Wyoming Delegation, Governor Condemn Violent Protests in Washington, D.C.

Wyoming's Republican congressional delegation and Gov. Mark Gordon condemned the protests in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday that resulted in pro-President Donald Trump forces storming the Capitol.

The assault forced lawmakers into hiding while they were beginning to certify the constitutionally mandated and usually quiet counting of the Electoral College results, in which Democratic President-elect Joe Biden defeated Trump, 306-232.

The violent protests were a stunning attempt to undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Biden from replacing Trump in the White House.

The National Guard and state and federal police were called in for control, and the mayor of Washington imposed a rare evening curfew. One person was reported to have been shot.

The Wyoming delegation -- Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, and Rep. Liz Cheney -- were among the lawmakers who went into hiding and along with Biden called for an end to the violence.

Barrasso sent this tweet: "This violence and destruction have no place in our republic. It must end now."

Cheney wrote this: "Today's events at the Capitol were heartbreaking. We have deep political differences in this country, but we don't resolve them with mob violence. Our Republic has survived for more than 240 years out of a fidelity to the Constitution and a recognition of the peaceful transfer of power. My colleagues in Congress and I are resilient and we have a bipartisan commitment to protecting and defending the rule of law. We will uphold our Oath and stand up for the principles that have made our country the greatest and most exceptional nation in the history of mankind."

Lummis is among a dozen Senators who announced they would challenge election results from some states.

Barrasso declined to join those senators.

Cheney was more blunt in a Facebook post on Monday: "Objecting to these electoral slates would unavoidably assert that Congress has the authority to overturn elections and overrule state and federal courts. That would set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states’ explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the President and bestowing it instead on Congress. This is directly at odds with the Constitution’s clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans."

Gov. Mark Gordon issued this statement:

"The United States of America is resilient. It has weathered many storms because of our form of government and our remarkable Constitution. The violence that we are witnessing in the U.S. Capitol dishonors our legacy and denigrates the “Shining City on the Hill” Ronald Reagan spoke of. Interfering with the peaceful transfer of power is an affront to the very Constitution that has made our country what it is. I believe America will not – cannot – stand for this assault on our democracy. I am heartbroken.

"I encourage the entire country to follow the example that we have demonstrated here in Wyoming, a proper and peaceful expression of dissent – the cornerstone of free speech."