State’s GOP House, Senate leaders condemn insurrection at US Capitol
But few address Trump’s refusal to accept election results and whether he bears responsibility
After supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Republican leaders in both the Connecticut House and Senate called the violent insurrection “unacceptable,” “disruptive” and “un-American.”
“The siege that unfolded in Washington D.C. this afternoon is unacceptable in any circumstance, as were all of the violent protests we have seen over the past six months, no matter how angry or frustrated people may be,” House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said on Facebook last week.
“It’s my hope that this will cause lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to summarily reject the growing politicization of protests that’s contributing to the growing divide in our country.”
While Republican leaders uniformly condemned the violence at the Capitol, only a handful specifically addressed Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election and whether he bears responsibility for what happened.
About 15 minutes into a speech to supporters last Wednesday, before rioters overtook the Capitol, Trump told the crowd, “We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly said “We condemn Wednesday’s violence in the strongest of terms. While we support peaceful protests, there is no place for violence,” while Chief Deputy Senate Republican Leader John A. Kissel said “We condemn this violence. There is no place for it. We condemn this violence in the strongest of terms.”
The Connecticut Republican Party posted on its Facebook page in response to Wednesday’s events that “violence is never the answer.”
“What we see unfolding today in Washington D.C. is putting a black eye on our party and our Republic,” the post states. “The violence needs to stop and we need to all come together as Americans. ‘What unites us is far greater than what divides us.’ ”
Many comments on the post, however, expressed animosity toward Democrats, the Black Lives Matter movement and other targets. Some stated falsely that there was no violence at the Capitol and that Antifa was behind the riot.
“Ask George Washington if violence is the answer,” one commenter wrote. “He crossed the Delaware in freezing cold in the middle of the night to vanquish the British. Revolution means violence! 1776.”
Deputy House Republican Leader Rosa Rebimbas, R-Naugatuck, shared a post by the Naugatuck Republican Town Committee that strongly condemned “the actions of those who hijacked a peaceful protest and wrecklessly [sic] breached the Capitol to interfere with the Constitutional duties of our government leaders.”
“Unlawful behavior is unacceptable and those responsible should be held fully accountable,” the post states. “We stand for freedom, not wanton disregard for the law.”
Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield, another deputy House Republican leader, stated there was “nothing right” with the insurrection and that she was “disheartened with the lack of leadership our President has displayed in stopping the violence.”
“Our nation is a republic and our president elected through the electoral college process which was disrupted today,” Devlin said. “I have not agreed with the violence that has occurred over these many past months and I don’t agree with what has happened today. We need to come together as a nation, a community, and as neighbors. We need to learn again how to agree to disagree and move on. ... We can do better. We need to do better. God bless America.”
Senate Republican Leader Pro Tempore Paul Formica of East Lyme said while protesters have the right to exercise their First Amendment rights “peaceably and respectfully,” the “violent and destructive actions” of the mob in D.C. was “an attempt to disrupt our democracy in action.”
“We should never resort to, nor condone violence as a means of expression,” Formica said. “Those actions today in our nation’s capital are completely unacceptable. The election is over. The President has lost both at the ballot box and in the courts. It’s time for us move forward peacefully.”
Deputy Senate GOP Leader Eric Berthel of Watertown, who was criticized last year for his association with QAnon and was subsequently reelected to the state Senate, has not issued a public statement about the insurrection. He did not respond to calls for comment.
Deputy Senate Republican Leader Heather Somers posted on her personal Facebook page that the breach of the Capitol building “was not a protest but an unacceptable act of sedition.” She hasn’t addressed the insurrection on her verified page.
“It was shameful — a threat to democracy,” Somers, R-Groton, wrote. “Donald Trump has lost the election. Our Democracy has spoken and that decision must be treated with the utmost sanctity by every American, regardless of political affiliation, preference or ideology. A peaceful transition of power is integral to who we are as a nation.”
In response to a comment implying that busloads of Antifa members were escorted into the Capitol, Somers added, “I never said who caused this to occur — I cannot say for certain but what happened regardless of who it was is completely unacceptable. We have five people dead because of it.”
On Friday, Senate Republican Whip Paul Cicarella, R-Durham, said he condemned the violence “in the strongest of terms.”
“I support peaceful protests, however, there is absolutely no place for violence,” Cicarella said. “As we move beyond these events, the conversation must now turn to how to begin the healing process as one nation.”
At 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, Senate Chief Deputy Republican Leader Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, wrote that what was happening at the Capitol was “shameful.”
“This is not democracy,” Witkos said. “I fully condemn the violence and destruction taking place and pray for a safe and peaceful resolution. This is a sad day in our nation’s history and I pray for the return of decency.”
Deputy Senate Republican Leader Tony Hwang of Fairfield said it was every American’s responsibility to “speak up now and boldly renounce this un-American behavior.”
“Sadness, heartbreak and shock and steely resolve for me as an elected state official to denounce in the strongest terms, this attack on our country’s national capitol and the esprit de corp of democracy,” Hwang wrote on Facebook just hours after the attack.
“There is no place in this world for the degree of violence and insurrection exhibited today in Washington, D.C. I am standing up loud and forcefully for democracy and all Americans who value peaceful, law abiding forms of activism and protest to say, ‘Enough and No More.’ “
As the events unfolded in Washington, Deputy Senate Republican Leader Henri Martin, R-Bristol, said that what was happening at the Capitol was “unacceptable.”
“This is a sad day for the United States,” Martin wrote on Facebook. “I am disturbed watching what is taking place. Peaceful protesting is one thing but rioting and mob violence are far beyond what our laws or morals condone. This is not what this country stands for. President Trump and his supporters must accept the results of the election and move on. The American people and the judicial process have spoken. The time for our country to come together is long overdue. I hope for a swift and safe resolution in Washington D.C. and my thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with those affected by these senseless acts.”
Assistant Senate GOP Leader Rob Sampson, R-Southington, the founder and former chairman of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Conservative Caucus, posted on Jan. 6 that while everyone is permitted to protest peacefully, “no one has a right to destroy property or commit acts of violence.”
“I strongly condemn those who chose to cross the line between the rule of law in our country and to forcibly enter the US Capitol damaging things and risking lives along the way ,” Sampson wrote. “We have nothing in common. I urge all who read this to choose respect for others opinions. Make your case with words, with reason, with logic, and with passion and purpose but never anger or violence. God Bless America.”
Requests for comment from other Republican leaders, including Chief Deputy Senate Republican Leaders Craig Miner and House Deputy Republican Leaders Tom O’Dea, Lezlye Zupkis and Jason Perillo, were not immediately returned.