Chaos exploded at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as thousands of protestors stormed the building, pushing past police officers and eventually reaching the Senate floor in an act to stop the congressional Electoral Vote count to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Representative for Michigan’s Fifth Congressional District Dan Kildee was among the congressmen present.
Kildee’s Press Secretary Rotimi Adeoye said he has been in communication with Kildee.
“As you can imagine right now this situation is really fragile,” Adeoye said.
Adeoye told Flint Beat that media should refer to Dan Kildee’s Twitter account for comment.
At 2:52 p.m., Kildee tweeted that he had been instructed to wear a gas mask.
“I am in the House Chambers. We have been instructed to lie down on the floor and put on our gas masks. Chamber security and Capitol Police have their guns drawn as protesters bang on the front door of the chamber. This is not a protest. This is an attack on America,” he said.
In a tweet posted at 3:02 p.m. he reported he was safe.
“I have been evacuated from the House Chambers and have been escorted to an alternate, safe location. This is a dark moment for the history of our country. Praying for an end to the violence and safety for everyone in the Capitol.”
The rioting in Washington is the latest and most dramatic moment in a particularly divisive election that has been felt across the country, including Flint.
Historically, Flint has had low voter turnout. In November, turnout surpassed that of 2016, with absentee ballots alone tripling 2016 numbers days before the official election.
Flint makes up about a quarter of the population of Genesee County and played a key role in Biden’s win for Genesee County. 119,390 votes went to Biden while 98,714 went to Trump.
Vice President Mike Pence and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris both made campaign stops in Flint prior to the Nov. 3 election. Biden and former president Barack Obama also held a drive-in rally at Northwestern High School.
Kildee will continue tweeting updates as they unfold and plans to release an official statement, Adeoye said, adding that the congressman’s safety was top priority.
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