On ‘dark day in the history of our nation,’ Buchanan votes to certify Biden victory

Rep. Vern Buchanan joined other U.S. lawmakers in condemning the ongoing violence at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building in an attempt to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote in the presidential election.

Buchanan, who last month acknowledged that Joe Biden was president-elect while supporting Trump’s right to challenge the results of the Nov. 3 election, then voted to certify BIden’s Electoral College victory.

“What’s happening now in the U.S. Capitol is sickening and unacceptable,” Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, said in a public statement posted to his Twitter account. “Guns drawn inside the House chamber and reports of shots fired and one woman in critical condition make this a dark day in the history of our nation.”

In an email, Buchanan’s press secretary, Chloe Conboy, said, “Congressman Buchanan and his staff are all safe and off the capitol complex grounds. We are hoping for a swift and peaceful resolution. We will continue to pray for the woman that was shot inside the capitol and for the safety of our law enforcement officers.”

Unlike other lawmakers, Buchanan has opted not to publicly condemn Trump for inciting the violence with frequent, baseless claims that the presidential election was “stolen.” No such evidence has been successfully presented in court.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump also personally encouraged crowds of his supporters gathered in Washington D.C. to interrupt the certification process, McClatchy reported. The breach of the Capitol was labeled an “insurrection” by Republican Senator Mitt Romney and a coup by many watching the chaos unfold on TV and social media.

While Buchanan distanced himself from a Texas lawsuit that challenged the results of the election and was thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court in December, the congressman had hinted last week that he might support a Congressional challenge to the Electoral College certification process.

But after the Capitol was cleared of the pro-Trump mob and the House resumed its constitutional duty, Buchanan voted with the large majority of his colleagues to reject objections to Electoral College tallies that certified Biden’s victory.

Buchanan said Americans had good reason to worry about some of the election results. “But after witnessing the sad spectacle that occurred today, I voted to certify the results of the Electoral College because it’s time to move past this election,” Buchanan said in a statement posted on Twitter after he voted late Wednesday against an objection to accepting Arizona’s Electoral College votes.

Florida senators react to violence at U.S. Capitol

U.S. Senators from Florida Marco Rubio and Rick Scott also took to social media to condemn the violence in Washington D.C., though neither senator reprimanded President Trump for his involvement. However, Rubio did call for the president to intervene once the breach was underway.

“There is nothing patriotic about what is occurring on Capitol Hill,” Rubio wrote on Twitter around 3 p.m., just about the time that a person was reportedly shot inside of the Capitol. “This is 3rd world style anti-American anarchy.”

“Mr. President the men & women of law enforcement are under assault,” Rubio said in another Tweet minutes later. “It is crucial you help restore order by sending resources to assist the police and ask those doing this to stand down.”

It was announced around 3:30 p.m., hours after the assault began, that President Trump had directed the National Guard to assist at the Capitol.

“Everyone has a right to peacefully protest,” Scott wrote on Twitter. “No one has a right to commit violence. What happened today at the Capitol is disgraceful and un-American. It is not what our country stands for.”

Scott announced on Wednesday morning that he would likely join a number of other Republican senators in challenging the certification of election results from Pennsylvania, one of the state’s that secured president-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:20 PM.