The nation continues to reel from the unprecedented siege of the United States Capitol by pro-Trump extremists that resulted in the deaths of at least five people last week.
The Capitol riots occurred shortly after outgoing President Donald Trump urged a crowd of his supporters to walk to the U.S. Capitol for the joint congressional session certifying the 2020 election victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The rioters were motivated by Trump's continued lies that Democrats orchestrated widespread election fraud delivering a false victory to President-elect Biden.
Vice President Mike Pence was forced to evacuate as lawmakers took refuge behind chairs and in offices. The rioters infiltrated the Capitol where they proceeded to destroy furniture, smash windows, smear excrement across the walls, parade around the Senate floor, and ransack congressional offices.
But at least one Republican member of Congress—Representative Barry Moore of Alabama—is dismissing the unprecedented act of domestic terrorism against the Capitol, all while propping up the same election lies that motivated the insurrection in the first place.
In a pair of since-deleted tweets, Moore scoffed that rioters were arrested while officials overseeing the 2020 election—none of whom have been charged or found guilty of a crime—were not.
Rep. Moore tweeted this out on Saturday about the shooting death of one of the Trump supporters who was attempting to get into the lobby off the House floor, where lawmakers were taking shelter from attackers. The Alabama Republican later deleted the tweet. pic.twitter.com/bfzjel0zSj
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) January 10, 2021
Moore has since deleted not only the tweets, but his entire personal Twitter account, leaving only his official congressional account.
Moore may have deleted the tweets, but the internet had already archived them.
Literally deplorable. https://t.co/8bQ1FZLjhR
— Ed Bott (@edbott) January 10, 2021
Seems like Barry Moore is still pushing for treason https://t.co/l930HxQm8n
— Sailor Michael⚓✈ (@Megawatts55) January 10, 2021
The House should not seat @RepBarryMoore https://t.co/jsicgPvPP1
— MRS (@yellingstopAL) January 10, 2021
They're still at it. https://t.co/bmG3kDgGlX
— sofa king, MA, PiMP (@mrschrislopez) January 10, 2021
The Democratic-majority House of Representatives is expected to bring an article of impeachment against Trump for his part in inciting the violence on the Hill—a move that could make Trump infamous as the first President to be impeached more than once.
Republicans—many of whom have legitimized Trump's election lies—are urging Democrats not to take this route, with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) saying that it's "time to heal and move on." Other Republican officials have issued similar calls for "unity" in the face of the violence.
Democrats have largely dismissed these calls, assuring that unity and healing can't be achieved without accountability for those who contributed to the conditions that spilt blood in the U.S. Capitol.
Moore's tweets were a reminder for some that superficial unity just won't cut it.
In addition to House Democrats introducing an expected article of impeachment on Monday, freshman Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) will introduce a resolution to expel members of Congress "who tried to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist coup attempt that has left people dead."
