Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Congressman Tom Reed says Wednesday's Capitol insurrection was one of the most disheartening moments of his life. Reed says the act was not American. He notes invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump is not a wise idea.
Reed says it was troublesome for him as well as Americans to witness what happened. "Every American shared the same reaction. One of fear, one of sadness, one of disappointment, and where do we go from here," says Reed. "What happened was not American. That was not democracy. That was not what our US Constitution and our founding fathers and generations who fought to keep us free put together in regards to the United States of America."
Reed says now is the time for Americans to come together and be united in solving the problems facing us together and commit to democracy. "We need to show the mob rule they will not win," urges Reed. "What will win is democracy, that's why we finished the transition of power by the certification of our electors. On January 20th, we will have Joe Biden sworn in as president for the next four years."
Reed has high praise for Capitol Police. "I applaud them because they did not raise to a lethal level of force," explains Reed. "Some of my colleagues say why didn't they take everybody out? I'm like, could you imagine the symbol that would have represented if we head thousands of people injured or killed on the steps of the Capitol around the world?" Reed says adversaries like China and Russia would take it and run with the message that America is a lawless society that can't be the beacon of freedom for the world. Reed adds considering the numbers police were up against, it was some of the best law enforcement he has seen. "Given the response once they were engaged, the situation was dissipated and we returned to democracy in 12 hours," notes Reed. Reed says those who breached the Capitol must be held accountable.
As for calls to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office, Reed says it won't be necessary, noting Trump's tweet he will commit to an orderly transition of power. "To me, that's a positive sign we will go through the next 13 days in a positive manner," believes Reed. "There are mechanisms in place to make sure those protocols are followed, and I'm confident we'll get through the next 13 days in a safe and secure fashion." Reed cautions colleagues looking for an instant headline because they want to something they already did something by certifying the election of Joe Biden.
