Statutory Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures. You know, if you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from January the sixth, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) arguing that the takeover of the Capitol Jan. 6 was akin to a “normal tourist visit” and that those who entered the Capitol did so in “an orderly fashion”:https://t.co/EuNv8uxqXy
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) May 12, 2021
Footage from the Capitol on Jan. 6 showed rioters smashing windows and vandalizing other parts of the building as Congress was scheduled to meet to certify the results of the Electoral College.
The incident left five people dead and more than 100 police officers were injured during the violence.