Pro-Trump protestors turned violent as they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. | stock photo
Pro-Trump protestors turned violent as they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. | stock photo
The recent protest-turned-riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. have led those on both ends of the political spectrum to speak out against President Donald Trump’s continued assertion that the November election was stolen through fraud, demanding that Trump and his supporters take responsibility for a peaceful transition of power.
Calling the protests an “assault on our republic,” Tony Daunt, Michigan Freedom Fund executive director, said that Trump and fellow Republicans who have supported his rhetoric “bear an outsized responsibility today to de-escalate the violence” in a statement on Michigan Freedom Fund's website.
The statement from the Michigan Freedom Fund, self-described as “committed to the principles of limited government, transparency in government and the freedoms found in the Constitution,” called for Trump and fellow Republicans who have claimed election fraud to speak out against continued opposition to former Vice President Joe Biden’s election as president.
“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by President Trump’s supporters is heartbreaking and it is criminal,” Daunt said, according to the Michigan Freedom Fund. “The Michigan Freedom Fund strongly supports the work of law enforcement and the National Guard to reclaim the seat of government from this lawless mob.”
U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) was in the Capitol Building during the demonstrations, according to Bridge Michigan.
"I've experienced a lot of tear gas," Levin told Bridge Michigan. "But I did not expect as a member of Congress to have people try to violently interrupt the workings of our democracy. It's a super sad day.”
U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Grand Rapids) took to Twitter to condemn the continued opposition to the November election results, demanding that Trump acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect.
“Unacceptable. Enough,” Meijer posted to Twitter. “Acknowledge Biden as President-Elect and end this madness. Violent rioters laid siege to the nation’s Capitol in an act of insurrection unparalleled in modern times. This is not leadership.”
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