Congressmen Joe Morelle and Tom Reed were there when protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, and reacted to what transpired.

Morelle had to be taken to a secure location Wednesday, as protesters occupied the Capitol during the certification of Electoral College votes.

“I’m fine. Obviously it’s been a traumatic day,” Morelle said.

He says what’s transpired has been surreal, and completely un-American.

“It’s heartbreaking for Americans who care about our constitution, who care about democracy, who care about the rule of law,” Morelle said.

Republican Congressman Tom Reed of New York’s 23rd Congressional District also condemned Wednesday’s events, saying in a statement:

“My heart breaks for our nation right now. Our country and its beautiful democracy is better than this. Our Constitution calls for the civil transition of power and though we may not agree with the election results, we must agree to always act with honor.”

And for law enforcement officials watching the events back in Rochester like Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, it’s disappointing to see.

“To us, it doesn’t matter who is protesting or for what, we want to protect that right,” Baxter said. “But we will never be able to tolerate anarchy or lawless activity.”

He says while he hasn’t heard of any local threats, his deputies will remain vigilant in the coming days.

“You had people breach the capitol, and that makes me very nervous as a law enforcement officer responsible for securing locations here in Monroe County,” Baxter said. “That we need to be prepared for that and those contingency plans I mentioned earlier.”

And when asked if he believes there’s been a double standard in how these protests were handled compared to others seen around the country, Representative Morelle says that will need reflection, but he hopes this acts as a moment for change.

“I think it’s a question we’ll have to search our souls and think about, but we should be mindful that every American has the right to protest,” Morelle said. “We will bend, but we won’t break. We will be resilient, we have always been resilient.

“And hopefully this will be the beginning of a national conversation on how to support one another.”