Local political leaders react to attack with shock
“They brought shame to our capitol, shame to democracy and shame to our country in the eyes of the world.” — U.S. Rep Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist.
“Now it is time for Republicans to call out their own who bear responsibility for today.”
— Ryan Costello, former 6th district congressman
“This is a travesty and atrocity. If we saw this on the screen in some foreign country we would think it was a banana republic. And this is happening in the greatest nation in the world.”
WASHINGTON » Chaos erupted Wednesday when Trump supporters stormed and entered the halls of Congress, forcing members of Congress to scramble to safety.
Area representatives spoke about the ordeal and condemned the violence.
Reached at 5:30 p.m., U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th dist., who represents most of Montgomery County and a sliver of Berks County, recounted what happened Wednesday afternoon.
Dean was in the gallery of the chamber during debate on certification of the votes from the Electoral College “and we could hear the commotion outside the doors.”
“Someone came on the speaker and asked us to take our seats and to be prepared to get on the floor. Then they told us to reach under our seats and we would find gas masks. They told us that they had used tear gas in the rotunda, that people had infiltrated the capitol” Dean said.
She got near a place where she could get behind a wall “and we could hear them banging on the
— U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th Dist.
doors and I saw men holding the doors closed with their guns drawn.”
“Then they took us to evacuate and we could see the broken glass from the Senate doors,” Dean said.
When taken to a secure location, they were moved three times, Dean was near fellow Pennsylvanian U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R1st Dist. And she said “he had absolutely no support for what was going on.”
Security Questions
Dean said she wants to know more about how Capitol security was breached.
“I’m baf f led by the amount of access they got. I can’t get that far into the Capitol without credentials and there seemed to be heavier security at the access I used,” Dean said. “I don’t understand it.”
‘Words Matter’
Asked if she ever thought she would see a day when the Capitol was invaded as it was, Dean replied “and yet, we could see it coming. I’ve been asking myself at what point the members of the Republican caucus will understand they’ve gone too far, that words matter. What the President said was inciting violence,” said Dean.
“I wonder when they’re going to take a look at themselves in the mirror,” said Dean, “and say ‘we’ve taken this too far?’”
“I keep trying to find a word that encompasses what’s happened and I keep coming back to ‘shame,” said Dean. “They brought shame to our capitol, shame to democracy and shame to our country in the eyes of the world.”
“This has been an assault on Democracy,” Dean continued. “There is no validity to these claims. This is all for political ambition. I hope they will realize its time to stop this charade.”
As she spoke at 5:30 p.m., Dean was not sure when Congress would re-convene to continue certifying the electoral college votes.
“We have a Constitutional duty to certify the electors and we will fulfill that duty,” she said. ‘A Travesty and Atrocity’ U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th Dist., told MediaNews Group in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon that she was “safe” and “in a secure location.”
“This is a travesty and atrocity. If we saw this on the screen in some foreign country we would think it was a banana republic. And this is happening in the greatest nation in the world,” said Dean.
“These people are literally
“The news is so grim. I miss our country. It is such a sad thing.” _ Marian Moskowitz, Chester County Commissioner
vandalizing the People’s House and violating the peaceful transition of power,” she added. “This is beyond party. This is just an offense that I can’t begin to articulate.”
Houlahan said “I was actually not on the House floor when the Capitol was breached because of COVID restrictions on how many people can be on the floor at various times,” she said. “And my shift, so to speak, was supposed to be on the floor later this afternoon and tonight if Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes were disputed.”
Houlahan said it was concerning to see that Capitol Police seemed to be outnumbered by those rioting.
“The amount of callous disregard these people are showing to law enforcement officers is atrocious and scary,” she said. “I certainly never anticipated that I would be sitting here watching something like this unfold. But it is not beyond unreasonable to have suspected something like this to happen given the last four years of rhetoric from the highest leaders in our country egging people on. Here’s what happens with irresponsible leadership.”
