Legislators denounce Capitol rioting; 'an absolute disgrace'
Following the breaching of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Wednesday by supporters of President Donald Trump, Butler County lawmakers on both sides of the aisle denounced the attack.
Despite the hourslong delay caused by the riot, Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.
U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly, R-16th, and Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15th, issued statements decrying the mob that stormed the Capitol, although both lawmakers later objected to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., similarly issued statements denouncing the attack and did not object to the certification.
Thompson called the attack “counter to American values.” Kelly, who on Wednesday signed his objection to the certification and spoke during debate Thursday morning, called the attack “wrong.”“In this country, we resolve our disputes peacefully in legislative bodies and courts under the rule of law,” Kelly said. “Thank you to the Capitol Police and all other law enforcement officers who bravely secured the Capitol and kept us safe.”Toomey's denunciation of the mob was less taciturn and more direct.“This is an absolute disgrace,” Toomey said. “I appreciate the work of the United States Capitol Police under difficult circumstances.”Early on Thursday, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th, whose district includes parts of Cranberry Township, denounced both the rioters and the police response on the House floor.“Let's be clear about what happened in this chamber today: Invaders came in for the first time since the War of 1812,” Lamb said. “They desecrated these halls and this chamber and practically every inch of ground where we work, and for the most part they walked in here free. A lot of them walked out free.”Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly also joined in the denunciations. Speaker of the state House Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-100th, and majority leader Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-171st, issued a statement saying the attack on the Capitol was an attack on the peaceful transfer of power, something our country has responsibly proceeded with since our founding and should serve as an inspiration to the rest of the world.“An objection to the electoral process is within the rights of members of Congress and has been exercised by members from both sides of the aisle at different times in our nation's history,” the statement said. “However, that process leads to debate and dialogue, not violence and mayhem. We strongly condemn any act of violence and destruction and pray for all those impacted today.”Multiple news organizations identified members of the mob as members of the far-right QAnon conspiracy group.
There was much finger-pointing about the events that transpired in Washington. Casey squarely placed the blame on Trump, saying the president incited the riot Wednesday and, in doing so, crossed the line. Casey argued Trump should be removed from his position through use of the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and the cabinet to remove the president in the event the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.“While shocking, yesterday's events were entirely foreseeable,” Casey said. “They were the direct result of President Trump's lies about the integrity of our most recent election, and his frequent incitements to violence.“For weeks, the president has lied about his decisive defeat, promoting wild conspiracy theories about unsubstantiated fraud and encouraging this insurrection.”The county Democratic committee called upon Kelly and state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, to resign, accusing them of fueling the incident at the Capitol.“When rioters crashed through police barriers and rammed flag poles through windows of the center of power of this nation, Kelly, Metcalfe and those of their ilk were complicit,” said Catherine Lalonde, Butler County Democratic Committee chairwoman. “The rioters were sent to the building by Trump as the finale to a rally on Wednesday. But they boarded the buses to Washington with their flags and weapons and red-hot anger because they'd been told democracy would die if President-elect Biden was certified as the winner of the election that day. And they'd been told it enough that they believed.”Neither Kelly nor Metcalfe responded to a request for comment on the remarks.Al Lindsay, county Republican committee chairman, said the filing of lawsuits and objecting to the electors gave “voice to many Butler County citizens who were troubled by perceived irregularities in the tabulation of the vote” and critiqued news media for failing “to fulfill their role as investigative reporters,” and, instead, “parroting the narrative of the government.”“While we deplore the violence in the Capitol, we applaud the efforts of Mike Kelly and Daryl Metcalfe to lawfully contest the results of the 2020 Election,” Lindsay said.
A Zelienople police officer is under investigation by the borough following social media posts showing his presence at the protest in Washington.Police Chief Jim Miller said Thursday the department was aware of officer Thomas Goldie's presence in D.C.“We have referred to our legal people who are going to investigate it,” Miller said. “If there's anything that needs to be done or not done, we'll handle it.”While posts on Facebook showed Goldie — who was wearing a “Trump 2020: (expletive) your feelings” hat — in Washington, they do not show him inside the Capitol Complex. Miller said there was no reason to believe Goldie was part of the group that stormed the building.“I'm sure he wasn't,” he said.Additionally, former state Rep. Rick Saccone — who unsuccessfully ran against Lamb in a 2018 special election — posted videos on Facebook about “storming the capitol.”
