White Plains, NY —  We, the undersigned members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, watched in anger, horror, and sadness on Wednesday, as an insurrectionist mob attempted, through violence and terror, to overturn a free and fair election and disrupt the centuries-old rule of law that defines our way of government through the consent of the governed.

We abhor not just the physical violence and terror -- which sadly cost the lives of at least four people -- but also the ideas that inspired it. The assault was more than one on a building, it was an assault on the very idea of America, on our democratic institutions, and on the nature of this unique republic.

As sworn defenders of the U.S. Constitution, we take our oaths and the responsibilities of our servant leadership positions with utmost seriousness and sacredness -- to place the Constitution’s principles above politics or self-interest, to protect and defend the rule of law that it embodies, not power and not personality. We commend our legislative counterparts in the House and Senate for returning swiftly to the Capitol floor to complete the work of the people.

Many questions will need to be answered in the coming days, including questions about how this was allowed to happen by those tasked with defending the Capitol itself and how our democratic institutions can be strengthened and renewed. Punishment for the perpetrators must be pursued to the fullest extent of the law, without leniency or favor. 

Today, the republic endures. Let the events of January 6, 2021 remind us of our responsibility to the Constitution, the nation and each other to make sure this continues to be true.