“Now, politicians and the media are suddenly outraged after having spent the last year justifying, excusing and often ignoring the unrest and lawlessness that destroyed nearly every major city in the nation.” — Joe Gale, Montgomery County commissioner
“I am not surprised because I believe that President Trump has been signaling this to his supporters for weeks now.”
‘President Fanned the Flames’
Ryan Costello, a critic of President Trump who held the 6th District House seat before Houlahan, said “watching these protestors invade the Capitol reminded me of the left-wing protestors who would storm in and occupy my congressional office and harass my staff on a weekly basis. Politics has become an invitation for extremist behavior; to be rude, dangerous and disrespectful to our institutions and policymakers.”
Costello also chided members of his own party.
“Republicans spent this summer rightfully pointing out the hypocrisy of Democratic federal officials who were too scared to speak out against looting and defund the police protests. Now it is time for Republicans to call out their own who bear responsibility for today,” he said.
“The President fanned the flames, certain elected officials created an unconstitutional, undemocratic litmus test on certifying election results, and talk radio and cable TV promoted it. I am not surprised in the least that this played out as it did,” Costello said.
Montco Commissioners Respond
As the pro-Trump supporters breached the Capitol shortly after 1 p.m. and news reports documented the chaos, the events created local ripple effects that included Montgomery County commissioners canceling their scheduled 3 p.m. weekly news briefing where they usually updated residents about the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a predictable travesty and a stain on our democracy,” Democratic Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. wrote in a tweet as the chaos unfolded.
County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh, also a Democrat, tagged President Trump in a tweet, expressing “you have an obligation to this country to tell your supporters to stand down. You started this. You must stop it.”
During an interview, Arkoosh added, “My initial reaction is one of just extreme disappointment that American citizens would storm their own Capitol in a protest of a
— Val Arkoosh, Montgomery County Commissioners Chair
completely legitimate Democratic election.”
“I am not surprised because I believe that President Trump has been signaling this to his supporters for weeks now,” said Arkoosh, adding she hopes all the members of Congress, their staffs, police and everyone in the Capitol are safe. “And I hope that the individuals that are leading this riot stand down and understand that this was a legitimate election and that there is no call for this kind of violence.”
“I have consistently been a voice for law-and-order and spoken out against protests that devolve into riots, violence and destruction. For doing so, I have been smeared, censured and physically targeted,” Republican county Commissioner Joseph C. Gale said on Wednesday in an email.
“Now, politicians and the media are suddenly outraged after having spent the last year justifying, excusing and often ignoring the unrest and lawlessness that destroyed nearly every major city in the nation. This double-standard is purposeful and appalling,” Gale added.
“The news is so grim,” said Chester County commissioners’ Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz when she picked up a call seeking comment. “I miss our country. It is such a sad thing.”
Commissioner Michelle Kichline, the sole Republican on the Chester County commissioners, said as the violence abated that she respected the right of those officials who want to look into election results, but that she decried “this kind of attack on our system.
“As an American, as a lawyer, and as an elected official, I believe strongly in our system of government,” Kichline said “We need to regroup, reunite, and move forward,” from the contentiousness of the presidential election.
Toomey: ‘Absolute Disgrace’
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, another Trump critic, wrote on Twitter, “This is an absolute disgrace. I appreciate the work of the United States Capitol Police under difficult circumstances. I am currently safe as are the few members of my staff that are currently at the Capitol complex.”
“I am proud of Senator Toomey’s leadership on the Senate floor today. He stood up for our constitutional republic,” Costello said. “If you don’t stand up to extremists they will drive the debate. That is what has happened, on both sides.
“The middle of this country will have to rise back up or we will continue to be defined by our extremes,” said Costello.
‘America is Better Than This’
“This is nothing short of an assault on our democracy. America is better than this and the mob that stormed the capitol does not represent the majority,” said state Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th Dist., who represents portions of Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.
“I am praying for the safety of the public servants, their staffs, capitol police and the employees who work within the building as they flee the terror that has ascended on the United States Capitol,” said Muth.