Social media video of a Greenville-area children's choir ordered to stop singing the National Anthem in the Capitol Rotunda last month is igniting outrage from the Carolinas to California.
The now-viral Twitter video shows the Rushingbrook Children's Choir as their May 26th performance of the national anthem was interrupted by Capitol Police.
A police official told the choir leader, Micah Rea, they couldn't continue because the singing could be construed as a demonstration, and they had no permit for that. Choir Director David Rasbach told the AP they had contacted South Carolina Congressmen William Timmons, Joe Wilson and Russell Fry to arrange the performance, and were told it had been approved by the office of House Speaker Kervin MCarthy.
Rasbach also said another Capitol officer told him singing the anthem might be offensive to some people. He wasn't able to identify that officer. Eventually Capitol Police issued as statement saying, there had been a miscommunication and that they were not aware that the Speaker's Office had invited the choir to the Capitol.
A joint statement from the three House members says the children were welcomed to "joyfully express their love of this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn that their celebration was cut short.