TEXAS – As a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory on Wednesday, Texas GOP leaders denounced the use of violence, even after some spent weeks trying to avoid offending diehard supporters of President Donald Trump.
Around 3 p.m. CST, after about two hours of chaos in the nation’s capital, Gov. Greg Abbott spoke out, calling for the agitators in Washington to stop violence and obey orders from U.S. Capitol police.
Trump protesters protest outside the Texas State Capitol on Congress Ave, in Austin, Texas on…
“Peaceful protest is a core tenet of the U.S. Constitution,” Abbott said in a written statement. “Violence and mayhem are not. The violence and mayhem must stop.”
The Republican governor continued, “America is founded on the rule of law, and the law enforcement officers working to restore order at the U.S. Capitol must be heeded.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump’s top supporter in Texas, linked Wednesday’s disturbances in Washington to urban unrest that erupted after George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May.
“Those who burned down our cities last year and those who stormed the U.S. Capitol today do not represent the people of this country,” Patrick said in a written statement. “We can disagree loudly and protest peacefully but the behavior we’ve seen today and in the last year can never be acceptable to any American.”
For months, Trump has said without evidence the Nov. 3 election was stolen from him and encouraged his supporters to pressure elected officials to “stop the steal” — a chant repeated by his supporters at rallies across the country on Wednesday.
In Austin, presumptive House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who is expected soon to join Abbott and Patrick in the “Big 3” at the statehouse in Austin, exhibited distress similar to, if not more outspoken, than Abbott’s.
“What is happening today at the U.S. Capitol is not the act of patriots. It is disgraceful,” Phelan, who is expected to be elected the Texas House’s helmsman when the Legislature convenes on Tuesday, said in a written statement.
“The Bill of Rights guarantees the right to assemble peacefully,” he said. “It does not condone violence, the destruction of property, or trespassing to disrupt proceedings outlined in the U.S. Constitution.”
Earlier Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Paxton and his wife Angela, a GOP state senator, appeared at the pro-Trump rally in Washington. He appeared on the same stage as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who told those assembled, “Let’s have a trial by fire.”
Referring to his own unsuccessful lawsuit trying to overturn the election results, Paxton told rally attendees, “It is so awesome to be here. I want you to know that Texas fights. We fought.”
“What we have in President Trump is a fighter. And I think that’s why we’re all here. We believe in what he’s accomplished over the last four years. Because we’re here today, the message goes on. We will not quit fighting.”
Paxton later tweeted criticism of the disorder at the U.S. Capitol, saying while he’s “sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election,” he doesn’t “believe violence is the answer.”
Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, also tweeted, “Peaceful protest is part of every American citizen’s birthright. Violence is not.”
