Blackstone Group Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman, one of Wall Street’s most prominent and enduring supporters of President Donald Trump, condemned mobs that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and called for an orderly transfer of power to Joe Biden.
“The insurrection that followed the president’s remarks today is appalling and an affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans,” Schwarzman said in a statement. “I am shocked and horrified by this mob’s attempt to undermine our constitution. As I said in November, the outcome of the election is very clear and there must be a peaceful transition of power.”
The Blackstone chief executive officer threw more money into Trump’s re-election bid than anyone else in American finance, even as many other corporate chieftains pulled back. But Schwarzman acknowledged in November that Trump lost, offering to help the Biden administration. His statement Wednesday followed similar condemnations of the raid from other Wall Street leaders.
Trump had encouraged supporters to come to Washington to back his efforts to overturn the result of the election, addressing an audience in the morning. Hours after a crowd marched on the Capitol and stormed the building, he said he sympathized with them but told them “go home now.”
