Democrats Want GOP Lawmakers Reportedly Involved in Capitol Riots Expelled From Congress

On Monday, the US media claimed that the organisers of the Capitol riots took part in "dozens" of planning meetings with members of Congress and White House staff ahead of the 6 January event.

Democratic lawmakers have reacted angrily to reports that some of their Republican colleagues helped to plan the protest in the run-up to the 6 January Capital riots, demanding that they should be expelled from Congress.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Monday that "any member of Congress who helped plot a terrorist attack on our nation's capitol must be expelled".

Any member of Congress who helped plot a terrorist attack on our nation’s capitol must be expelled.

This was a terror attack. 138 injured, almost 10 dead. Those responsible remain a danger to our democracy, our country, and human life in the vicinity of our Capitol and beyond. https://t.co/D0qLlaFjTh

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 25, 2021

She described the Capitol riots as "a terror attack", adding that "those responsible remain a danger to our democracy, our country, and human life in the vicinity of our Capitol and beyond".

Ocasio-Cortez was echoed by her colleague Norma Torres, who insisted that any member of the US Congress implicated in the 6 January storming of the Capitol should be immediately removed.

Every member of Congress takes an oath to defend our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Any member who helped plan or was complicit in the Jan. 6 insurrection violated that oath, and should be immediately removed from office. https://t.co/gl80J5JaPP

— Rep. Norma Torres (@NormaJTorres) October 25, 2021

The same note was struck by Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego, who tweeted that if "any current members of Congress worked with the insurrectionists who threatened the very government they are a part of", they should be expelled.

Further reinforcement of why the work of the @January6thCmte is so important. If any current members of Congress worked with the insurrectionists who threatened the very government they are a part of, they should be removed from office. https://t.co/c4Jzgo3FzA

— Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) October 25, 2021

Capitol Riot Planner Reportedly Met US Lawmakers Ahead of Event

The remarks came after the US magazine Rolling Stone quoted several unnamed sources as saying that the planners and organisers of the January 6th Capitol riots participated in "dozens" of planning briefings with GOP members of the US Congress and White House staff ahead of the event.

"I remember [Georgia GOP Representative] Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically. I remember talking to probably close to a dozen other members at one point or another or their staffs", one of the sources said.

The insiders claimed they also met with a number of other lawmakers, including Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs from Arizona, Lauren Boebert from Colorado, Mo Brooks from Alabama, Madison Cawthorn from North Carolina, and Louie Gohmert from Texas, the report added. According to the sources, the organisers also interacted with the Trump administration, including then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

6 January Capitol Riots

On 6 January 2021, dozens of Trump supporters besieged the US Capitol in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the results of what the 45th president slammed as "the most corrupt elections" in American history.

Five people died during the riots, and dozens more were injured, including at least 138 police officers. Law enforcement authorities have since arrested about 600 individuals who took part in the Capitol riots, charging some of them with assaulting federal police officers.

Then-President Donald Trump, via his now-suspended Twitter account, later urged his supporters to go home. He, however, was then impeached for an unprecedented second time over accusations of "incitement of insurrection", but managed to avoid conviction in the Senate.