Nothing is more foundational to American democracy than respect for the peaceful transfer of power. Fueled by the dangerous propagation of falsehoods and disproven allegations, a mob on Wednesday assaulted this bedrock value of American democracy, storming our nation’s Capitol in an attempt to block the constitutionally mandated counting of certified electoral votes in our 2020 presidential election. As citizens, scholars, teachers, and university leaders dedicated to understanding, defending and strengthening American constitutional democracy, we join together with everyone who raises their voices and condemns threatening incitements and assaults on the political freedom of all citizens. We also join with our fellow Americans in praising those leaders of all parties who worked through the night to carry on the constitutional mission of recognizing the peaceful transfer of presidential power. May we now continue to work across divides to strengthen and secure our constitutional democracy.
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