A Kentucky congressman says the riots that took place in the U.S. Capitol left a pit in his stomach.
U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie was in his office watching the Senate proceedings on television when the Capitol went on lockdown Wednesday.
Guthrie spoke to WKU Public Radio by phone from an undisclosed location and confirmed that he was safe. The Bowling Green Republican said he doesn’t think President Trump bears any responsibility for the mob violence.
“I don’t know of any inciting he did, no," Guthrie said. "People should know better than to do that, to break into the Capitol building, and we’ll figure out how it happened and who did it. Matter of fact, I think all protests need to be peaceful, and it’s not a protest if it’s not. It’s just a violent act.”
A group of Trump supporters stormed the building, assaulted members of law enforcement, and halted the electoral vote count in the U.S. Senate that confirmed Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Though one protester was fatally shot by Capitol Police, Guthrie commended the officers for their response, and asked the public to keep them in their prayers.
Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Bowling Green condemned the assault on the Capitol on Twitter, saying "violence and mob rule is wrong and un-American, and it will not bring about election reform. Today’s mayhem sets back any intelligent debate for a generation."
Kentucky's lone Democratic member of Congress, Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville, accused President Donald Trump in a tweet of inciting the clashes.
"What happened today was an insurrection, an attempt to overthrow the government by people who claim to love America but obviously do not," Yarmuth said. "Donald Trump incited this mob, and his loyalists in Congress helped enable it. They should all be held accountable for this national tragedy."
Seven of the eight members of Kentucky's congressional delegation, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against the effort to throw out the electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania, two states that went for Joe Biden.
The lone "yes" vote in Kentucky was cast by Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Somerset. The Kentucky Democratic Party Thursday called on Rogers to resignover the vote.
