Updated with new comment at 8:34 p.m. Thursday.
A number of state and federal lawmakers representing the area have responded after attackers took siege of the U.S. Capitol during Congress’ certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory.
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After rioters broke through law enforcement barriers, members of Congress were given gas masks and cleared from chambers by police early in the afternoon. Leadership was quickly removed by their security details and U.S. Secret Service special agents took Vice President Mike Pence from the building during the breach of the complex.
CBS News reported as of 4:45 p.m. that police continued to deal with rioters in the Capitol complex. By evening, the building was cleared of rioters and police regained order.
No elected officials were hurt. At least one person inside the Capitol was shot and died.
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Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican:
What happened today was nothing short of a coup attempt. The President of the United States has been lying to his supporters with false information and false expectations. He lit the flame of incitement and owns responsibility for this.
The rioters who stormed the Capitol today are criminals and thugs who should all be in jail. Our Country is better than this. The election is over. We must allow for the peaceful transition of power to now take place and come together to rebuild confidence in our democracy.
Thank you to all of the hero law enforcement officers who acted quickly with such heroism today.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat:
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U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican:
Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat:
“Today, President Trump’s supporters attempted a coup. This was the direct result of a deliberate disinformation campaign by Republicans from the President down to legislators in Pennsylvania. They lied about the results of the election. They lied about voter fraud. They lied about my administration and other governors. They lied about the administration of the election here in Pennsylvania and across the country. On November 3, we had a remarkably well-run election despite historic challenges.
“Eight of the nine Republican members of Congress from Pennsylvania lied about our election in an attempt to pledge fealty to President Trump.
“Republican legislators enabled this every step of the way. They’ve held show trials to gin up President Trump’s supporters. They’ve intentionally spread disinformation.
“The actions of Republicans in Pennsylvania and across the country have led to violence. It is their fault. There should be no equivocation.
“It is past time for Republicans to stop lying and tell their supporters the truth. President Trump lost. The election was fair. President Trump received fewer votes. That’s it.
“We have had a peaceful transfer of power every election cycle in our nation’s history but because of the actions of Republicans, we can no longer say that. I am disgusted but I will keep fighting to make our democracy stronger.”
Attorney General Josh Shaipro, a Democrat:
For years, we have seen Donald Trump spew lies, give rise to hate speech and encourage violence. Too many turned a blind eye and refused to condemn his conduct, motivated by ambition and willing to sacrifice moral clarity in order to boost their own profiles or political goals.
Two years ago, Trump’s emboldening of white supremacy and anti-Semitism contributed to death right here in Pennsylvania when eleven people were murdered at Tree of Life Synagogue. They were targeted and executed while simply practicing their faith. As I stood in Pittsburgh that day, I stated it plainly: Hate speech begets hate crimes.
And yesterday, Trump’s rhetoric escalated to a predictable end—chaos and violence in the United States Capitol. His followers violated our laws as they desecrated The People’s House. They were emboldened by the lies they have been told by Trump and his enablers.
The members of the House and Senate who have raised doubts about our election results and raised objections in Congress yesterday have known all along that there is no evidence to back up their claims. Yet they’ve been willing to ignore facts, ignore laws, and lie directly to their constituents because they have been afraid of angering Donald Trump and his followers.
We have to speak with moral clarity and truth: Donald Trump has spent years empowering white nationalists, racists, misogynists and bigots. He has attacked our Constitution, violated our laws, and encouraged lawlessness.
He saw the kindling that had been building—hundreds of years of racism, hate and division. He lit a match and set it on fire. His conduct was seditious.
As Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, I’ve vigorously defended the results of this election. My team and I have won in court dozens of times since November 3 to defend Pennsylvanians’ votes from baseless attacks and lies levied by Trump and his enablers.
Despite efforts by Donald Trump and his enablers to derail our democratic process, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on January 20th. Our democracy has held—just as our courts and laws have held for the past two months.
And know this: My Office knows the difference between protest and violence. We will use every tool at our disposal to follow evidence and hold anyone from Pennsylvania accountable if they organized and participated in the plan to carry out yesterday’s illegal attack on our country.
