Sen. Orriin Hatch during the confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh. Sept. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
SALT LAKE CITY — As President Donald Trump called on his supporters who burst into the U.S. Capitol by breaking windows to enter the building to “go home,” Utah politicians reacted on KSL NewsRadio and on social media to the violence in Washington.
“I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. We had a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace,” President Trump said standing outside the White House Wednesday afternoon during the video posted on Twitter.
Gov. Spencer Cox, just in office for three days, issued a video statement in which he said, “We are better than this in America.”
Attorney General Sean Reyes, who traveled to Arizona to assist with challenges to the election outcome in that state, also responded to the upheaval on social media, calling the violence unacceptable.
Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, joined KSL NewsRadio’s Jeff Caplan live from Washington to describe what was happening at the US Capitol and his opinion on the protesters inciting violence and storming the building.
“I view this, personally, as an act of domestic violence and terrorism, and I think we all have to condemn this,” said Curtis. “And in the strictest of terms, this is not acceptable. This is not who we are as a country. We are better than this.”
Due to congressional members sheltering in place, Curtis was unable to disclose his location in Washington for security reasons. He said he was “close in proximity” to the Capitol.
However, Curtis said he couldn’t believe occupiers broke into a secure building.
“What we saw unfold before our eyes was something I would have said could never happen,” explained Curtis. “They broke into the Capitol, which I thought could never happen, the layers of security that we have here.”
The congressman did report he and his staff were safe.
Newly elected Republican Rep. Blake Moore of Utah’s 1st congressional district tweeted:
And newly elected Republican Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah’s 4th congressional district:
Former Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch reacted to the roiling violence at the U.S. Capitol.
“Without any pause, caveat, or equivocation, I condemn the riots taking place at the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol symbolizes the beating heart of American democracy. It’s where we convene in the spirit of civility and compromise to hash out our greatest differences and move legislation forward. The lawless incursion on our Capitol is both a physical and spiritual attack on an institution I love — an institution I spent more than four decades protecting.
“Enough is enough. Our institutions are undergoing a stress test that they can only survive if our elected officials show unity in this critical moment. We are a nation of laws, not individuals—and the foremost responsibility of every member of Congress is to uphold our Constitution and the integrity of the democratic process.” Hatch announced Wednesday afternoon in a press release.
Former Republican Utah Rep. Mia Love shared her reaction to the rioting on Twitter:
The Utah Republican Party reacted to the unfolding violence:
“A hallmark of our democratic republic is the peaceful transition of power. What occurred today as Congress convened to count the electoral votes submitted by the states from the 2020 election is unacceptable. The Utah Republican Party condemns this intrusion into our electoral process. Our Constitution protects the right to peacefully protest, and to engage in vigorous debates over politics and ideas, but violence or destruction in any form are an affront to who we are as Americans.”
Also, United Utah Party Chairwoman Hillary Stirling also condemned the violence:
“I am watching in disbelief, along with the rest of the nation and the world, the unfolding riots in the U.S. Capitol. This is not what upholding the Constitution looks like. These are not the actions of patriots.
“The United Utah Party unequivocally condemns those who would use violence to impose their will on our nation. Our members of Congress were in the process of fulfilling their constitutional duty, and they have been thwarted by the unlawful acts of these extremists. Laws have been violated, property has been damaged, lives have potentially been endangered, and the peace has been broken. Riot is riot and is unacceptable, no matter who is rioting.”