Friends–
January 6, 2021 is another date that will live in infamy.
On Wednesday, the nation, and the world, witnessed a lawless mob overtake the U.S. Capitol in a forceful attempt to circumvent democracy. This was a violently attempted coup, encouraged by Donald Trump himself. We are glad these insurrectionists failed, and the lawful process of electing our next President by counting the Electoral College votes prevailed.
The Lancaster County Democratic Committee condemns the actions of these insurrectionists, and the words and actions of those who have encouraged them.
Even before Election Day, Trump and his allies relentlessly sowed doubt in the results with lies about election fraud, and baseless claims of a stolen election. They filed lawsuit after lawsuit in state courts, and even the U.S. Supreme Court, losing time after time. Republicans in both the U.S. House and the Senate became accomplices in this scam when they announced that they would challenge the Electoral College votes in several states, including Pennsylvania. Our own Representative, Lloyd Smucker, was one of them.
Trump touted these lies at rallies and on his social media feeds. His followers hung onto every word, so when Trump told them that he would walk with them down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol, and Rudy Giuliani told them to settle the election by “trial by combat,” those followers obliged.
We must not forget the Republicans’ role in this travesty. Especially Rep. Lloyd Smucker’s.
What can we do in response? We need to call upon our elected officials to move quickly to remove Trump office and to make sure he cannot ever serve in office again.
We need to remind Lloyd Smucker that he took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We need to remember his failure to uphold that oath and vote him out in 2022.
January 6, 2021 was a dark day for our country, but we will never forget that, once again, democracy prevailed.
In solidarity,
Diane Topakian
Chair
Lancaster County Democratic Committee
