Rep Andy Kim relaxes with his children after a tough week. Via Twitter
Andy Kim has dedicated his life to service and his country. He served as a US Diplomat, working in both Afghanistan and Iraq, before voters elected him to Congress. He described the moments he spent locked up in his office with a staffer across from the Capitol building in an interview with GQ.
“Everything was frantic and chaotic. We didn’t know what was happening but we were seeing images of people flowing into the Capitol,” he said. “We didn’t know if they were armed or not, but we started hearing about explosives midway through the afternoon. They identified several explosives around the campus, so we were warned to stay away from any windows.”
He called his family to let them know he was OK. Otherwise, he continued to do his daily work, determined not to let the anarchist stop him from serving his constituents.
“I had some phone calls with constituents, I swore in county officials in my district. Everyone was surprised that we kept going, but I had agreed to do it, and I didn’t want the insurrection to derail our democracy,” said Kim.
Later that night, as AsAmNews previously reported on Thursday, he went back to the Capitol to complete the business of ratifying the electoral college vote at around 1 the next morning. Although exhausted, in between debates and votes, he stopped to help crews clean up the debris strewn over the Capitol.
“The Capitol is our home,” Kim said to PIX11 in New York. “As I was cleaning up, I saw a plaque that reminded us that George Washington laid the cornerstone of that building. It’s, in my opinion, the most beautiful building in the country. I love and I think last night with all the pain that was happening and the crisis, I felt in some ways my patriotism renewed and heightened, actually.”
He admitted the mess he saw tugged at this heart and he needed to do something about it.
“When I got to the rotunda, the center of the Capitol and really the center of our country, right at the heart of our democracy, I was shocked by the disarray. There was trash and debris everywhere, broken furniture and broken flags, coats and gloves, cigarette butts and car keys. Trump flags and random bits of food. There was some body armor. This was probably the worst condition that room has ever been in. It broke my heart—I almost started crying.”
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I am so proud of him. That is so Korean American of him. I wish my husband and particularly my late mother in law Pak Choon Ja a survivor of Nanking, WWII and the Korean War could have seen him in action. She was orphaned at nine and although she spoke eight languages she was illiterate. She married and came to the U.S. at 26. When she was 68 she learned to read and write English so she could become a citizen to vote, Best of luck to Rrpresentative Kim.
Hat’s off to Mr. Kim, a real American hero. I am very moved reading this story. I would help him in a second.
I served in Korea1968-70 2nd infantry. Found Korean people warm and friendly.
Thank Mr Kim for your service.
It is true. Representative Kim revealed his love for our country by his words AND actions. He is the best of us, stepping up to help his fellow American soldiers and staff clean up the mess left by Trump’s insurrection. It is clear he is not an elitist (who sees others as subservient) but a “man of the people”. How ironic that Trump who watched the attack on our Capitol, by his supporters, across the street laughing and drinking and dancing, was never seen helping anyone clean up anything. Yet he often called Democrats elitist. Hmmmm. Thank you Representative Kim!!
Exemplifies the best of humility and servant leadership. Thank you, Mr. Kim