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‘This must end’: NY politicians, Biden denounce storming of US Capitol

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Schumer was one of several New York politicians who condemned the violent attack on the Capitol.

By Daily Orange News Staff

The United States Capitol was placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon as a pro-Trump mob stormed the building. Lawmakers, who were inside counting the country’s electoral votes, were escorted to their chambers or to other buildings as people outside breached security and filled the halls of the building. 

Here’s how prominent New York politicians and public officials have reacted to the insurrection: 

President-Elect Joe Biden

Biden, in a speech Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware, called on President Donald Trump to demand an end to the insurrection on national television “to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution.” He also called on the mob to “pull back” and allow the work of democracy to proceed. 

“Our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times,” Biden said. “This is not dissent. It’s disorder, it’s chaos, it borders on sedition, and it must end now.”

A president’s words matter, and they have the power to inspire or incite the public, Biden said. 



Trump has refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, and he urged his supporters Wednesday to go to the Capitol to fight Congress’ recognition of Biden’s victory.

“The certification of the electoral college vote is supposed to be a sacred ritual,” Biden said. “Today’s a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.”

Preserving democracy requires people who are devoted to the common good over the pursuit of power and are willing to stand up, Biden said. The current moment and the next four years must focus on the restoration of democracy, decency and respect, he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Cuomo issued a statement Wednesday calling the mob “a failed attempt at a coup.”

A peaceful transfer of power is key to maintaining democracy in the U.S., Cuomo said.

“This is the final chapter of an incompetent, cruel, and divisive administration that has trampled on the Constitution and the rule of law at every turn,” Cuomo said. “(W)e won’t let President Trump, the members of Congress who enable him, or the lawless mob that stormed our nation’s Capitol steal our democracy.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, issued a joint statement with Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling on Trump “to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately.” 

Schumer also responded to Trump’s tweet calling for everyone at the Capitol to remain peaceful, saying “it’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” 

Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus)

Katko said Wednesday afternoon that he was in a locked office on Capitol Hill as violence unfolded nearby. 

“This is pure insanity,” Katko told Syracuse.com, adding that he could see crowds trying to enter the Capitol from the window of the office. “We’ve got a real problem on our hands. I’m shocked we weren’t better prepared from a security standpoint. It’s absolutely stunning incompetence.”

Later in the evening, around 5 p.m., he tweeted that he was in a safe location and called on President Trump to “take a more forceful stand to end this, now.”

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh

Walsh said he is “deeply troubled by the unrest in Washington, and I condemn all those responsible for causing it.”

City Councilor Khalid Bey

Bey, a councilor for the City of Syracuse, called the attack on the Capitol “an attempted mutiny” and “text-book treason.”

NY-22 Republican Congressional Candidate Claudia Tenney

Tenney, whose 22nd Congressional District election is still undecided, said concerns about election integrity “do not justify violence or property destruction.” 

NY-22 Democratic Congressional Candidate Anthony Brindisi

Brindisi, who is challenging Tenney for the 22nd Congressional District’s seat, said that “what we are witnessing at the Capitol is a lawless attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power.” 

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon

McMahon called the events at the Capitol “unAmerican and not acceptable.” 

Former NY-24 Democratic Congressional Candidate Dana Balter

Balter called the breach “horrifying and entirely predictable” on Twitter and called for the “immediate impeachment and removal” of President Trump.

After Rep. Katko condemned the attacks on the Capitol in a tweet, Balter said part of the responsibility was on her former opponent. “You do not get to wash your hands of this,” she said in a tweet.

Former NY-24 Democratic Congressional Candidate Roger Misso

Misso said on Twitter that he was “utterly speechless,” before calling for “swift and righteous” prosecution for those who stormed the Capitol. He also publicly checked in on Katko in a tweet, who he has criticized publicly in the past.

He called storming the capitol without punishment “the definition of white privilege,” called for the immediate impeachment of Trump and added: “Tell me, what is the punishment for treason?”

This post will be updated with more information.





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