U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin, a Republican who has remained defiant against some Texas Republicans and allies of President Donald Trump during the election certification process, has called for rioters to be jailed after Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol.
Roy called out President Donald Trump and relayed harsh criticism of the events leading up to the “attack,” which resulted in four deaths, damage and the delay of the confirmation of Democrat Joe Biden as the presidential election winner.
“Today, the people’s house was attacked, which is an attack on the Republic itself,” he said, adding that “people need to go to jail.”
Roy, who is among the state’s most conservative House members, had previously joined six other Republicans in defending the certification process of the Electoral College, the Texas Tribune reported.
“The president should never have spun up certain Americans to believe something that simply cannot be,” he said Wednesday after the violence.
“I can tell you that I was not going to and I will not be voting to reject the electors. And that vote may well sign my political death warrant, but so be it. I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and I will not bend its words into contortions for personal, political expediency.”
We are divided about even "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
— Rep. Chip Roy (@RepChipRoy) January 7, 2021
The words which used to bind us together, now — at times — tear us apart because we disagree about what they even mean.
But at the heart of our path forward lies the essence of our republic.
Full speech: pic.twitter.com/lRt4VoXQtY
Lawmakers had to reconvene after Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol, which happened after a rally that Trump spoke at. They attempted to overturn the November election to keep Trump in the White House.
Before dawn on Thursday, Congress confirmed Biden won the election. Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the joint session, announced the tally at 306-232.
Trump said in a statement immediately after the vote that there will be a smooth transition of power on Inauguration Day.
One of Trump’s biggest allies, U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, is facing calls for resignation amid the fallout.
Early Thursday, Cruz said the “attack at the Capitol was a despicable act of terrorism and a shocking assault on our democratic system,” despite days earlier saying “we won’t go quietly into the night.”
WATCH: Congress certifies Biden’s electoral college win
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