‘Our president needs us.’ Centre County Republican Party organized bus trip to Washington
What ended in a riot at the U.S. Capitol Building began with a “March for Trump” rally where thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington — including members of the Centre County Republican Party.
“Our President needs us. He has been there for us,” Centre County Republicans wrote on Facebook last month, promoting a bus trip to the rally. “Now is our turn to show we aren’t going to let the MAGA movement end. Too much is at stake to sit at home and do nothing.”
Members of Congress were evacuated after a mob stormed the building — breaking windows, climbing balconies — and upended the certification of the Electoral College vote.
Though it is unclear if Centre County residents participated in the riot, a bus was scheduled to leave Wednesday morning.
Centre County Republicans Chair Kristine Eng did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the Centre County GOP phone was disconnected Wednesday afternoon.
“There’s a difference between having the freedom of speech and turning to violence,” House Majority Leader Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said Wednesday. “Violence is never good, and I don’t support that.”
Though he was made aware of the trip earlier this week, Benninghoff said elected officials do not have authority over what political groups do.
“Just because we’re elected officials, people don’t run things by us, by the party,” he said — adding that the bus trip would have been organized by the chair or other members.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:34 PM.
