"Whatever it takes," he said. "These thugs are not running us off." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer seemed to indicate to reporters the upper chamber would gather at 8 p.m., while Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, said lawmakers "must not be intimidated from fulfilling our constitutional duty." "We must continue with the count of electoral college votes. In light of today's sad circumstances, I ask my colleagues: Do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our Republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What is the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?" he said in a statement blaming the president for the violent protests that unfolded.