Schmitt under fire as he begins second term

Posted 1/7/21

On a day in which he was sworn in to begin his second term in office, Assemblyman Colin Schmitt (R-New Windsor) came under fire from local Democrats who accused him of supporting the “far right …

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Schmitt under fire as he begins second term

Posted

On a day in which he was sworn in to begin his second term in office, Assemblyman Colin Schmitt (R-New Windsor) came under fire from local Democrats who accused him of supporting the “far right extremists” who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

The Orange County Democratic Committee accused Schmitt of giving a sendoff to a bus load of terrorists, Wednesday morning, on their way to the U.S. Capitol. A photo released Wednesday, apparently shows him addressing a busload of people.

“As a member of the Army National Guard Assemblyman Schmitt swore an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,’ “ said Brett Broge, Orange County Democratic Chairman. “This afternoon thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol to stop the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory in an act of domestic terrorism.”

The Democratic Committee released a statement calling on Schmitt to resign. 

“As an elected official, and most importantly as a member of the United States Armed Forces, this behavior is absolutely reprehensible. Though Schmitt recently released a statement condemning these actions, he demonstrated shameful negligence this morning when he validated the violent conspiracy theories of his far-right supporters,” Broge said in a prepared statement. “We call on Colin Schmitt to immediately resign from his position in the New York State Assembly. His judgment is impugned and he can no longer adequately represent the interests of Orange County residents.”

Schmitt released a statement accusing the Orange County Democratic Committee of making “repugnant and false” social media and press statements.

“Orange County Right to Life, a peaceful and faith-based organization, invited me this morning to address a diverse group of local residents regarding legislation they are concerned with A. 416 and the issues with one-party control of government,” Schmitt said.  “Regardless of the lies from the Orange County Democratic Party and NYC Democratic Socialists of America — speaking to a group that included senior citizen ladies who use canes to walk around, members of local churches, union members and single moms is exactly the job of a State Assemblyman and one that I will continue to do. Following that conversation, I went back to my district office to be sworn in for my second term and conduct the first day of virtual session.”

He was later sworn in by Orange County Clerk Annie Rabbitt to begin his second term.

“It is an honor of a lifetime to serve as Assemblyman for the 99th District and I thank my constituents for the privilege of representing our district.,” Schmitt said. “I will continue to serve as a bipartisan leader over the next two years standing up for Hudson Valley families and our Hudson Valley values. During the course of my first term I have partnered with all levels of government and the private sector to deliver real results for our district and will continue to build on my track record of being laser focused on constituent services, legislative and funding priorities and strong partnerships that benefit our region and values.” 

Schmitt was re-elected in November to a second term representing the 99th Assembly District which includes 10 towns across two counties. Schmitt serves as Ranking Member of the Assembly Local Government’s Committee and as a member of the Labor, Insurance and Housing Committees along with being Co-Chair of the Legislative Sportsmen's Caucu