NORTHAMPTON — As a destructive mob roamed the halls of the Capitol building Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal holed up in Room H-208 alongside other members of Congress and staff, with a heavy desk blocking the door.
“They were pounding at the door, pushing at the door,” Neal, D-Springfield, said a day later.
The protesters who invaded the Capitol, opposed to the election of Joe Biden to the presidency, and their overrunning of the building, caused a delay in the certification of his Electoral College win until the early hours of Thursday morning.
Neal put blame for what happened squarely at the feet of President Donald Trump, who has been falsely claiming that he won the 2020 presidential election.
“He clearly incited that mob yesterday with his incendiary comments,” Neal said.
Neal also said that he supports invoking the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump from office.
The 25th amendment allows for the Vice President to step into the presidency if the vice president and a majority of the presidential cabinet determine that the president is unable to discharge his duties.
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, chose not to mince words when describing Wednesday’s events.
“A group of domestic terrorists came into the Capitol, which is a citadel of democracy, and desecrated this place,” he said. “They tried to instigate a coup at the request of Donald Trump.”
McGovern also called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked.
“If not that, then we should bring another impeachment resolution to the floor,” he said.
McGovern said the president could incite more violence or even start a war. But he also noted that Biden’s election had been certified.
“The cowards and the domestic terrorists lost,” he said.
During the Capitol building takeover, McGovern was asked to preside over the House of Representatives, following the evacuation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He and others in the House chambers were eventually escorted out, with each member being instructed to grab a tear gas mask.
As he was leaving the chambers, McGovern said he saw the Confederate flag amid the crowd.
“It made me sick to my stomach,” said McGovern, of seeing that flag flying in the Capitol.
Neal said that prior to the invasion he was on the phone with the secretary of state for Northern Ireland. As he was talking to him, however, his staff passed him notes about the situation. And when he got off, the mob was there.
“As I went to the window, there they were,” he said. “They were literally pounding on the window.”
The congressman and others eventually escaped through tear gas under police escort. When he returned later, he found that the window he’d been looking through had been smashed.
Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle was one of the electors from Massachusetts who cast a vote for Joe Biden last month in the Electoral College, a vote that Congress eventually accepted after the crisis was under control.
“I am horrified that I actually had to wait with bated breath to see if my vote would be accepted,” LaChapelle said.
She also expressed amazement at the Capitol being overrun.
“This is a really bad B action flick,” she said. “Where is Steven Seagal?”
As for Trump, LaChapelle said: “He is purposefully undermining our country.”
Thursday’s calls for removing Trump from office also came from Brian Boyd and Evan Ross, co-chairmen of the Amherst Democratic Town Committee, who described the previous day’s event as an insurrection the president incited that attempted to thwart democracy.
“He poses a threat to the peaceful transfer of power, and should be removed immediately either through impeachment or the 25th Amendment,” they wrote in a statement.
“We’re relieved that our representatives are safe, and we’re grateful that they were able to resume and fulfill their duty to confirm the electoral victory of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, demonstrating the resiliency of an institution threatened by mob rule,” Boyd and Ross wrote. “At the same time, it’s disturbing that even after the disgraceful actions of Trump supporters a majority of House Republicans and several senators still voted in favor of an unsuccessful attempt to disregard the will of the voters.”
The Amherst League of Women Voters joined chapters across the country in issuing a statement referring to Wednesday’s event as domestic terrorism, asking Trump to concede the election, and for members of Congress to respect the certification process, condemn the actions of the terrorists, and support a peaceful inauguration on Jan. 20.
“The actions by these terrorists have no impact on the results of the election. This violent mob was encouraged by an outgoing president who lost re-election in a free and fair election,” the League said in its statement.
The League went on to add, “Donald Trump has emboldened and empowered violent agitators, perpetuated dangerous conspiracy theories, and dishonored the office of the President. Furthermore, the members of Congress who continuously lie to the American people about the proven legitimacy of this election are also responsible for today’s horrific events. There is blood on their hands.”
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.
