“We are employees who work for members of the US House of Representatives, where it is our honor and privilege to serve our country and our fellow citizens. But on January 6, 2021, our workplace was attacked by a violent crowd that was trying to stop Contagem. of votes from the Electoral College, “says the draft letter.
In an effort to make the letter appeal to Republican officials as well, its writers organized the signatures so that employees could sign only with their email addresses, leaving out the offices of the members of Congress they work for.
The letter blames former President Donald Trump for inciting the attack.
“As employees of the United States House of Representatives, we have no vote to condemn Donald J. Trump for his role in inciting the Capitol violent attack, but our senators do. And for our sake, and for our sake of the country, we ask you to vote to condemn the former president and prevent him from taking office again, “says the letter.
An official familiar with the writing of the letter told CNN that signatures are still being collected and when the letter will be sent to the Senate is undetermined.
“No one should experience something like this at their workplace,” the official told CNN. “And I think it’s important to tell this part of the story, because it’s not just members of Congress who come to work on Capitol every day. And it’s not just Capitol employees who have been traumatized by what happened. I think it’s a part of that. The trauma is there; the trauma is very real. And whenever new information comes up, you know, you get a little traumatized. “
The letter, which began circulating on Wednesday morning, already had more than 100 signatures by Wednesday night. Officials involved with the letter are keeping track of when it will be sent to the Senate to ensure that anyone who wants to add their name can do so, the official familiar with the newsroom told CNN.
“It took off,” said the official when asked to give a rough estimate of how many signatures would appear on the letter.