WASHINGTON — The men and women representing West Virginia and Ohio in Congress reacted Wednesday to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

The subject line of an emailed statement from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., labeled the event an “insurrection.”

“We are okay and ready to get back to the Senate chamber to finish our work,” Manchin said. “These thugs cannot and will not run us off. We will continue to govern.”

Later in the evening, Manchin reacted to the announcement that Twitter had locked Trump’s account for 12 hours over “repeated and severe violations of our civic integrity policy.”

“(Twelve) hours is not sufficient,” Manchin said. “He is a danger to our democracy and should be banned from @twitter for the next 14 days,” referring to the time remaining in Trump’s term as president.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., also spoke out on Twitter.

“This is the United States of America,” she said. “This needs to stop right now. We don’t do this. It’s not who we are.”

Capito released a statement Monday saying that although she voted for Trump and supports many of his policies, she would oppose efforts by some of her colleagues to challenge the certification of some electoral votes, saying there has been no evidence of significant fraud.

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, was on the House floor when protesters breached the Capitol building, said Benjamin Keeler, communications director for the congressman.

A supporter of Trump, Johnson, a resident of Marietta, condemned the violence Wednesday, using language similar to Manchin’s in a Tweet.

“I swore an oath to protect the Constitution and the rule of law. I take that oath seriously,” Johnson said in the social media post. “Whether it was the violent thugs who fought with police and stormed the U.S. Capitol building today or the violent thugs of Antifa and BLM who’ve been assaulting police and attacking government buildings for the last six months, this lawlessness is wrong and should be universally condemned.

“We’re all Americans, and we’re better than this,” he said.

Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., tweeted that “the violence and destruction at the Capitol cannot be tolerated.

“Yes, there is frustration, but in a democracy we need to channel that peacefully,” he said. “This needs to stop now … it’s not who we are.”

Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., introduced a resolution in December to support all electoral investigations and punish fraud in the 2020 presidential election “until a fair and accurate count is verified.” On Wednesday, he tweeted that it was “terrible to see what started as a peaceful protest turn to violence.

“I condemn today’s lawlessness by protesters who stormed the Capitol, fought with police and damaged property,” Mooney said. “These individuals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of (the) law.”

Mooney thanked law enforcement officers who “put their lives on the line to keep me and others safe” and said Congress should reconvene Wednesday night when it was safe to “finish our work.”

Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., described the people who stormed the Capitol as “criminals” and termed their actions “heartbreaking and unacceptable” in tweets Wednesday.

“There is no place in our democracy for violence,” she said. “I again want to thank the Capitol Police for keeping us safe; they are heroes. Now we must secure the building and continue on with the business of governing.”

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on Twitter called on Trump to condemn Wednesday’s vandalism and violence.

“The right to protest peacefully is protected under the Constitution, but the actions by violent mobs against our law enforcement and property at the @USCapitol building today are not,” he said.

State officials in West Virginia and Ohio also weighed in:

* “The violence that we are witnessing right now in Washington, D.C., is absolutely unacceptable and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. People have every right to have their voices heard peacefully. But there is no place in our country for this type of activity.” — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, via Twitter

* “First Amendment expression should always be welcomed. Violence must not be tolerated. All Americans should speak with one voice against breaching (of) the Capitol.” — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey

* “The situation at the U.S. Capitol is an embarrassment to our country. This must stop immediately. The President should call for the demonstrators to leave our Capitol Building. The final step in the constitutional process of electing our president has been disrupted.” — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, via Twitter

* “The rule of law means the same rules for everybody. Those of us who called for prosecution of the people who stormed the federal courthouse in Portland must apply the same demand to those who stormed the Capitol today. The color of your skin or the slogan upon your banner must not change what is and is not acceptable. Let all of us in Ohio remain peaceful. Do not let a sense of injustice produce more injustice.” — Ohio Attorney General David Yost, via emailed statement

* “The violence at the United States Capitol was reprehensible. It adds nothing of value to important public discourse. While peaceful protests are protected by our nation’s constitution, violence is not. I support the right to peacefully assemble. I also was sworn to uphold the rule of law. Those who violated the law in the nation’s capital today should and will face the justice system,” — Bill Powell, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of West Virginia

* “Make no mistake … Federal crimes were committed today at our nation’s Capital building. Anyone who traveled from the Southern District of Ohio with the intent to commit such crimes will be prosecuted in the Southern District of Ohio.” — David DeVillers, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio

Staff reporters Steven Allen Adams and Janelle Patterson contributed to this story.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.