“It was really just a kind of instinct. I didn’t really like to think about it, I just wanted to do something,” the Democrat from New Jersey told CNN. “I really felt that I needed to try to play a role just to fix this mess that occurred.”
“We had an incredibly raw debate that unfolded. Everyone was very moved, still, very shaken, still,” said Kim.
On Thursday morning, he decided to take a walk around the building, which was still full of broken glass and other debris.
“I went back to the Rotunda and was devastated by what I had seen, in the terrible condition it was in – the trash and debris on the statues, the floor, some of the benches were crooked and there was a lot of broken furniture, broken American flags various elements there. “
He saw a policeman throwing away a pizza box and asked if there were any more bags of trash.
Then he picked up trash at the Capitol Rotunda and National Statuary Hall.
A photographer took pictures of Kim at work and they were widely shared on social media.
At one point, Kim passed a sign marking the cornerstone laid by President George Washington.
“A moment like this really reminds me that this building is bigger than all of us, a democracy is bigger than all of us and it deserves and demands our respect,” said Kim.
Kim is the son of Korean immigrants and said he is honored to represent the 3rd district of New Jersey, which President Trump won in 2016 and 2020. He is also delighted to work on Capitol Hill, which he called “the temple of our democracy “.
“If anyone feels the ability to desecrate our Capitol, to bring a Confederacy flag to that building and wave it proudly, that is someone, these are people, who don’t respect the government,” said Kim. “They do not have the same humility that we need to have. They are people who are not inspired by this building, and do not understand what was done to build it, what was to preserve it.”
“We need to take urgent action, but it will not solve everything,” he said.
He said it is vital to work to restore Americans’ respect for the government and others.
“I am hopeful, but I am not naive. I understand the profound challenges we face,” said Kim.