Campaign Seeks to Thank Capitol Custodial Staff

U.S. Capitol custodians played a major role last week in enabling legislators to finish certifying the Electoral College votes by cleaning up the mess left by the rioters. In appreciation for their valuable contribution, a campaign started online to send thank you notes to the custodial staff  Washingtonian reports.

Sharon McMahon, a former government studies teacher, started the campaign to honor the Capitol custodial office. “They need to know we are grateful for their selfless work. It’s the least we can do,” she said.

McMahon is a constitutional law Instagrammer who was ready to share updates about the electoral vote count last week to her more than 211,000 followers. However, due to the attempted coup, she found herself instead answering questions about the congressional proceedings.

McMahon was moved when she heard on CNN that custodial staff were cleaning the Capitol building so legislators could return to their interrupted task. “Someone has to clean this up,” she told the Washingtonian. “I had tears in my eyes thinking about it: In order to have democracy, someone needed to clean up.”

Soon there were images and videos of busy Capitol custodial staff on social media and news outlets. McMahon shared on her Instagram that she was “moved” by the custodians who “worked for democracy in a quiet way.”

“My hope is that they are flooded with notes of gratitude, and that they will take heart knowing America is behind them,” she said.