US Rep. Troy Nehls helps Capitol police hold back rioters
WASHINGTON (KTRK) -- Fort Bend County residents might notice someone familiar on the cover of newspapers across the country Thursday morning.
The cover of the Washington Post reads "Trump mob storms Capitol," showing a photo of Capitol police and members of Congress trying to block the doors from the mob.
A man in a blue shirt can be seen at the center of one photo using furniture to block the House gallery doors. That man is newly elected District 22 Congressman Troy Nehls, the former Fort Bend County Sheriff.
Amazingly, Wednesday was Nehls' third day on the job. He spent more than 20 years in law enforcement before his election to Congress.
Moments after the photos inside the Capitol were taken, Nehls spoke with ABC13 on the phone.
"I have to tell you, a sad, sad day for the American people. This is unacceptable and un-American. And I was trying to talk to some of these individuals that were pushing the door in and breaking that glass and telling them, 'This is not the way to deal with this. This is not the way to deal with this. This is un-American.' I mean, guns were drawn on these individuals," Nehls recalled. "And I told them, 'Please get back from this door. You are not accomplishing anything right now.'"
"I think it was them just trying to come out and just protest this election and what's taking place. And I said, 'Well, we can go out there and protest, but you can do it peacefully,'" he said. "Violence, that's not the answer. We as Americans need to be able to have a civil conversation with each other, across from a table from each other, and have dialog and meaningful conversation. It just seems like we can't do that anymore."
After everything settled down, when Congress reconvened, Nehls and two other Texas lawmakers, Rep. Tony Gonzalez and Rep. Pat Fallon, were recognized for staying calm and showing courage.
"Working with the Capitol police, they helped ensure the floor of this chamber was never breached," Rep. Kevin McCarthy said. "These are the heroes among us."
Nehls objected to the counting of the electoral votes, tweeting Wednesday before the chaos, "I'm proudly announcing I will object... you sent me to Congress to fight for President Trump and election integrity and that's exactly what I'm doing."
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