Illinois elected officials condemn violence at U.S. Capitol

(The Center Square) – Elected officials in Illinois condemned violence and lawlessness in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday

Hundreds of thousands of people from all across the county converged on the capitol Wednesday for a rally supporting President Donald Trump.

Trump urged people to come to the nation’s capital, saying in a tweet last month it would be “wild.”

The president spoke at a rally earlier in the day.

In the early afternoon, as a joint session of Congress was meeting to deal with the Electoral College votes, and whether there would be objections, protestors stormed entered the capital. Some video showed people getting into physical altercations with guards. One person was shot.

The chaos caught the attention of Republicans state lawmakers from Illinois.

“The events unfolding at the United States Capitol today, and the inflammatory remarks by members of the Republican Party, are a disgrace to the core values and beliefs of our great nation,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said in a statement. “These actions do not represent our Republican party, and are against everything we stand for as Americans. I am sickened and deeply saddened by what I have witnessed today. Any public officials who condone these actions have no place in the Republican party or in our democracy.”

State Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, called it “disgraceful.”

“The scenes of violence happening at the U.S. Capitol are absolutely shocking and disgraceful,” he said. “The greatness of our democracy is that our nation is one of laws grounded in the strength of our Constitution. Our democratic institutions were built through the brains, blood, sweat, and tears of our founders and those that have carried the American dream forward by holding firm to those institutions and acting through peaceful democratic means. Attacking the institutions of our democracy is not patriotic, it is un-American.”

State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said he was horrified by what he saw on the news.

“The scene that I watched on the news this afternoon of the protests in our nation’s Capitol is absolutely horrifying,” he said. “It’s un-American and unacceptable. While I firmly believe in our first amendment rights, the violence that was brought into our house of government today is far beyond freedom of speech.”

Illinois Senate designate-Minority Leader Dan McConchie also condemned the violence in Washington D.C.

“The horrible violence at our nation’s Capitol is a disgrace to all Americans,” McConchie said. “This violence does not reflect the United States that generations of Americans have fought so hard to build. I stand with members of all parties in condemning these un-American acts of violence and treachery, and will do my part here in Illinois to repair the devastating divide that has been created in our country.”

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