'Ashamed,' Waukesha mayor leaves GOP after Capitol riot
WAUKESHA, Wis. - In the hours that followed the violence in Washington, D.C. Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said he's had enough with the Republican Party -- to the surprise of some.
Reilly, an attorney-turned politician, has served as mayor of Waukesha since 2014, but after an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump supporters attempting to overturn the presidential election sent lawmakers into hiding, Reilly said he's done with the Republican Party.
"This will possibly be the cause of the end of my political career but I have to put this out because I am so upset," said Reilly on Facebook Wednesday night. "I am ashamed that I was a member of the Republican Party and I do not know how I can ever be a member again."
Reilly declined an interview request from FOX6 News Thursday and said, "I didn't do this to get publicity."
The events at the Capitol are a "watershed moment" for the Republican Party, said political expert Mordecai Lee, which has been reluctant to challenge President Trump in years past; Wednesday's riot provides a political exit ramp for more moderate members of the party.
In a statement to FOX6 News, Wisconsin GOP Chairman Andrew Hitt said:
"What we saw at our nation’s Capitol yesterday was beyond reprehensible and those who committed crimes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no place for violence in our political system. Our focus after this election continues to be on building a winning coalition that promotes individual liberty, freedom, and prosperity as we work on winning local elections this Spring."
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