Dramatic Footage Shows Aftermath Of Capitol Siege Once Trump Supporters Left

News footage taken in the aftermath of the US Capitol siege shows the chaos left behind by Trump supporters. 

Rioters were seen climbing the walls, vandalising offices and stealing podiums at the Capitol building as they sought to derail Congress’s efforts to certify the electoral college results.

Lawmakers were forced to evacuate as protesters overwhelmed security and stormed the building after being encouraged to march by President Trump. It wasn’t until four hours later that US officials finally announced the Capitol was secure.

See the damage done below:

Scenes filmed in the aftermath proved rioters did more than voice their protests, as footage showed smashed glass, offices strewn with papers, upended desks and broken doors.

One image, shared online by journalist Anthony Quintano, showed graffiti on a door reading, ‘Murder the media.’

ABC News reporter Kevin Lewis shared a lengthy note reportedly left by one of the rioters next to broken glass in the Capitol’s kitchen area.

It read:

See this broken glass? You thought democracy was you made the rules and citizens obeyed. Well, as you can see, you find out the hard way. You take citizens for granted, expecting us to vote for your approved candidates, then shut up until the next election.

Thomas Jefferson is smiling at all this mess! He’s happy that we had to do this. Now, enjoy your coffee and learn your lesson.

Elsewhere in the building, furniture and debris littered corridors and personal belongings were found abandoned across the floor of the Rotunda.

CNN reporter Daniella Diaz shared a video from the floor of the House of Representatives, where staff could be seen sweeping up the debris of the riot before members of the House of Representatives and the Senate could return to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential win.

Construction on the Capitol building originally began in 1793 and went on to become the ‘meeting place of the nation’s legislature’. It has only been overrun one other time in its history, when British troops set fire to the building in 1814.

Current and former law enforcement officials cited by Reuters blamed yesterday’s breach on a lack of planning, with the 2,000-member US Capitol Police Force tasked with protecting the 126-acre Capitol Grounds alone despite warning signs of potential violence from Trump supporters, who gathered to see the president speak in Washington DC ahead of the march.

NBC off-air reporter Frank Thorp tweeted a stark image in the aftermath: a bust of  Zachary Taylor, the 12th president, smeared with blood.

Terrance Gainer, who served as Capitol Police chief and later as the US Senate’s Sergeant at Arms, its chief law enforcement officer, said officers were overwhelmed by rioters as it is ‘difficult to defend’ the numerous windows and doors in the 19th-century complex.

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