Local congressmen report being safe
Key Republicans in Mid-Hudson condemn rioting
The Mid-Hudson Valley’s two Democratic congressmen reported they were safe late Wednesday afternoon after an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building, forcing an evacuation of lawmakers during the process of tallying the electoral votes in the presidential race.
“We are grateful for the brave Capitol Police officers who are doing everything they can to keep everyone safe. I’m praying for our country,” U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, said in a statement.
On Twitter, U. S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, said, “Today is a sad and infuriating day. We thank the Capitol Police and the staff, many of whom were in real danger. I was on the House floor when protesters attempted to enter. We evacuated and are safe. The president and his enablers have incited this violence. It must stop.”
Ulster County Republican Party Chairman Roger Rascoe said Wednesday’s unrest at the Capitol was “unfortunate,” being carried out by “a group of folks who are not representative of the Republican Party or of conservatives or law-abiding folks.”
“I condemn whatever they’re doing that is breaking the laws,” Rascoe added. “I think it’s unfortunate. It’s not representative of who we are as Americans, and I believe that when order is restored that anyone that broke the law should be held accountable and I’m just hoping that this ends peacefully.”
Asked if he thought President Donald Trump is to blame for the rioting, Rascoe shifted the conversation to recent unrest in Oregon.
“I just think that the media downplayed how terrible it was for people to burn their own businesses and to do the things they did,” he said. “And this is the first demonstration that I can see that has, you know, from the Republican or Conservative side, that has occurred, and I think that overall the mood of the nation has been that it’s more divisive than it’s ever been. ...
“It’s time that we come back together as a nation and follow our rules and laws, and I’m just praying that this is going to end in a peaceful way,” Rascoe said.
State Sen. Sue Serino, R-Hyde Park, tweeted that she was “absolutely horrified by what’s unfolding in Washington.”
“Every American has the right to peacefully protest, but we must always have zero tolerance for violence and hate of any kind,” Serino added. “Now, more than ever, we need to do all that we can to promote unity and peace.”
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, also a Republican, said in a statement that “this mayhem must stop, and it must stop now.”
“America doesn’t resort to chaos or violence, and we don’t encourage or invite it,” Molinaro said. “Every leader, in every office, from every corner of this country must call for this to end and disperse immediately. ... While we would never suppress vigorous debate and the right to protest — our country, after all, was founded on the right of its citizens to voice their opinions — the violence witnessed today is wrong and unacceptable, and it must come to an end.”
State Assemblyman Chris Tague, R- Schoharie, also condemned the violence in Washington.
“Our Revolution was fought so our political process could remain peaceful, and the violence seen today in Washington, D.C., does not represent who we are as Americans,” Tague said in a statement. “Political violence is never acceptable, regardless of what you believe.”
Ulster County Republican Commissioner of Elections John Quigley was not so quick to condemn the rioters, saying he was “still digesting” the events of the day.
“I recall the sentiment four years ago, when the left had the hashtag ‘not my president,’ and I guess I was hopeful that, I don’t want to say stoop to that level, but that we would at least hold our heads high and not let fear get the best of us,” Quigley said. “And I guess right now what we’re seeing is people taking action because they fear the alternative is that much worse.”
Quigley said he does not believe fraud altered the outcome of the November election and that he would give President- elect Joe Biden “the benefit of the doubt.”