A House Democrat suggested that violent rioters are taking away the voices of other Trump supporters she feels need to be listened to.
Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said she was frightened by violent protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, but lawmakers must still learn to disagree agreeably.
“We have to listen to Republicans,” Dingell told Fox News host Bill Hemmer on Thursday. “There’s a group of people that scared me yesterday when you saw them in the Capitol. But there’s also a lot of people that voted for Donald Trump that we’re not hearing and that we’re not listening to. And we’ve got a responsibility to hear what they have to say.”
Hundreds of people erupted into the Capitol on Wednesday, following a relatively peaceful protest during the day that opposed the congressional certification of electoral votes in favor of Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump told people to go home “peacefully” in a video message. Biden condemned the violence, calling the demonstrators a “mob of thugs.” A number of Trump administration officials resigned in the aftermath of the chaos.
Some House Democrats have considered pursuing another impeachment effort or invoking the 25th Amendment, which removes the president from office because of an inability to carry out the duties of the office. Though unlikely, Vice President Mike Pence would carry out the remainder of Trump’s 13 days in office if the invocation is successful.
Dingell didn’t say whether she would support some efforts but expressed concerns over what might happen before Jan. 20.
“I am very concerned about what he could do in the next 13 days,” the Michigan Democrat said. “And there are people that are at the White House, that are in the administration, that are communicating to people that they are concerned about the things he’s saying and what he is doing.”
