FOX Business’ Charlie Gasparino weighs in on the protests at the Capitol building and the market’s reaction.
JPMorgan chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon issued a statement on Wednesday “strongly” condemning the violence taking place on Capitol Hill in response to Congress’ certification of Electoral College votes.
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“I strongly condemn the violence taking place in our nation’s capital. This is not who we are as a people our country,” Dimon wrote in the statement obtained by FOX Business. “We are better than this.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPM | JP MORGAN CHASE & CO. | 131.55 | +5.90 | +4.70% |
The billionaire argued that elected officials 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.”
“Now is the time to come together to strengthen our exceptional union,” the statement concluded.
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Dimon’s statement Wednesday is his latest foray into the political discussion around the results of the presidential election, after the business leader called for unity in November when Joe Biden was confirmed as president-elect.
“Now is a time for unity. We must respect the results of the U.S. presidential election and, as we have with every election, honor the decision of the voters and support a peaceful transition of power,” Dimon said in the November statement to FOX Business. “We are a stronger country when we treat each other with dignity, share a commitment to a common purpose and are united to address our greater challenges. No matter our political views, let’s come together to strengthen our exceptional country.”
Dimon previously served as CEO of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents 15 million U.S. employees and $7 trillion in U.S. revenues. During his tenure, he was a vocal proponent of tax reform to make the U.S. more competitive.
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Protesters from a pro-Trump rally — where President Trump spoke outside the White House — descended on the Capitol Wednesday to protest the certification of Electoral College results, before clashing with police.
The certification process was then halted after protesters stormed the Capitol Building, prompting a lockdown of Congress and evacuation of lawmakers. Protesters reportedly smashed glass doors and authorities drew their weapons at one door. One individual has also been reported to have been shot inside the Capitol.
President Trump issued a taped video statement, telling his supporters to “go home now” and called for peace.
“We have to have peace, we have to have law and order we have to respect our great people in law and order,” Trump said. “We don’t want anyone hurt.”
However, Trump also continued his repeated unsubstantiated claim that the election was “stolen.” The message has since been flagged by Twitter as ‘disputed’ and cannot be replied to, retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
