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Most NC GOP Leaders Condemn Violent Extremists But Are Silent On Trump

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Members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are weighing in on pro-Trump extremists who have stormed the Capitol in Washington.

Mecklenburg Democratic Rep. Alma Adams released a statement saying that she and her staff are safe.

“Right now, the safety of our staff and colleagues is my number one priority,” she said. “As soon as the situation at the Capitol passes, I stand ready to do my constitutional duty, certify the vote, and return to the business of working for the people.”

Adams is one of five Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation. All supported certifying former Vice President Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.

Among the state’s eight Republicans, most said they were planning to protest Biden’s victory.

Ted Budd in the 13th District has often said he believed the November election wasn’t fair, and he posted a video on Twitter Wednesday of himself signing a protest to certifying electoral votes from six states.

He later posted that he had been evacuated and is safe. He wrote that “violence is not acceptable & protesters should disperse peacefully immediately.”

Mecklenburg Republican Rep. Dan Bishop represents the 9th District and has said the election was rigged. He also planned to object to certification.

He posted on Twitter that the violence is “always unacceptable and must stop now.”

He also retweeted a post from Texas Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, who suggested in a post that some of the violence was due to left-wing extremists.

While Bishop and Budd condemned the violence, they did not criticize President Trump's role in encouraging it. The president in a taped message Wednesday again said the election was stolen.

Republican Patrick McHenry, who represents the 10th District that covers Lincoln and Iredell counties, also condemned the violent extremists. He did not support the Texas lawsuit last month and had not said whether he would object to certification Wednesday.

North Carolina’s two Republican senators – Richard Burr and Thom Tillis – had said they would not object to certification.

Tillis, who won re-election in November, wrote “Although I certainly wish the results were different, Congress cannot change them without inflicting irreparable damage to our Constitutional Republic. I will not oppose the certification of the Electoral College votes, and I will not embolden politicians in the future to appoint our presidents instead of having the American people duly elect them.”

When commenting on the extremists he wrote, “I proudly back the blue and support law and order, which is why I condemned the violence that took place in cities across the nation this summer. It's a national disgrace to have a mob attacking Capitol Police and engaging in anarchy. This is not what America stands for.”

Burr is not running for re-election. He told Kevin Frey of Spectrum News that Trump "bears responsibility for today’s events by promoting the unfounded conspiracy theories that have led to this point. It is past time to accept the will of American voters and to allow our nation to move forward."

Former Republican Rep. Mark Walker is running for the North Carolina Senate seat in 2022. He supported a baseless lawsuit by the Texas attorney general last year that sought to overturn the results in some states.

He posted Wednesday that the Capitol “was attacked.”

Democrats G.K. Butterfield (4th District) and Kathy Manning (6th District) also posted that they are OK.

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Steve Harrison is WFAE's politics and government reporter. Prior to joining WFAE, Steve worked at the Charlotte Observer, where he started on the business desk, then covered politics extensively as the Observer’s lead city government reporter. Steve also spent 10 years with the Miami Herald. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.