Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., recalled the frightening first moments a joint session of Congress was thrown into chaos by rioters who breached the Capitol building on Wednesday, asserting “we didn’t ask for insurrection, we asked for an audit.”
In an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting's “America This Week,” Gosar said he was at the podium when the session came to an abrupt halt.
“I was the one who brought up the objection to seating of Arizona’s electoral votes,” he recalled. “I was stopped midway for one disruption, I didn’t understand what was going on.”
“Then all kinds of hell broke loose,” he added. “I saw [Rep.] Steny Hoyer [D-Md.] and two Capitol Police get Mr. Hoyer down and out.”
“We didn’t ask for insurrection, we asked for an audit,” Gosar said. “So let’s be clear. We want to make sure everyone had the right to speak and protest. We do not condone what we saw at the Capitol.”
The break-in forced members of Congress who were in the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden's Nov. 3 election victory to evacuate the chambers for several hours.
The U.S. Capitol Police said they had arrested 14 suspected of involvement in the rioting, most charged with unlawful entry, while the Metropolitan Police Department made at least 68 arrests.
Much of the looting and rioting was caught on video and photos which went viral on social media, and the FBI has been asking the public to submit tips to help it identify and track down suspects.
The FBI is also taking the lead on an investigation into two pipe bombs that were recovered from the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees.