STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., police took Rep. Nicole Malliotakis “to a secure location,” the congresswoman said.
“My staff and I are safe and have been brought to a secure location by the Capitol Police,” Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) wrote on Twitter.
She also demanded protesters to end the violence.
“Everyone who is responsible for this violence and lawlessness must stop,” she said. “This is absolutely unacceptable and un-American.”
Malliotakis was officially sworn in on Monday and Wednesday’s vote was among her first duties in Washington after taking office.
She had expressed support for Republicans’ controversial challenge of Trump’s electoral defeat, which was interrupted by the protests Wednesday.
“I don’t see a situation where I don’t object to some of these states,” she had said during a radio interview on Monday.
“There are a handful of states, not including New York, in which there are witnesses, affidavits, and other evidence of significant voting irregularities,” she said. “I’ve joined colleagues in writing to Speaker Pelosi requesting that these irregularities be investigated in a transparent manner.”
Thousands of Trump supporters marched down to the U.S. Capitol and stormed the building after Trump led at a rally nearby. One man was even able to enter and sit in the Senate Chamber.
Many protesters could be seen throwing objects at the police and causing damage to the Capitol building.
As violence started erupting, Trump attacked Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter for not having “the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”
It took Trump about two hours to ask his supporters to be peaceful.
“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue,” he wrote on Twitter.
A man entered the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office leaving a note saying “we will not back down.”
A supporter of US President Donald Trump leaves a note in the office of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he protest inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. - Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
A woman is reportedly in critical condition after being shot in the chest, according to multiple reports.