Let’s move forward together as Americans — but let us not forget what we have witnessed over the past several years and the predictable end it led to yesterday.
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U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William M. McSwain, who was appointed by President Trump:
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a Democrat:
“At this moment, pro-Trump protesters have broken into the US Capitol in a brazen attempt to disrupt the certification of the election of Joseph R. Biden as the next president of the United States. Donald Trump has incited this insurrection. It is a complete disgrace.
I call on all elected officials to denounce this and on all citizens, whether they supported Donald Trump or not, to speak out forcefully against this attempt to block the legal process by which president-elect Biden’s election will be certified.
These “protesters” are committing acts of sedition and as such should be arrested.”
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State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson, a Republican:
This is a sad day in our country, I am appalled at the actions of those in Washington. It goes without saying, violence is never the answer and should never be tolerated.
State Rep. Tina Davis, a Democrat:
January 6th, 2021 is a date that will go down in history as one of the darkest days in the history of our democratic republic. The terrorist actions taken by this violent, armed mob can be deemed as nothing less than insurrection. This attack, provoked by the sitting president and stoked by his allies, was a direct assault on the heart of our democracy itself. Those who participated in this deadly disgrace must be arrested and charged as enemy combatants and the elected officials who provoked it should be held equally responsible. Their lies and reckless behavior in pursuit of power and the stroking of their own bruised egos have rocked the very constitutional foundations that this great nation have been founded on.
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State Rep. John Galloway, a Democrat:
My first concern was the for the safety of the people in my district office and the people at my office in Harrisburg. My second concern is for the country. We need to find out how people got into the Capitol and it needs to end.
State Rep. Frank Farry, a Republican:
I write this with great sorrow in seeing where our country is right now. The last 12 months have challenged us at levels that I hope to never see again in my lifetime. The events and violence that took place yesterday were unacceptable and should not have happened.
Think of what 2020 brought us – a virus that is still sickening our family and friends and debilitating our economy. It has caused frontline workers to put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good, our children’s education to be disrupted, our lives to be turned upside down, a massive amount of people unemployed who have had to deal with a failed unemployment system, businesses destroyed by arbitrary executive orders, people scared to leave their homes and ultimately the loss of friends and family.
2020 also challenged our communities with unrest. The acceptance of rioting, looting and violence is not who we are. This past year we saw businesses burnt and, innocent people hurt and killed. Our law enforcement was demonized because of the acts of a few while thousands of officers were harmed, and some killed while working to keep us safe. None of this is acceptable. Yesterday highlighted again how hard law enforcement’s job is. We want to thank the brave men and women who serve in this noble profession. Political and policy statements must be made without harm to people or property.
During this past year, I have heard from folks from every political affiliation, both before and after the election. Some of whom have been off the charts sideways and others who were just seeking the facts and truth. I have worked diligently to research, fact check and answer questions as best I could. My goal, based upon the way my mom raised me, was to work hard, seek the truth and be honest with my findings, sometimes even if the answers are not the ones I would prefer or were hard to deliver to those who asked. The truth matters.During these times I have been called a coward, traitor, liar and a few words unprintable. I have even been threatened with violence. My staff has been regularly verbally abused and treated inappropriately, while they were just trying to do their jobs and help the public. Colleagues have had offices vandalized, had armed protests at their homes and family members targeted with intimidation. I have honored my oath to the Constitution, although some falsely claim I am violating it. I believe in the Constitution, rule of law and the truth.
During this time, I have watched colleagues provide false information, allow the public to be misled and given false hope for different election results. I have challenged them to be truthful, but they are blinded by the rockstar bright lights and their own political ambitions.
To those reading this, I solemnly ask you to not fully believe everything the media presents and what you read on social media. I have learned during this time that media personalities, from all sides, build their profits on the backs of ratings and advertising that is driven by catchy stories, not necessarily the truth. Some may work honestly, but the vast majority do not. Social media is a censored and biased industry easily filled with select misinformation as I learned during my campaign. Please seek the truth.Very importantly, in the last several weeks other than spending time researching the election fraud claims, responding to constituent inquiries, helping with unemployment claims and preparing legislation for the new session, I have continued to focus on our community.
