Rio Grande Valley lawmakers recount chaos at the U.S. Capitol
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Rio Grande Valley lawmakers returned to the U.S. Capitol to certify the 2020 election results on Wednesday night, hours after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building and disrupted the proceedings.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who represents part of Hidalgo County, said the mob had a clear objective.
"This mob just stormed the Capitol, broke through windows — literally windows — and doors and got into the Capitol with one goal in mind: And they wanted to disrupt the certification of the vote," Cuellar said.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, said he was in the chamber when the mob arrived.
Gonzalez said he's concerned the U.S. Capitol wasn't adequately prepared for what happened and needed a larger law enforcement presence.
It took the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies several hours to secure the building.
One woman was shot and killed during the chaos. More than a dozen people were arrested. Law enforcement officers also seized a handful of weapons.
After the building had been secured, lawmakers returned and finished certifying the presidential election results.
"This does not happen, should not happen, in the United States," Cuellar said. "And I think that anybody that was involved in this by their actions or even their words — that motivated, became the catalyst, like President Trump did this morning at the rally, should be ashamed of themselves."
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