Page:Trial Memorandum of the United States House of Representatives in the Second Impeachment Trial of President Donald John Trump.pdf/31

 ... We wait and take orders from our president." Yet another rioter yelled at police officers, “[w]e were invited here … by the President of the United States!'”

After the insurrection, one participant who broke into the Capitol wearing combat gear and carrying zip ties stated that he acted because “[t]he President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important, because of how much I love this country, to actually be there.” Another asserted, “I thought I was following my President. … He asked us to fly there, he asked us to be there, so I was doing what he asked us to do.” She explained that she believed that she had “answered the call of [her] president,” echoing the views of other participants. Subsequent reporting revealed that far-right groups had rallied members to attend the event based upon “the green light from the President.”

The insurrectionists killed a Capitol Police officer by striking him in the head with a fire extinguisher. They injured over 140 police officers, including at least 81 U.S. Capitol Police officers and 65 members of the Metropolitan Police Department, with many requiring hospitalization and significant medical treatment. One suffered an apparent heart attack after he was hit six times with a stun gun; another lost part of a finger. To cite just a few of the many

Rh