(WKBN) – There are still a lot of questions regarding the riots at the U.S. Capitol, namely, how did this happen with law enforcement there? On Monday, Congressman Tim Ryan held a virtual press conference to address some of those questions.
Ryan talked about the conversations he has had with the head of the National Guard and the chief of the Capitol Police recently, saying there was no direct evidence of an inside job for the riots but that two members of the Capitol Police have been suspended for their actions during them.
“We have a couple Capitol Police we talked about before with taking selfies, and another Capitol Police evidently put on a MAGA hat. They have been suspended,” Ryan said.
The investigation is ongoing and they still have a lot of evidence to look in to.
But now with the inauguration just nine days away, his sights are also set on the security of that day.
Ryan does not think people should attend the ceremony for both COVID-19 and security purposes.
“We have to have trust in the law enforcement entities that are conducting the security for the inauguration and that means communicating to the press and letting them know exactly what’s going on,” Ryan said.
On Inauguration Day, Ryan says there will be a significant number of law enforcement and National Guard members there, which he says could take away from vaccine distribution, something that wouldn’t have happened if rioters had not stormed the Capitol.
“They are continuing to pull resources away from us being able to deal with the virus and distribution of the vaccines, so this is having a ripple effect throughout the entire country,” Ryan said.
As for President Donald Trump, Ryan supports removing him before his term is up, whether that be with the 25th Amendment or impeachment, he says, because of the precedent it sets.
“And trust me, I understand people who say, ‘Well, it’s just gonna be a few more days and then he’s gonna be gone,’ but we also have to look forward to future presidents,” Ryan said.
Ryan said already near the inauguration site there have been walls put up that aren’t able to be climbed and that we can expect to see much more security in Washington leading up to the day of the inauguration.
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