This included:
Helping to organize a multi emergency services agencies food drive that collected over 2,000 lbs of food to help restock our local food pantries the week after Christmas. A HUGE thanks to our community for their generosity. https://levittownnow.com/2020/12/21/fire-company-hosting-drive-thru-food-drive/
Helping to organize a special emergency services Santa visit to a young lady battling cancer, hoping to provide her and her family a bit of light during a difficult time. https://levittownnow.com/2020/12/24/girl-with-rare-cancer-receives-christmas-visit-from-responders-santa/
Helping to organize a Santa visit to a young man’s home who was just diagnosed with leukemia. https://levittownnow.com/2021/01/04/boy-with-leukemia-gets-late-christmas-surprise/
Helping a friend, and brother firefighter, who has been battling cancer for the last several years and is putting up the good fight to defeat this terrible disease. John is not just a fellow firefighter, but a friend and family member. https://www.gofundme.com/f/27j3ptnq9c?utm_campaign=p_lico%20share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwAR1fl8SRgTsvIjk7kxipWtdckaP08_sRZy1rXa-0nlxonW8wPvib5JtWKi8
In addition, over the past couple weeks, two families in our community have been displaced due to house fires. Thankfully, no one was injured at the fires.
https://levittownnow.com/2020/12/17/basement-fire-damages-home-thursday-morning/
https://levittownnow.com/2021/01/03/garage-damaged-in-sunday-fire/I raise these points because it is important to realize what is transpiring within our own community. We have people in need and some fighting for their lives. We need to help and stand with them.
I hope everyone takes a pause. I do not write this lightly. If you have specific questions about my words or research please email me directly at ffarry@pahousegop.com …. I remain hopeful for better and healthier times. Thoughts and prayers for our nation and a movement to a better place.
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Bucks County Commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican:
A year ago, on January 6, 2020, we took our oaths as County Commissioners. All three Commissioners have happy memories of that swearing-in day. We pledged to defend the laws of our Commonwealth, and the Constitution of the United States. The oath was the same for all three of us, no matter our party. We took our oaths seriously, as we have with the other oaths we have taken before as elected officials.
Although it isn’t in the oath, an essential part of who we are as public servants is the unspoken pledge we make to act on behalf of the residents of Bucks County. Part of that pledge is to serve all our residents, and to do so honestly and honorably. Regardless of party, wealth, race, religion, gender or orientation, we serve all Bucks Countians. January 6, 2021 will be memorable for us as well, but for far different reasons.
Never before has our nation seen such a disgusting and un-American display as what we witnessed in Washington D.C. And we are conscious that the world was watching as well. Perhaps most disappointing is that residents of our County traveled to Washington to enable the President, who recklessly perpetuates the lies about the election that he lost.
Of all our responsibilities to our constituents, perhaps the most important one is to tell the truth. Failure to do that is not just dishonest, it is disrespectful to the very people we swore to serve, and dangerous to our democracy. Unfortunately, too often, politicians are reluctant to tell their constituents the truth when they know the truth is unpopular or inconvenient to their own agenda. What we witnessed in our nation’s capital yesterday is the natural result of dishonesty and disrespect. It was an assault on our democracy.
The truth regarding the election of 2020 in Bucks County is that the election was carried out safely, accurately, and honestly. It was carried out not by elected officials, but by hard-working County employees who dedicated unbelievable hours and days of their lives to getting the job done, and getting it done right. They did their jobs so well that the Chairs of the Bucks County Republican and Democratic parties took the unique step of issuing a joint letter of congratulations and thanks. And in a Bucks County Courtroom after the election the lawyer representing the Trump campaign admitted that there were no cases of fraud in Bucks County. This finding of no widespread fraud was true across our Commonwealth. We are forced to raise this point because elected officials in Washington have pointed to Pennsylvania as a state where the election was “stolen”. They are lying, and we will not let the lie go unanswered. We, the elected representatives of Bucks County, will abide by our oath to defend the laws of this Commonwealth and the Constitution of the United States.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub, a Republican:
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