GOP Lawmakers Condemn Post-Rally Violence in DC, Call on Trump to Act

GOP Lawmakers Condemn Post-Rally Violence in DC, Call on Trump to Act
A man dressed in black tries to take a Trump 2020 flag from an elderly President Donald Trump supporter in Washington on Nov. 14, 2020. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Zachary Stieber
Updated:

Republican lawmakers condemned the violence that transpired after a pro-President Donald Trump rally in Washington on Nov. 14. while calling on the president to take action.

After an estimated crowd of hundreds of thousands of people gathered to protest alleged election fraud, anti-Trump demonstrators attacked small groups of supporters and individuals as the rally-goers dispersed. A much smaller number of Trump supporters also engaged in violence, according to reporters on the ground.

Members of Congress condemned the violence.

“The reports, videos, and images of assaults and potentially life-threatening altercations against supporters of President Trump is the furthest thing from unity and healing,” Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wrote on Twitter: “In the light of day, tremendous crowds of Americans peacefully rallied in Washington in support of [Trump]. Then in the cover of darkness, dozens of Antifa thugs launched violent attacks in the streets. Conservatives will not be intimidated by cowards!”

Antifa is a far-left, anarcho-communist network. Members of Antifa were responsible for some of the violence, according to reporters on the ground.

“Democrats and their cowardly media puppets have refused all year to condemn the violence and riots. Now, cities are boarded up, not out of fear of conservatives but out of fear of the radical left,” Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) wrote in a tweet.

A supporter of President Donald Trump is attacked by a group that chanted "Black Lives Matter," in Washington on Nov. 14, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
A supporter of President Donald Trump is attacked by a group that chanted "Black Lives Matter," in Washington on Nov. 14, 2020. Hannah McKay/Reuters

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) shared on social media a photo of Black Lives Matter activists throwing liquid and fireworks at people dining outside. “The unchecked leftwing violence in the streets of DC is a direct consequence of its Democrat mayor’s ideologically-driven refusal to enforce the law. DC statehood would be a disaster for our country,” he wrote.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, hasn’t publicly commented and her office hasn’t released a statement. Bowser’s spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) wrote on Twitter: “Supporters of the President have every right to peacefully rally, just as his opponents. The physical violence we’re witnessing the past few hours in D.C. targeting his supporters is disgusting.”

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote on Twitter: “Last night [Trump’s] supporters were attacked and beaten by left wing mobs on the streets of DC. Where is the media outrage? Why aren’t Democrat leaders condemning it? Political violence has no place in America. I’ve seen its consequences firsthand.” Scalise suffered near-fatal injuries when a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opened fire on group of Republicans, wounding five people including two Capitol Police officers, a GOP staffer, and a lobbyist in 2017.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was among those seeking action from the president.

“Mr. President ... Send in the military to restore order,” he said.

A review of Twitter posts from all senators and representatives showed only two Democrats speaking about the rally. Neither addressed the violence.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) shared a video of rallygoers without masks, writing: “Thousands of shockingly stupid people at the ‘Million MAGA March’. (Notice it’s thousands?). ‘Would you like a side of Covid with that turkey?’”

He was referring to COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) also dismissed crowd-size estimates, writing, “Actual crowd estimates put the number of people at a few thousand, a bit more than the Juggalo March in 2017.”

Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
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