Amid the chaos of the heated protest and storming of the U.S. Capitol building by a mob of supporters of President Trump, the newly-elected Republican Iowa Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks talked with local media in a Zoom call about her experience of the event.
Miller-Meeks began the interview by giving a reassurance that she and her staff are safe and sheltered in place away from the violence.
Her opening statement asserted support for the right to protest in a peaceful manner and an understanding of the anger being expressed by the rioters, and said that the breaching of buildings and storming of the Capitol is unacceptable.
"We would strongly encourage people to disperse and to peacefully protest in another area of the Capitol or the Capitol grounds," she said.
When asked about her experience on the House floor, Miller-Meeks did not want to give many details, simply describing the scene as "noisy" when chaos began to break out as Congress was debating the objection to Arizona's electoral results.
"Certainly, people are concerned. People are angry; they're frustrated; all of that's understandable, as we saw social unrest over the summer, but there are proper ways to do that and proper ways to do that," the Representative stated.
"I think it's incumbent on all of us to ask people to disperse; to ask people to leave the Capitol grounds and to let us get back to the businesses of trying to resolve these very important Constitutional issues," said Miller-Meeks.
When asked what she would qualify the event as, she said that everyone is concerned if the actions of the unruly mob constitute anarchy, and then once again asserted her support of the right of peaceful protest.
On the topic of President Trump's relation to the event, Miller-Meeks said "It's incumbent on the President and Vice President to tell the demonstrators to leave Capitol grounds; to decry and denounce any violent activities that are going on on the Capitol grounds."
One reporter asked Miller-Meeks what she thinks will happen when the Congressional sessions resumes, and she responded by saying that the mood would be somber. "I think many of us see this as a sad day in our democracy," she stated. "...This is a great country; we have a great republic, and we have a great democracy and we want to maintain that for not only 2021 and this year, but for generations to come."
Miller-Meeks made multiple allusions, connections, and comparisons to the series of protests throughout the course of summer 2020 after multiple cases of police shootings of Black civilians caught unprecedented national attention.
