NASHVILLE, Tenn., (WKRN) — “This is the saddest day in American history,” Tennessee’s 5th District Congressman Jim Cooper told News 2’s Bob Mueller via phone.
Cooper was one of several lawmakers who were forced to go into lockdown and hide in their offices when protesters breached the Capitol in Washington, D.C while the electoral vote was unfolding.
Cooper said the protest was a deliberate effort to stop the electoral vote unfold, “This was really an attack on democracy, by a small group of angry folks who are good people in themselves but they have been fed lies.” He added, “They’re acting out on those lies, and that’s a real danger to our democracy.”
Cooper told Mueller that he has never seen anything like this while serving in office. Cooper also said he was concerned this protest may mean an even smaller inauguration in the coming weeks. “It’s a difficult place to secure – once the security has been breached. Medal detectors were evaded. We have no idea what was placed in the buildings. We don’t have any idea how dangerous these people are. It’s a perfect opportunity for enemies of America to do dirty work, so we’ve got to be really careful with what happened.”
Several other Tennessee lawmakers are also responding to the protests in D.C. Click here for more information.