HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Five years ago, supporters of President Donald Trump overran the U.S. Capitol because they believed the 2020 election was stolen. On Tuesday, a ceremony in the State Capitol honored law enforcement who served that day, but only Democrats showed up.
To Democrats, denouncing the violence on Jan. 6 should be bipartisan. A riot raged for hours on national TV as hundreds smarmed the Capitol, injured police officers and threatened Congress. But much of the Republican response, they say, is deny, dismiss or diminish what Americans saw with their own eyes.
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“Once we get beyond this current presidency, we look back at history,” said Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia). “Americans will recognize the tremendous effort of law enforcement, those who stood to make sure the election results were delivered.”
At an unrelated press conference, Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams/Franklin) left without taking reporter questions.
“I’ve used as much as my voice as I can,” he said as he cleared his throat before exiting the stage.
Mastriano was in D.C. that day but insists he was not near the violence. Haywood said he isn’t so sure, and years ago he filed an ethics complaint against his Republican colleague.
“It didn’t go forward, unfortunately,” Haywood said. “I think that there should be accountability for members of the Senate.”
As for convicted wrongdoers, all since pardoned by Trump, Haywood called it a “tremendous travesty.”
“What it said to those who participated in the riot is that it was okay, and what it said to those who defended the Capitol is that all the efforts were not worthy, and we know they were worthy,” Haywood said.
abc27 News reached out to the Trump administration for comment. It sent a statement that said, in part, “The media’s continued obsession with January 6 is one of the many reasons trust in the press is at historic lows — they aren’t covering issues that the American people actually care about. President Trump was resoundingly reelected.”
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