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DENVER (KDVR) — Former US Rep. Bob Beauprez says he felt violated, an emotion probably shared by all Americans following the events at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a hole in my soul, my American soul,” Beauprez (R-Colorado) said. “It hurts. It hurts deeply.”

Beauprez occupied the seat for Colorado’s 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 – 2007. He also ran for governor in 2006 and again in 2014.

As a Colorado native, Beauprez said he was emotionally hurt from the damage to the state Capitol building during riots in the summer of 2020 and could not go by it for a long time.

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He said the incident at the country’s Capitol is different. The violation of the House and Senate proceedings was unthinkable and disrespectful, he said.

“We’ve got a serious problem in America. We’ve lost faith in all our institutions. We’ve lost faith in our leaders. We’ve lost faith. And that’s just not who America is,” he said.

Beauprez stressed the country needs to find a balance and civility to work together, which he says has been lacking for too long.