Elected officials from Madison to Milwaukee react to failed rebellion by Republican extremists

Violent pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, breaching the center of American government for the first time in 200 years since the it was attacked by the British during the War of 1812.

Citizens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Nation reacted in horror to photos and videos of White Supremacist supporters of Trump, as they disobeyed the rule of law and tried to overturn the 2020 election with acts of brutality. The following statements were issued by local and state officials on January 6, in reaction to the failed coup in Washington DC and attempt to stop Congress from certifying the Presidential election:

“As are so many Wisconsinites and Americans, I am watching these horrifying events unfold in Washington, D.C. in disbelief. The peaceful transfer of power is at the very heart of our government and our country. This is an attack on our democracy. Period. There must be swift, bipartisan condemnation in no uncertain terms–by the president, by elected officials who’ve sought to sow division and distrust in our election, by elected officials who’ve failed to unequivocally denounce these efforts, all of which fed into today’s events. We must be united in calling on these individuals to leave the U.S. Capitol and grounds immediately and peacefully. I’m praying for the safety of the elected officials, staffers, members of the press, and first responders, and for the speedy recovery of those injured.” – Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers

“It’s difficult to believe what we’re seeing take place at the U.S. Capitol: a fascist riot incited by a lame-duck President desperately and illegitimately trying to cling to power based on absurd lies about the election that amount to voter fraud McCarthyism. Those responsible must be held accountable for what appears to be a seditious conspiracy under federal law. Once Congress has fulfilled its duty of certifying the results of the presidential election, it should immediately begin proceedings to remove the President from office. Every day he remains in office is a threat to the republic.” – Wisconsin Attorney General Kaul

“As many of you know, I served in Congress from 1993-2003. As I watched the events unfold on television yesterday afternoon, the flashback I had was to September 11, 2001. That came to mind because it was a day at the Capitol where there was a lot of strife and anxiety. I remember thinking how great it was that the leadership in our country had come together on a bipartisan basis because we knew we had a common enemy. We worked together as patriots. Watching the events yesterday was angering and sad because I have the same feeling that there is an attack going on against our country and, more specifically, our democracy. It is time to stop playing games. It is time to stop playing politics. It is time to move on with what we need to do in this country, which is to come together as a people and honor our institutions of democracy.” – Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett

“If anyone needs to see the double standard in America surrounding white privilege and race, just look at the scores of protesters who broke into the United States Capitol and stopped the certification of a duly elected president based on lies fed to them by Donald Trump and his enablers in Congress. The President has dangerously morphed the Republican Party, fractured the sense of reality of many citizens, and threatened the fabric of America. If these people were Black or any other minority group and at the Capitol for any other reason, the President would have called them dangerous and lawless thugs who deserve to be roughed up by law enforcement. This isn’t democracy — this is a vanity coup attempt all to stroke the ego of one man who should have never been entrusted with the most powerful position in America, and the world, because he showed us who he was on the day that he came down that escalator — and years before that even. Democracy can be fragile. The people who broke into The People’s House are putting that on display.” – Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson

“It is a sad and dark day for our country when more than 100 House members, a dozen Senators, and the President of the United States incite domestic terrorism and attempt to delay or disrupt the peaceful transfer of power of the presidency. For weeks, the President has made false claims disputing the outcome of the election and encouraging the conspiracy theories of fringe, violent, Trump extremists who vowed to challenge the result of the November elections. The dangerous and violent scenes that continue to play out in our nation’s capital could have been prevented, instead they were enabled by the very people who took an oath to defend the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Today’s events are a humiliating day for this country, but it was weeks in the making as the President encouraged the overturn of a democratic election. This is nothing short of an attack on American Democracy and the rule of law, an attack that must be brought to an end immediately. Congress must be allowed to complete a peaceful transfer of power and get back to the working on behalf of the American people.” – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley

“This is one of the darkest hours of our great democracy and President Trump and his enablers should be ashamed of their efforts to incite mob violence and encourage armed individuals to storm the Capitol and threaten the lives of members of the House, the Senate, and their staff. The actions of the right-wing mob today in Washington, D.C. are nothing less than domestic terrorism, but the failure of the police to control the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol stands in stark contrast to the extreme violence and repression of Black Lives Matter protestors and others who have marched and peacefully demonstrated against police violence across the country this past summer. Those who threaten lawmakers with violence because they don’t like the outcome of an election are not patriots and they aren’t protesting in the name of our shared values like freedom and equal opportunity, rather, they are insurrectionary, anti-American thugs seeking to prop up the authoritarian, anti-democratic rule of a lawless president who is incapable of respecting our Constitution. President Trump and others who incited today’s violence must be held criminally accountable for their role in today’s attack on our nation and we need to investigate why D.C. and Capitol police failed to prevent the assault on the U.S. Capitol building. Every American should be alarmed that police around the country seem impotent when it comes to controlling protests of violent, racist, right-wing mobs, but appear eager to violently repress peaceful protests in the name of justice for Black lives. Every individual who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol needs to be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law, and every lawmaker who incited and encouraged armed individuals to come to the Capitol should be censured by Congress and voted out of office.” – Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson

