'No way to run the country': Democrat who witnessed GOP reconnaissance tours 'angry' they were gaslit by Republicans
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) told Raw Story on Thursday that she's still upset about Republicans being so dismissive over the reports involving the reconnaissance tours ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on Congress.
Gay Scanlon was one of the officials, along with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NY), who witnessed the tours in the days before the violence. She lamented that she and the other members filed a report about what they saw and Republicans responded by filing an ethics complaint against the Democrats.
"All we said was, there were people there who didn't belong there and now we have the video proof of people who did not belong there," she explained.
When asked about Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)," Gay Scanlon said that he "denied it, then admitted it, then at each step of the way he has to back up further. There were no tours occurring in the Capitol or in office buildings and that was noticeable when it happened and when they invaded the following day, it raised questions."
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She said that when she first saw the tours, she assumed it was a new member who hadn't yet heard or understood that there was a ban on tours.
"But then, with the actual attack on the Capitol, it took on a different tone," she continued. "And now that we're learning that some of the people on the tours actually participated in the riots and maybe in the attack on the Capitol, that brings a whole other level to it."
The Pennsylvania Representative said that she was "angry" about the whole ordeal because "we were first told it didn't happen when it did. Then we were attacked with an ethics complaint. So, it's this ongoing denial of what happened, refusal to confront the truth, as we're hearing now. I'm so glad that people are coming forward and telling the truth in depositions and such, but they never said anything in public. They refused to call out the anti-democratic, corrupt behavior that we're still trying to clean up."
She cited the letter from the Capitol Police, describing it as a "tightly worded" letter. Another concern, she said, is that the Republican who asked for the letter could be someone who controls the Capitol Police's budget in Congress next year.
"Just, don't believe your lying eyes. Just believe what we tell you," Gay Scanlon closed. "That's no way to run a country."
With additional reporting from Matt Laslo.