We, the undersigned residents of Suffolk County, call upon the Suffolk Legislature to condemn the attempt by Congressman Lee Zeldin to subvert democracy and overturn a free and fair election on January 6th, 2021. Congressman Zeldin, who represents a large swath of Suffolk County, was one of the seditionists who baselessly objected to the Electoral College victory of President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

He has used his social media to incite violence. On January 2nd, 2021, Zeldin tweeted that the victory was “a massive, destructive lie that will haunt them on Jan 6th & far into the future.” We witnessed his words come to life as violent domestic terrorists, including Suffolk County members of the Facebook group “Setauket Patriots”, breached the Capitol and forced a lockdown to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Even after the Capitol was secured, Congressman Zeldin objected to certifying the election, and continued to peddle false claims of voter fraud. 

This behavior cannot stand from an elected official. Every member of the Suffolk Legislature, Democrat or Republican, must condemn Congressman Zeldin’s sedition. They must also condemn the Setauket Patriots, who are Suffolk County residents who took part in the violence yesterday, and traveled out of state during a pandemic without abiding Covid 19 safety protocols. Their return to Suffolk County will no doubt fuel more cases in an area already struggling with growing positive cases and hospitalizations.

We realize that these are trying times as elected officials. But it is your duty to stand up for democracy and our free and fair elections, and to do so, regardless of party. We ask for a public condemnation of both Congressman Lee Zeldin and the Setauket Patriots from the Suffolk Legislature.