“There is nothing else to call the disgraceful acts committed at the Capitol today than a coup attempt. We must also be clear that President Trump is directly responsible for this violent act of insurrection. Trump’s egregious lies and debunked conspiracy theorizing around election fraud has incited a group of his supporters to storm the Capitol causing massive destruction and violence, and most importantly, threatening the peaceful transition of power that is central to our democracy. Today is the saddest moment for American democracy since the Civil War. The United States Congress was in the process of performing its constitutionally delegated duty of reporting the results of the November election when a mob, inspired by the president, stormed the Capitol building and tried to overturn the will of the American voters. We call upon every office holder and law enforcement member to protect the Constitution and restore the rule of law. Congress should act swiftly to impeach the President for a second time, and this time he should be removed from office. The cabinet should also move forward with invoking the 25th Amendment, as it is clear this President does not have the ability to lead our country. This is domestic terrorism. The contrast is striking between the amount of leeway this mob has been given compared to the marchers we have seen met with the National Guard and police brutality in the streets of Kenosha and Wauwatosa. Neither of these is justice. People on TV are saying this is a surprise and that ‘this is not America,’ but we are not surprised—this is America right now. This is the predictable outcome of electing federal and state officials who never meet in the middle, never listen to each other and always hate their enemy. We need to start hearing each other and getting along better. Donald J. Trump, the man who weaponized all of this division, should be ashamed—and so should all of the federal and state leaders who allowed his poisonous divisiveness to tear the country we love apart.” – Milwaukee County Supervisors Ryan Clancy, Joseph J. Czarnezki, Jason Haas, Willie Johnson, Jr., Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, Shawn Rolland, Steven Shea, Liz Sumner, and Sheldon A. Wasserman

“Today, as our democracy was exercising its authority to certify the 2020 Presidential election results, individuals stormed the United States Capitol Building, causing a halt to the Electoral College certification process. Law enforcement quickly evacuated the members of Congress and the people inside the Capitol to safety. Several law enforcement agencies in the Washington D.C. area are assisting in restoring calm in our nation’s capital so that the democratic process of a peaceful transition of power can take place. Closer to home, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has been in communication with our Federal, state and local law enforcement partners to ensure against a breach of the peace in Milwaukee County. The MCSO has not received any credible threat or information to believe that there is a threat to the tranquility and safety of our area. The MCSO will continue to communicate with our law enforcement partners and monitor multiple sources to ensure the safety of our people and institutions. For almost two hundred and fifty years, our democracy has stood as a bright, shining ‘city on a hill’ as once echoed by former President Ronald Reagan. It has stood against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and has withstood disasters, pandemics and economic calamities. Our country will withstand this challenge to our democracy and continue to be the country whose resolve and resilience are the envy of the world.” – Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas

“We have watched as Black Lives Matter protesters fighting for the right to live were met with the National Guard, armored vehicles, tear gas, rubber bullets, and the full force of local police departments. But today, a mob of Trump supporters attempting to kill our democracy were allowed to take the United States Capitol building and mill about on the Senate Floor. This is an attempted coup, fueled by a delusional President who believes that his own ego is more important than the fabric of our nation. And every single Republican politician who has entertained the President’s claims of a ‘stolen’ election is complicit in this travesty. Myself and other Democrats have found ourselves asked regularly by Republicans to condemn any and every Black Lives Matter protest that has turned violent – it’s time for those Republicans to go on the record and let the world know what they think of their very own base, incited by Pres. Trump, attacking and injuring law enforcement, destroying federal property, and inciting violence in the very halls of our democracy. This is rebellion, this is treason, this is domestic terrorism, and it cannot stand.” – State Representative David Bowen

“What is occurring in Washington, D.C. today is nothing short of treason. At the urging of Donald Trump through lies and baseless accusations, a mob of his supporters gathered and stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. For a brief period of time, they succeeded. The President and elected Republicans like Senator Ron Johnson who have continued to spread lies about the election in an effort to stir up anger bear personal responsibility for today’s events. They have proven themselves unfit to serve. They laid the fuse and lit the match right along with Donald Trump. They don’t get to walk away when the powder keg blows. Congress cannot be deterred by terrorists and must finish their business as soon as possible. President Trump will be out of office on January 20th, if he’s not impeached and removed sooner. Ron Johnson and those who echoed his lies to lead to this moment should resign immediately. In the end, the will of the American people, who elected a new leader this November, will prevail. Sadly, it will take years to fully undo the damage that has been done to our democracy.” – State Senator Chris Larson

“Democracy will prevail. Today’s violence at the United States Capitol is an attack on our democracy, but our democracy will prevail. I condemn the violence in all forms, including dangerous rhetoric escalating toward violence. It has been, and remains, the job of elected officials to behave in ways that perpetuate, not hinder, democracy, and we need leaders on all sides of the aisle to join together right now in one voice. We can have confidence in the election. It was free, fair, and transparent. Voters – not political parties, candidates, or legislative committees, or armed protestors storming government buildings – decide our elections. No evidence has been provided that would suggest that the election results are fraudulent. And this armed insurrection should be condemned at every level, from every elected official, of every political party. We the People, of the United States of America, are united by a shared future. We are committed to a peaceful transition of power. Democracy will prevail.” – State Representative Robyn Vining