Jan. 12: Alumni in Congress and Media Discuss Capitol Breach

Rep. Mike Gallagher ’06 (R-Wis.) said that as a mob stormed the Capitol, he talked with staff about “how to barricade the doors and what weapons to use, and whether I could use the Marine Corps sword I have hanging on the walls of my office as a defensive weapon if the mob came.” — Today
 
Rep. Ken Buck ’81 (R-Colo.) said President Trump shares responsibility for the Capitol violence with many others, and “there is a lot of blame to go around.” — Colorado Public Radio

Alumni from Sen. Ted Cruz ’92’s class are signing a statement denouncing his objection to the Arizona Electoral College vote count on Jan. 6, saying he undermined democracy and the U.S. Constitution. — Planet Princeton
 
State Department veteran Lew Lukens ’86 *03 said countries the U.S. has lectured about democracy, like China, Russia, and Iran, are “getting great glee at looking at this dysfunction in our country.” — The Hill
 
Fox News host Pete Hegseth ’03 was criticized for saying the people who broke into the Capitol “love freedom” and free markets. — The Huffington Post
 
Rep. John Sarbanes ’84 (D-Md.) said bridging the country’s divide will be a monumental task not just for lawmakers, but for “people of good faith everywhere in this country” who need to step up, reach across the aisle, and build a better society. — Fox News Baltimore
 
Examining The Crown on Netflix, Southern Methodist University law professor Lolita Buckner Inniss ’83 drew lessons for American elections: “…We have relied far too much on norms of social and political politesse.” — History News Network

CNN analyst Laura Coates ’01 said she hopes Merrick Garland won’t forget the injustice he was served when Republicans denied him a hearing for the Supreme Court, because he needs to understand injustice to prevent it as attorney general. — CNN

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson *03 got the COVID-19 vaccine, saying he hoped to encourage others including Black Americans, whose skepticism comes from a long history of unethical treatment. — CBS Dallas

“We’re OK. Our democracy will be OK. We just have to defend the Constitution and our country at all costs at this point. And I think that’s job No. 1 for Congress.”

— Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi ’95 (D-Ill.) discussing the violence at the Capitol and the argument for impeaching President Trump. — NPR  

Columnist Andrew P. Napolitano ’72 called people’s adherence to COVID restrictions “voluntary servitude” that “encourages those in power to continue to trample natural rights.” — Fox News Wilmington

Missouri School of Journalism professor Kathy Kiely ’77 said the nation’s founders “designed the Senate to be a giant speed bump in the lawmaking process,” and President-elect Joe Biden won’t find it a friendly place despite Democrats winning two seats in Georgia. — The Washington Post

In Boston’s wide-open 2021 mayoral race, the front-runners are all women of color — including Andrea Campbell ’04. — The New York Times 

A look inside author Robert Caro ’57’s archives, acquired by the New-York Historical Society, reveal “hints of the compassionate rigor that would one day earn the writer international acclaim.” — The New York Times

Want more Alumni in the News? Subscribe at paw.princeton.edu/email