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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko issued the following statement tonight calling on the House to advance articles of impeachment to remove President Donald Trump from office immediately for his role in inciting a riot that led to one death and numerous injuries in the U.S. Capitol earlier today:

Today, as Congress gathered to undertake one of its most solemn duties—counting electoral votes and confirming the will of the people in the Presidential election—a violent and seditious mob urged on by the current President of the United States descended on the U.S. Capitol.

As the crowd forced its way inside, the doors to our House chamber were locked and my colleagues and I were asked to hide under chairs to prevent being struck by stray bullets. When we were able to evacuate the House gallery, we did so by jumping over rows of chairs while wearing gas masks as officers barricaded the doors with guns drawn.

This unprecedented assault by President Trump’s most loyal followers was nothing less than an attempted coup.

Today’s violence was not isolated, it has been the culmination of years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of suspicion, conspiracy and division for his own political gain. At every turn, he has undermined our rule of law, undermined the safety and security of the American people, and even now continues to push his most frantic defenders to greater and more dangerous extremes.

As President-Elect Joe Biden said in his remarks earlier today, enough is enough is enough. For the safety of our people, republic, our laws and our Constitution, Congress must adopt articles of impeachment and remove Donald Trump from office immediately.

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