© Provided by The Independent Charlotte Pence Bond, Mike Pence's daughter, has defended Capitol Police after pro-Trump rioters were able to overpower law enforcement and breach the US Capitol on Wednesday.
"Anyone who is blaming the Capitol Hill Police for the domestic terrorism that occurred yesterday should seriously reconsider their position. I was there. The people who held the line are our heroes," she wrote on Thursday.
Capitol Police have come under scrutiny given how underprepared they appeared to be compared to the number of rioters who descended on the Capitol.
Video footage showed rioters using violence and spraying chemical agents at law enforcement officers in an effort to push them back. Eventually hundreds of rioters overtook the Capitol grounds and entered into the building, forcing it to go under lockdown.
Mrs Bond appears to have been in the Capitol with Mr Pence on Wednesday, according to her tweet. Mr Pence was in the Capitol to fulfil his role with the Senate in certifying the election results.
Part of the backlash surrounding the Capitol Police come from how poorly prepared they were for the rioters, given weeks of social media coverage of the rally, and reports suggesting police officers were willingly letting people into the Capitol grounds. One police officer was even filmed taking a selfie with one of the rioters.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for the resignation of the US Capitol Police chief due to the "failure of leadership" displayed on Wednesday.
"There was a failure of leadership at the top of the Capitol Police. Mr Sund hasn't even called us since this happened," Ms Pelosi said, adding the House Sergeant at Arms already submitted his resignation over the security breach.
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