Rep. Ted Lieu Says Republicans' Spreading of 'Big Lie' Poses Security Threat to Capitol
California Representative Ted Lieu spoke about how Republicans helped perpetuate the "big lie" that former President Donald Trump had wrongfully lost the election, culminating in the deadly riot at the Capitol Building on January 6. He noted that some Republican leaders are still spreading the false claim that could lead to further security threats.
In a recent MSNBC interview, Lieu called on his colleagues across the aisle to cease accusations that the 2020 election results were a product of fraudulent voting.
"I simply urge Republican leaders to say one simple truthful sentence: that the election was not stolen," he said.
“It is very disturbing to have to work in a place where people want to carry guns into the workplace and have issued threatening statements in the past,” Rep. Lieu says, discussing the threat his GOP colleagues pose by claiming the election was stolen. https://t.co/NvGsPL2Qf8
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 6, 2021
When asked how safe he felt working in the House, the California congressman spoke out against lawmakers who said that the election was "stolen." Lieu also said that some Republican House members are perpetuating the disinformation even now, two months after the riots at the Capitol.
Lieu explained: "It's very clear that the former president was the ringleader who incited insurrection, but you also had a lot of people who continued to repeat the big lie, and those included Republican members of Congress, and if you look at their social media feeds, some of them continue to repeat the big lie even today."
Lieu also noted that some lawmakers have shown interest in bringing guns onto the House floor, which the congressman described as "disturbing." He said that he trusts the Capitol police to ensure that those members of Congress "don't act aggressively."
The California House member noted that threats have not ceased since the January 6 riot, with more people looking to make similar attacks.
"We know from chatter on—sort of—the dark web and public reporting that you continue to have people that again believe the big lie. They're angry, and they want to attack the Capitol. They want to attack government officials," he explained
Lieu also noted that members of the Trump administration did not take white supremacists and white nationalists that were involved in the insurrection seriously prior to the events that led to the riot.
When asked about the heightened security around the Capitol following the riots, Lieu expressed disappointment at having to direct funds towards defending the government buildings.
He reiterated the importance of Republicans telling members of the party that the election was not fraudulent.
"We're spending taxpayer funds to deploy our military to protect our Capitol against ourselves. This should not be what America is," Lieu said. "You just have to have Republican elected officials tell the base the truth: that the election was not stolen and Joe Biden won the election fair and square."
Newsweek reached out to a contact for Lieu for further comment.
