GOP Congressman Ripped for Claiming the Capitol Riots Looked Like 'a Normal Tourist Visit'

On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing to further investigate the calamitous events of January 6, when a mob of pro-Trump extremists—motivated by the former President's lies about the 2020 election—stormed the United States Capitol in a deadly failed insurrection.

As committee members posed questions to the former Acting Attorney General and Defense Secretary, Republican representatives repeatedly dismissed the severity of the attack on the Capitol.

One of the most egregious claims came from Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA), whose claims about the insurrection were totally at odds with reality.

Watch below.

Clyde said:

"There was no insurrection, and to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold-faced lie. Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures. You know, if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January the sixth, you'd actually think it was a normal tourist visit."

While some videos showed attendees walking in an "orderly fashion" through the Capitol, which was closed to the public, the vast majority of the footage from that day paints a damning portrait.

The insurrectionists shattered windows, ransacked offices, smeared excrement across the walls, and attacked Capitol and DC Metro police officers, with one nearly crushed by rioters between a door.

In comments to reporters the following day, Clyde said his comments were taken out of context and claimed reporters weren't listening to him. He then walked away.

People were stunned to hear Clyde's delusional characterization of events.

Social media users soon reminded him what the so-called "tourist visit" actually looked like.

Multiple officers from that day have reported experiencing severe emotional distress. Two officers took their own lives in the days following the riots, though it hasn't been verified that the insurrection played a factor in their actions.