Centre County commissioner calls on state GOP leaders to take responsibility for violence
Days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and following local vandalism from a white supremacist group, a Centre County leader called on two of Pennsylvania’s most influential politicians to denounce President Donald Trump and condemn acts of hate.
Democratic Commissioner Michael Pipe demanded Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, take further action to address last week’s deadly riot and the role they played in the events leading up to the mob.
“It’s not enough for Democrats to do it. Republicans have to stand up as well,” Pipe said during a virtual press conference Monday afternoon. “As of right now, the PGA Tour — the golf tour — has done more to denounce President Trump and his actions than the Pennsylvania Republican Party has. Why is that?”
Corman and Benninghoff condemned the riot, but they’ve continued to question the integrity of Pennsylvania’s election. After voting ended, both legislators promoted efforts to review and investigate the conduct in which the voting process was carried out, alleging Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar attempted to circumvent the democratic process by illegally changing election code. They also signed separate letters — urging federal legislators to reject Pennsylvania’s electoral delegates and delay certification of the votes.
Those actions helped fuel thousands of Trump supporters who attended the “Save America” rally, Pipe said. The event, hosted by President Donald Trump, boasted unsubstantiated claims about election misconduct and voter fraud. Speakers incited violence, encouraged attendees to have “trial by combat” and “take back their country” by use of force.
“This is a perfect moment for them to use their voice, their power, their influence to lead their party forward,” Pipe said. “This was domestic terrorism that we saw in Washington, D.C.”
In a statement, House Republican Caucus spokesman Jason Gottesman said Benninghoff has “strongly condemned white supremacy and divisive ideologies of all kinds his entire career.” In addition, Gottesman said Benninghoff believes that if a person has “credibly” been found to have been involved or participated in the riot at the Capitol, they should be held accountable by authorities.
“There is no step that Leader Benninghoff took in questioning Pennsylvania’s election processes that can be connected with the lawless violence and heinous acts at the U.S. Capitol,” Gottesman said. “Everything he did was within the parameters for the lawful questioning of election processes as outlined in state and federal law.”
Saying there is a national narrative of “talking past each other,” Corman said Pipe never reached out to discuss the grievances mentioned during the press conference.
“It’s unfortunate that Commissioner Pipe has brought Washington, D.C. to Centre County,” Corman told the CDT Monday afternoon. “If he has a problem with any of my performance, he knows my phone number.”
Corman described the president’s remarks during Wednesday’s rally as “not helpful.” He added that he thought the president would have had a “much stronger response” when the Capitol was under attack.
Corman also recognized Democrat Joe Biden as the president-elect, saying that any allegation of fraud should have been addressed in a court of law.
Despite criticism from Pipe, the Senator stood by his decision to sign a letter to Congress requesting that the delegation delay electoral certification, saying that the letter was rooted in fact — not claims of fraud. He added that “any rational person” would be able to see the difference between the legislature trying to manipulate electors and their decision to send a letter requesting a delay.
Corman and Benninghoff denounced the riot and condemned all hate groups, including the reported vandalism in State College and Bellefonte boroughs from “Patriot Front” — a recognized hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center — in the form of stickers posted downtown and graffiti on a Pride wall.
“This is not America, and unfortunately, these hate groups, on the fringe, have found places in social media and others to vent their hate, not just white supremacy,” he said. “All groups of hate are wrong. I denounced, this summer, all the violence that took place in our cities. They robbed rightful protesters, people who were protesting for real reasons of social justice, and they robbed that message by becoming violent and looting and destroying property, and in some cases, killing police officers.”
Corman said social media and press conferences are the root of hate in the United States. Instead he suggested people “pick up the phone and call each other and work through issues together.”
“Maybe after this presidential swearing-in, we can move forward as a community again and not focus on hate speech on Twitter or Facebook or having press conferences to denounce one another,” Corman said.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 11:45 AM.
