Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill has decided to make a wild, conspiratorial claim in regards to the Capitol Hill riot. In a video posted to Facebook, she is accusing Republican members of the House of leading “reconnaissance” missions for those that would eventually wreak havoc a day later.

OMG.

“In a live webcast Tuesday evening, @RepSherrill made a startling claim that other members of Congress led groups of people through the Capitol Building on a ‘reconnaissance’ mission one day before the riot that laid a deadly siege”https://t.co/Vc6oHZ8YfP

— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) January 13, 2021

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, during a live webcast Tuesday evening, said she witnessed some members of Congress leading people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 in what she termed a “reconnaissance for the next day” when insurrectionists took part in a deadly siege on the legislative branch.

During the Facebook Live, Sherrill (D-11, Montclair) addressed her constituents to explain why she voted for a resolution to ask Vice President Mike Pence to remove President Donald Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. That measure passed late Tuesday 223-205, but Pence had notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier in the day that he would not comply with the request.

Jesse Lehrich is a former Hillary Clinton spokesman, so it’s no surprise he’s taking this as gospel, but no one else should be unless Sherrill provides a lot more than this. If this really happened, she should have no problem naming names. Who are the members she saw? How does she know who was with them? If she was confident enough to proclaim these were rioters being led on a recon mission, that would mean she knows who the members doing the leading are. That should be the first thing she divulges if this is true.

Of course, she names no names because she’s likely making this up. What actually happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6th in regards to the attack was, of course, morally egregious and politically idiotic, but that’s not an excuse for Democrat members of Congress to be accusing colleagues of actively abetting violence without definitive evidence. To the extent that she saw anything, they were likely normal tours being given, something representatives do regularly for friends, family, and constituents.

Facts matter. They matter to whatever fact-checker is going to read this article. They should matter in regards to Democrat representatives making unsubstantiated claims as well. Sherrill simply has not provided anything to back up her claim, therefore it should not be thrown around in public. This slanders representatives who have almost certainly done nothing wrong. It should also serve as a warning to Republicans about what premises they are willing to accept during this contentious time. Everything will be used against them.

(Please follow me on Twitter…@bonchieredstate)