Some of the protesters who breached the Capitol on Wednesday broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office, with one of them apparently making away with her podium.
Protesters who were apparent supporters of President Donald Trump stormed and breached the Capitol from its east side following his Wednesday morning speech on the Ellipse in front of the White House, according to The New York Times.
Those who broke into the Capitol, many of whom were clothed in camouflage, meandered through the halls, looted objects, and rummaged through the desks of Congress as they made their way into both the House and Senate chambers.
“A man was smoking pot in a room where there were photos of mountains and maps of Oregon on the wall,” according to The New York Times. “A man put a framed photo of the Dalai Lama in his backpack. A man in a leather jacket ripped a scroll with Chinese characters.”
Intruders also managed to make their way into Pelosi’s office, ripping photos off the wall and reportedly seizing some of her possessions. A photo tweeted by NBC News depicts a smiling demonstrator waving at the camera as he walked through the Capitol Rotunda carrying her podium.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 6, 2021
“You guys just need to go outside,” a Capitol Police officer said to one of the intruders. “We’ve just got to let them do their thing now,” an officer said regarding why they were not forcefully throwing them out of the building.
Trump sent out messages on Twitter that disapproved of the antics at the Capitol, tweeting, “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. Thank you!”
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. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Trump later released a statement on Twitter, in which he said:
I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now, we have to have peace. We have to have law and order, we have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt. It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us — from me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So, go home. We love you, you’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home, and go home in peace.
WATCH:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article included a tweet in which a photo purportedly shows far-right personality Nicholas Fuentes in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Fuentes has disputed this, claiming that the man in the photo is not him.
Related: BREAKING: Trump Addresses Nation Following Violence In D.C. In Video Statement