(Update: Adding video, Merkley statements, Bentz)
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Members of the Oregon Congressional delegation expressed shock and disbelief on Wednesday when violent protesters stormed the US Capitol, forcing them to flee to safety.
“It’s like a third world country,” Rep. Suzanne Bonamici told The Oregonian / OregonLive. “Someone was shot at the Capitol. The Capitol’s windows were fired. It’s unbelievable.”
The Oregon Democrat refused, for security reasons, to reveal where she was on Wednesday afternoon, adding only that she is in a “closed” location outside the Capitol and is safe. She asked President Donald Trump to act quickly to end the attack.
“He needs to cancel this now,” she said. “He needs to speak up and tell his people to back off.”
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Told reporters what it was like when the protesters invaded:
“Nobody runs on the floor of the chamber,” he said. “Certainly no one runs to the dais, certainly no one interrupts the speech. So it was all very, very sudden, very unusual, and as we could hear noises, I suppose the protesters entered the building. It seemed like the automatic response.
“And the moment the vice president was rushed out of the plenary, instructions were given to leave the chamber, then immediately fix it, stay in the chamber. There was a feeling that yes, it was all about protesters.”
New 2nd District Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore. – who last month joined those calling for a review of alleged voting irregularities – he said he was saddened by Wednesday’s events.
“I am sad,” he told NewsChannel 21. “It is not certain that there is violence at the front door of the Capitol. This is not how we need to do business here. And what is doubly sad is that we, as Republicans on the Senate floor. and the House plenary, raising many of the issues that I am sure are of concern to these people.
“We were advancing the arguments in a very precise, thoughtful, trained and polite way when the whole process ended with people breaking down their entry – and I mean, breaking down their entry,” he said.
Congressman Peter DeFazio said he never saw anything like Wednesday’s violent demonstrations and held Trump responsible for the chaos.
“This is an attempt to invalidate the election,” he said. “We are facing an attempted coup being instigated by a minority of the Republican Party and Donald Trump.”
DeFazio was talking about his office building on the Capitol. Other members of the state’s parliamentary delegation said they were safe in condemning the attack.
Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer called the people who broke into the Capitol “domestic terrorists” encouraged by the Trump administration.
Later, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Issued this statement:
“What is happening today on our nation’s Capitol is a direct attack on democracy, a riot of insurrectionists that ended Donald Trump’s four years fanning the flames of fanaticism. Every Republican legislator who supported his efforts to overturn a legitimate election shares responsibility for violence at the heart of our democracy.
“All Americans should be able to elect members of the House and Senate with the knowledge that their views will be represented in the civil debate here in Congress, without the mob government ever crushing that discussion.
“As an unwavering advocate of the First Amendment, I will always support peaceful protest, even if I disagree with the views expressed. This is far from being a peaceful protest. But I thank the Capitol Police for their courage in protecting all elected officials from inclined criminals. about the destruction of democracy. And I am very anxious to resume urgent work for our country as soon as possible. ”