Last week, Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia sparked backlash during a committee hearing on the deadly failed insurrection at the United States Capitol this past January.
Clyde said that calling the insurrection an insurrection was a "bald faced lie" and that footage from that day resembled a "normal tourist visit."
Watch below.
This is Rep. Andrew Clyde (Q-GA) saying the January 6 insurrection looked like \u201ca normal tourist visit\u201d inside the Capitol. \n\nJust batsh*t crazy.\n\nHas anyone told him it\u2019s all on video?pic.twitter.com/iUtoDTneD2— Rex Chapman\ud83c\udfc7\ud83c\udffc (@Rex Chapman\ud83c\udfc7\ud83c\udffc) 1620843818
Clyde was just the latest House Republican to dismiss the severity of the Capitol Riots in order to deny the role former President Donald Trump's election lies—and the Republican party's embrace of them—played in the day's violence.
A bevy of photos and videos from that day show that its calamity was anything but a "normal tourist visit." Rioters shattered windows, ransacked offices, smeared excrement across the walls, pinned a Capitol Police officer between a door, and attacked officers with bear spray and flagpoles.
But now another photo is refuting the alternate reality Clyde presented at last week's hearing.
It doesn't feature rioters—but Clyde himself.
The Rep. Clyde news reminded me of this:\u00a0\n\nUNITED STATES - JANUARY 6: Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., second from top left, helps barricade the House chamber door as rioters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.pic.twitter.com/ewizgiuwLn— Tom Williams (@Tom Williams) 1621043260
The photo—taken by Tom Williams for CQ Roll Call/Getty Images—shows Clyde assisting others in barricading the House Chamber's entrance, hoping to stall the incoming rioters from gaining access.
While rioters were able to overtake the Senate floor only minutes after it was evacuated, they weren't able to gain access to the House floor, though one of the insurrectionists—Ashli Babbitt—died trying to enter the Speakers' Gallery.
The photo was even further evidence that Clyde himself knew the dangers of that day.
Dear @Rep_Clyde: Is that you in the picture? Do you remember? Insurrectionists were trying to stop the election certification. This was not, as you now say, a \u201cnormal tourist visit.\u201d \n\n140 police officers were injured, some severely. You should apologize to law enforcement.https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1621057234
Helps barricade day of but also plays it down afterwardshttps://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— tony (@tony) 1621090411
How craven is @Rep_Clyde to say there was no insurrection? He helped barricade the doors from the \u201ctourists.\u201d\n\nThey know lying to the MAGA mob equals money. That\u2019s all that matters.https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Fred Wellman (@Fred Wellman) 1621079154
Just last week, this clown claimed that the incursion on the capitol on 1/6 resembled a typical tourist visit. Here he is barricading a door, "Thwarting" those "Tourists"!https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Karl Erickson (@Karl Erickson) 1621261844
His "tourist" comments soon backfired.
Rough tourist season.https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Coach K (@Coach K) 1621086255
Just normal, everyday, tourists. I often do this during Fringe.https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Baron M\u00fcnchausen (@Baron M\u00fcnchausen) 1621080195
Keeping the tourists out, one presumes.https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Derek Willis (@Derek Willis) 1621045437
But they were just \u201ctourists\u201d right @Rep_Clydehttps://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Kurt Bardella (@Kurt Bardella) 1621076599
Barricading the doors from the "tourists"https://twitter.com/pennstatetom/status/1393382541130936324\u00a0\u2026— Emily C. Singer (@Emily C. Singer) 1621076484
Since making the comments, Clyde has insisted he was taken out of context.
