Leaders react to assault by angry protesters in Washington
NORRISTOWN » As a mob of angry protesters descended upon the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday during the count of the Electoral College vote, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., was on the House floor and was provided a gas mask as she was evacuated, according to her staffers.
“Just wanted to let everyone know that I am safe on the House floor. Deeply saddened by the scene outside the Capitol,” Dean wrote in an initial tweet Wednesday afternoon.
Thirty minutes later, Dean, who represents parts of Montgomery and Berks counties, tweeted, “UPDATE: I’ve been evacuated and I am finding safe location. Please pray for peace in this nation.”
Timothy Mack, Dean’s press secretary, said Dean was “literally on the floor of the House when they handed her a gas mask and evacuated her from the chamber.”
“She was taken to two locations and finally to a third undisclosed location with both Republicans and Democrats and she cannot speak with anyone because there is a concern it could reveal their location,” Mack told MediaNews Group.
Mack described Dean as “very shaken.”
“But she said we all knew this was a ceremonial procedure and would not change the outcome of the election and this undermines our nation and democracy and that’s on the president,” Mack said.
Mack added that Dean “prays for peace.”
Other area leaders also turned to social media to update constituents about their safety and their sadness about the unfolding events.
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th Dist., who represents parts of Chester and Berks counties, wrote on Twitter, “I served this country in both the Air Force and now in Congress. People give their lives so that we
“I think it’s treason and I think it’s sedition.” — Montgomery County Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr.
can live in a peaceful and free society with a peaceful transition of power. Today’s violent actions at the Capitol are the antithesis of who we are as a country.”
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 cancelling their scheduled 3 p.m. weekly news briefing at which they usually update residents about the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a predictable travesty and a stain on our democracy,” county Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., a Democrat who chairs the county election board, wrote in a tweet as the insurrection unfolded.
During an interview, Lawrence said there was a free and fair election and that the peaceful transfer of power “has been a hallmark for our democracy.” He described what was occurring at the Capitol as “absolute lawlessness.”
“I think it’s treason and I think it’s sedition. They
have literally blocked Congress from performing their constitutional duty today and I am shocked but not surprised. The president has laid all of this out,” said Lawrence, who was watching the events on national television news. “I mean, I think the nation’s transfixed by this and it’s just a sad, sad moment in our nation’s history.”
Lawrence said he hoped Congress would be able to go back into session Wednesday night and continue its work.
“I would love to see the president step forward and tell people to go home. I don’t think that will happen. So I think it’s incumbent upon the Capitol police, D.C. police, to take control of the Capitol, and I think the senators and the representatives need to go back into session and continue the constitutionally mandated work that they were doing,” Lawrence added.
Democratic Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh 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 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.”
Some local leaders added the hash tags# Blood onyour hands and #Sedition Has Consqu en ce sand #Shame to their tweets.
“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.
“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.
Staf fers working for Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey wrote on Twitter, “Senator Casey was the only member of our team in the Capitol complex today. He is safe and taking direction from the United States Capitol Police.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey 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.”
State Senator K atie Muth, D-44th Dist., wrote on Twitter, “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. 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.”