IN, KY, OH Governors React To Events At U.S. Capitol Building

Despite all the madness, Congress reconvened overnight to affirm Joe Biden's win of the presidency.

A large group of pro-Trump protesters stand on the East steps of the Capitol Building after storming its grounds on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Shutterstock photo.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The governors of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky are speaking up after the events that occurred on Capitol Hill.

The Senate gathered on Wednesday to formalize the electoral college vote that would affirm Joe Biden as the president-elect. However, thousands of people, most of which were reported to be pro-Trump supporters, gathered at the National Mall and stormed the Capitol - causing members of Congress to flee from their proceedings. 

Guns were drawn on the House Floor, and crowds made their way into the Senate Chamber. 

USA Today reported Thursday that four people were killed during the incident. One person was reportedly shot and killed inside the Capitol, while three others died in separate medical emergencies. The outlet also reported that 14 Metropolitan Police Officers were injured, and more than 50 arrests have been made, so far. 

I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021

Members of Congress did return to the Capital late Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning, when Vice President Mike Pence certified Biden's win of the presidency. 

President Trump and other Republican leaders have continually called into question the legality of Biden's win, often using the term "fraudulent". 

Following the affirmation, those upset about the actions at the Capitol, including some in Congress, urged Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which gives the Vice President and the Cabinet the power to remove the President from office if the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. 

The 25th Amendment could also keep President Trump from ever running for public office again, if invoked.  

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb released the following statement:

“It’s both saddening and sickening to watch a mob devolve into thinking their rules would ever replace the rule of law. I unequivocally condemn the violence at the U.S. Capitol that we are now witnessing.  Passion, patriotism and love for our nation should always and only be expressed in constructive ways that seek to honor the ideals on which our nation was founded. Any means of violence runs counter to who we are and is never acceptable.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine took to Twitter to get his message out to all Ohioans:

"The situation at the U.S. Capitol is an embarrassment to our country. This must stop immediately. The President should call for the demonstrators to leave our Capitol Building. The final step in the constitutional process of electing our president has been disrupted. The stopping of the count of the Electoral College votes has occurred because the security of the U.S. Capitol has been breached by a violent mob. As a nation of laws, this is simply not acceptable. Lawlessness is not acceptable. This is an affront to our Constitution and everything we hold dear. Those who breached the Capitol breached the Constitution. Peaceful demonstrations outside the Capitol are an exercise of the demonstrators’ First Amendment rights. Stopping the constitutional process by which we elect the president is not."

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear echoed similar sentiments in a video message. 

A statement from Gov. Beshear on the events unfolding at the United States Capitol: pic.twitter.com/C4mDMluauu

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) January 6, 2021

Pro-Trump protested were also reported at statehouses in Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, and New Mexico on Wednesday. Washington D.C. has extended the city's public emergency 15 days to help ensure a peaceful Inauguration Day. 

Joe Biden will be inaugurated on Wednesday, January 20. 

Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile. To preserve it requires people of good will, leaders with the courage to stand up, who are devoted not to pursuit of power and personal interest at any cost, but to the common good.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 7, 2021