Politics & Government

NYC Congressional Members Hide As Pro-Trump Mob Swarms US Capitol

"Make no mistake: President Trump and his enablers are directly responsible for this violence," tweeted Rep. Jerry Nadler.

Matt Troutman's profile picture
Matt Troutman, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|
U.S. Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
U.S. Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY — A pro-Trump mob’s unprecedented breach of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday sent New York City’s congressional delegation scrambling for safety.

One by one, the city’s senators and representatives tweeted out they were safe in hiding.

And most of them laid the blame for the assault on President Donald Trump, who spent weeks claiming the presidential election was beset by fraud.

Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“Make no mistake: President Trump and his enablers are directly responsible for this violence,” tweeted Rep. Jerry Nadler.

A joint session of Congress was gathered to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College victory over Trump.

Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

But several Republican lawmakers, with Trump’s backing, aimed to throw a wrench in the process by airing unfounded accusations of fraud and other wrongdoing. Outside, pro-Trump protesters also aimed to stop the process.

Before long, the protest turned to a full-on assault on the seat of American government.

Several New York City lawmakers condemned the chaos as they sheltered in place.

“This is domestic terrorism,” tweeted Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke. “Period, full stop. We are in throngs of a coup because @realDonaldTrump refuses to respect the will of the American people.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who helped lead the impeachment effort against Trump, tweeted “violent Trump supporters have stormed the Capitol.”

“Blood will be on the hands of those perpetrating the big lie that Trump won,” he wrote.

Many congressional members, Democrat and Republican, called it an attempted “coup.” Rep. Gregory Meeks was among them.

“The world is watching as the greatest democracy braces against an attempted coup, stirred by its leader who’d rather watch the country burn than transition power,” he wrote.

Trump, for his part, didn’t immediately condemn the violence. He asked by tweet for “everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful.”

“It’s a little late for that. Don’t you think?” Sen. Chuck Schumer tweeted back.

Rep. Grace Meng opted instead for outrage.

“Peaceful? How dare he?” she wrote. “He told them to come to the Capitol. He invited violence and put our colleagues, staff, Capitol police in harm’s way. There is no greater interrupter of peace and democracy than him.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released a statement saying she and her staff were safe and in lockdown.

"The storming of the U.S. Capitol is a stain on American democracy," she said.

New York City’s sole Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis tweeted the violence and lawlessness was unacceptable and “un-American.” But hours earlier — as first noted by a Wall Street Journal reporter — she tweeted support for GOP lawmakers’ steps to hold up, if not scuttle, Biden’s certification.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from New York City