JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat called for violence to cease in Washington, D.C., after President Donald Trump’s supporters overwhelmed police and stormed the halls of Congress on Wednesday.
“I strongly condemn the violence in our nation’s capital,” Dimon said in an emailed statement. “This is not who we are as a people or a country. We are better than this. Our elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to the violence, accept the results and, as our democracy has for hundreds of years, support the peaceful transition of power.”
Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat similarly condemned Wednesday's events. Shortly before 5 p.m., he issued a statement saying he is “disgusted by the actions of those who have stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College, a process mandated by [the] Constitution as part of [the] practice of peaceful transitions of power between presidents."
“While these scenes are very difficult to watch, I have faith in our democratic process and know that the important work of Congress will continue and that people will be held accountable for their actions,” Corbat wrote. “I pray this situation can be resolved without further bloodshed.”
The American Bankers Association also condemned the mob action, calling it "an attack on our democracy."
“This is a dark day for our democracy," ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols said in a statement. "The violence playing out on Capitol Hill and in the streets of Washington is reprehensible and should shock and sadden all of us. Our nation is better than this."
“At this challenging moment for our country, and for so many Americans, our elected leaders must immediately condemn today's mob riot and do everything they can to support the peaceful transfer of power,” Nichols said.
Trump had encouraged supporters to come to Washington to back his efforts to overturn the result of November’s presidential election. The protests interrupted debates in the Senate and House of Representatives over whether President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes should be accepted from Arizona.
American Banker's Allissa Kline contributed to this story.
