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Sen. Portman says President Trump bears some responsibility for attack on U.S. Capitol

U.S. Senator Rob Portman called on President Trump to urge his supporters to stay peaceful today in a statement on last week’s attack on the Capitol, threats of additional violence in the coming days and the need to ensure an orderly transition of power.

“Today, I call on President Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to remain peaceful and refrain from violence. If our nation experiences additional violence and destruction at the hands of his supporters in Washington DC and state capitols around the country, and he does not directly and unambiguously speak out now when threats are known, he will bear responsibility,” Portman said.

Portman called the attack an “attack on democracy itself” and said offenders must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He also noted that the President’s words before and after the attack bear responsibility for what happened on Jan. 6, as well as for the rise in threats of violence federal investigators are receiving. Most threats are concerning the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

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“Both in his words before the attack on the Capitol and in his actions afterward, President Trump bears some responsibility for what happened on January 6. We are now hearing from the FBI and others about the threat of additional violence in Washington, DC and at state capitols around the country between now and President-Elect Biden’s inauguration on January 20. These reports are deeply concerning. Violence is never the answer, and we must take all threats seriously. The orderly and peaceful transfer of power on January 20 is a hallmark of our democracy,” Portman said.

The Ohio Senator concluded his statement by calling for Americans to unite in hopes to heal the nation.

“Now is the time to work together to heal our country. My hope is that the tragic attack on the Capitol on January 6 can serve to unite us rather than divide us further. We need to come together to face enormous challenges, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine distribution, the worsening drug addiction epidemic, and the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. I look forward to working with the Biden administration and my colleagues to address these and many other priorities on behalf of Ohio and our nation,” Portman said.



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