'Squad' Rep. Ayanna Pressley's panic buttons removed before Capitol riots
It was unclear when or why the buttons had been removed, despite having been used on previous occasions.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFRep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' march in support of racial justice, in Washington, US, August 28, 2020.(photo credit: MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts) found herself in a potentially dangerous situation amid last week's Capitol riots when she found all the panic buttons in her office had been already ripped out, her chief of staff Sarah Groh said in an interview with the Boston Globe Wednesday.According to Groh, it was unclear when or why the buttons had been removed, despite having been used on previous occasions.Groh explained that she discovered the buttons were missing when supporters of President Donald Trump had stormed the US Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 elections. The incident had soon devolved into a violent and highly publicized riot, which saw gunfire, explosives brought to the scene, rioters climbing the walls, and ultimately, five deaths.During the incident, lawmakers had to be evacuated and secure themselves. Pressley, alongside her husband, Conan Harris, and members of her staff including Groh, sought to barricade themselves in their office, blocking the door with furniture and water jugs, according to the newspaper.It was then that Groh discovered that the buttons were missing.In response to the discovery, a Pressley spokesperson told news outlet The Hill that "the matter has been raised with the relevant agencies and is currently under investigation," adding that the House of Representatives' sergeant-at-arms "oversaw the installation of new duress buttons" after the incident.The Capitol riot raised many questions regarding inadequate security in the building, due to the relative ease with which Trump supporters were able to storm the building and fight through the existing police protection.There were concerns regarding the safety of many lawmakers, especially some on the Left of the political spectrum, as some speculated the rioters could have tried to physically harm them. Pressley, being a progressive congresswoman and part of "The Squad" of other progressives including Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, may have been one such target.However, Pressley also found herself with other problems after the incident, when her husband tested positive for the coronavirus after having been locking down with her during the riot, a local CBS-affiliate reported Wednesday.Pressley, however, tested negative, but nonetheless remains in isolation.In a statement, she criticized Republican lawmakers, accusing them of "repeatedly [refusing] to wear masks when offered" while barricading themselves from the rioters.“As my colleagues and I sought shelter from the white supremacist mob that violently attacked our seat of government, we were greeted by a different threat – one posed by my callous Republican colleagues who, in this crowded and confined space, repeatedly refused to wear masks when offered,” Pressley wrote, according to CBS. “Their arrogant disregard for the lives of others is infuriating, but not surprising. And we are seeing the consequences of it daily, as several of my colleagues – and now my husband –test positive for COVID-19.”At the time of writing, three Democratic members of Congress – Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Brad Schneider and Bonnie Watson – have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 following the riot.
