WHITTIER (CBSLA) – The Whittier City Council considered a motion that ultimately failed Tuesday night to censure a council member for attending a pro-Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol that led to riots and multiple deaths.
Two city council members voted to censure Councilmember Jessica Martinez because she was at the rally and used her social media accounts to “further conspiracy theories about the election,” they said.
The council members said her actions violated her oath of office by taking public partisan positions.
A video posted on Martinez’s Twitter page shows the January 6 rally in Washington D.C.
— Jessica Martinez (@JessicaFor57th) January 6, 2021
Martinez said she was nowhere near the riots and was exercising her First Amendment right by peacefully attending the rally. She maintains she did nothing wrong.
“The only desire I had was to show up and have my voice heard. If that is un-American, if that is violating my oath of office, then I am guilty,” Martinez said Tuesday.
One member of the online meeting Tuesday said by posting the tweets it was inciting violence.
“I am not responsible for the people that broke into Congress and did those atrocious acts,” Martinez added.
Martinez said she has received death threats in the last few days.
Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned law enforcement across the nation that a number of groups were calling for the “storming” of federal, state, and local courthouses as Inauguration Day approaches.
It was reported Tuesday a Los Angeles Police Department employee attended the rally in Washington, D.C. in support of President Donald Trump ahead of the riot at the Capitol.
The employee, who has not been identified, was told to speak to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Los Angeles about any possible involvement or information regarding the incident, even though the employee reportedly left the rally before the attack.
