Lindsey Graham: Capitol police ‘let country down’ during attack

DeMicia Inman
·3 min read
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‘I mean, these police officers had every right to use deadly force,’ the senator said after viewing footage from the historic events.

After viewing footage of the January insurrection at the Capitol, Senator Lindsey Graham had critique for the police officers who stood their ground.

Read More: Impeachment team to show never-before-seen footage of Capitol riots as Trump fumes over trial

According to Yahoo News, the South Carolina Republican shared his opinion that the Capitol police could have done more against the trespassers who invaded the capitol building in support of former President Donald Trump. The outlet reported he expressed anger, not at the rioters, however, at the police officers on duty.

“I mean, these police officers had every right to use deadly force,” Graham said according to the report. “They should have used it. The people in charge of securing the Capitol let the country down.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Holds A News Conference On Yesterday's Pro-Trump Mob Attack On The Capitol
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 07: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. Sen. Graham condemned the pro-Trump mob’s action of storming the Capitol the day before. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

theGrio reported acting Capitol police chief Yogananda D. Pittman issued an apology on behalf of the force for shortcomings exhibited during the attack.

“We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event,” Pittman said. “We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target. The Department prepared in order to meet these challenges, but we did not do enough.”

Read More: Ayanna Pressley felt ‘ancestral’ terror during Capitol riots

After the second day of Trump’s second impeachment trial, Graham shared on Twitter his opinion on the outlook of the trial.

“The ‘Not Guilty’ vote is growing after today,” he said. “I think most Republicans found the presentation by the House Managers offensive and absurd.’

According to CNN, several politicians disagreed with the statement that the footage influenced more votes in support of Trump.

“I’m angry, I’m disturbed,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said to the news outlet.

“The evidence that has been presented is pretty damning,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, to CNN.

Fox News reported Graham said the Democrat’s case against the former president is “getting weaker by the day.” According to the report, the senator questioned whether or not Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew more details than previously disclosed.

“The whole storyline, originally, was Trump created this with his speech,” Graham said. “Now we know that people had this on their mind before he spoke. So now they’re playing this bizarre game of trying to get Trump in on it before Jan. 6…This is why you don’t want to have snap impeachments.”

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The post Lindsey Graham: Capitol police ‘let country down’ during attack appeared first on TheGrio.