Donna Miller Condemns Jan. 6 Insurrection, Calls for Honoring Officers (Chicago, IL) – Congressional candidate Donna Miller marked the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by condemning the insurrection and criticizing President Donald Trump for continuing to deny the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In a statement released Monday, Miller described the riot as “one of the nation’s darkest hours,” recalling her shock as she watched rioters storm the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of former President Joe Biden’s victory.
Miller said the events were also deeply personal. At the time of the attack, her son was a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and she said she feared for his safety as the violence unfolded just miles away.
“I reached out to him to make sure he didn’t go anywhere near the Capitol,” Miller said.
Miller placed responsibility for the violence squarely on Trump, citing his speech to supporters shortly before the riot in which he urged them to “fight like hell” to overturn the election results. After rioters breached the building, some were heard chanting threats against then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused Trump’s demands to halt the certification of Electoral College votes.
“For a president who claims to be for law and order, it’s clear that is not a priority unless it benefits him,” Miller said.
More than 100 law enforcement officers were injured during the attack, according to federal authorities. One Capitol Police officer died after the riot, and several others later died by suicide. A Trump supporter was fatally shot by Capitol Police while attempting to breach the House chamber.
Miller also criticized Trump’s decision, following his return to the White House, to pardon roughly 1,600 individuals convicted in connection with the riot. She said Trump continues to deny his 2020 election loss and is attempting to minimize or erase the events of Jan. 6, including the failure to erect a federally mandated plaque honoring officers who responded to the attack.
“As Americans, we can do better. We must do better,” Miller said, arguing that denying the truth of the insurrection sends the wrong message to future generations.
Miller, who said she grew up in a military family, contrasted the actions of the rioters with the service of those who defended the Capitol.
“The men and women who risked their lives to save our elected officials are the patriots we should never forget on this day,” she said.
Donna Miller Condemns Jan. 6 Insurrection, Calls for Honoring Officers
