As pro-Trump extremists began to recede from the U.S. Capitol late Wednesday afternoon after overrunning the building, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., called on President Donald Trump to be removed from office.
Trump is directly responsible for this insurrection and violence. He needs to be removed from office immediately. It is the Constitutional responsibility of Vice President Pence and the cabinet to exercise the power granted them by the 25th amendment.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) January 6, 2021
Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley echoed the call for Trump's impeachment as soon as Congress reconvenes, calling Wednesday's actions "dangerous & unacceptable."
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called on Congress to immediately confirm the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, once the Capitol is secure.
"This is how we respond to this assault on our democracy," Markey tweeted. "By reaffirming it. Democracy will prevail."
Several other House Democrats joined Pressley and Moulton in calling for Trump's impeachment Wednesday.
In the tense and chaotic moments after the breach, Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern tweeted: “I am currently in the House Chamber presiding in the chair. The doors to the chamber have been locked because protesters have breached security. We will not be intimidated.”
McGovern later tweeted that he was in a safe location. "America's democracy will never be deterred." McGovern said. "Not today. Not ever."
Meanwhile, members of the House and Senate scrambled to safety as weapons were drawn in the Capitol.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was safe, a spokesperson confirmed to GBH News. A spokesperson for Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., told GBH News on Wedesday afternoon that the congresswoman was “sheltering in place.”
"This dark moment is the culmination of everything Trump has been promoting," Clark tweeted. "Praying for an end of the violence and safety for everyone, and the preservation of our democracy. This must stop."
Pressley's chief of staff, Sarah Groh, confirmed to GBH News that she and the congresswoman were safe.
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass, confirmed that she and her staff we safe via Twitter, as did Massachusetts Democrats Rep. Richard Neal and Rep. Bill Keating.
"What's going on right now at the US Capitol is not what Republicanism is about," the Massachusetts Republican Party tweeted. "We are the party of law and order. Those individuals rioting and storming the halls of Congress must be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also took to Twitter to condemn the violence. "The chaos now unfolding is the sad but predictable outcome of weeks of attacks perpetrated by President Trump and his supporters against the democratic process that makes America the greatest nation on earth," Baker said. "These baseless challenges to President-elect Biden’s victory must stop."
Trump asked those at the Capitol to "remain peaceful" in a tweet after some of his supporters stormed the building. "No violence!" the president tweeted. "Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
Earlier, before as joint session of Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win today, Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Ed Markey offered a harsh assessment of House and Senate Republicans who hope to derail the process — while also saying their attempt is certain to fail.
“The notion that there was any meaningful voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election is a dangerous, anti-democratic, treasonous fiction, “ Markey said. “We will debate those treasonous fictions today, and the House and Senate will reject, overwhelmingly, those proposals.”
“There will be a group of Republicans in the House and the Senate who will make these allegations of voter fraud,” he added. “But … they’ve been rejected by sixty lawsuits across the country, heard by ninety judges, including Trump judicial appointees.
“Not one of those lawsuits has succeeded. Not one. And I believe that ultimately, there will be a bipartisan rejection of the attempt to overturn this election based on fraudulent allegations.”
Asked how long the certification process would take, Markey said he was prepared to stay at the Capitol overnight.
“I have no idea how long it will take for Republicans to realize that they are going to lose every single vote in the House and Senate, so it’s up to them,” he said. “But if they are committed to fighting this to the last votes in the last states that they want to contest, then I’m willing to stay here as long as is necessary. Because this must be an absolute, historical defining moment where this kind of treasonous behavior is rejected overwhelmingly.”
Saraya Wintersmith contributed to this story. This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.
