Rick Saccone resigns from Saint Vincent faculty in wake of Capitol trip

Former state Rep. Rick Saccone has resigned from his teaching position at Saint Vincent College.

Saccone, 62, of Elizabeth said he tendered his resignation as an adjunct instructor Thursday because of flak triggered by his social media posts a day earlier about participating in the pro-Trump demonstration in Washington, D.C., that spiraled into rioters invading and vandalizing the Capitol.

“I decided to resign for the betterment of the school,” Saccone told the Tribune-Review. “I’ve been there 21 years. I didn’t want all this terrible media kerfuffle to tarnish the school. I decided it would be better if I just resigned.”

In a social media post that was removed by early Wednesday evening, Saccone wrote: “We are storming the capitol. Our vanguard has broken through the barricades. We will save this nation. Are u with me?”

Saccone, a Republican who ran a failed campaign against Rep. Conor Lamb for a congressional seat in 2018, said he didn’t mean for the comment about “storming the capitol” to be taken literally. He said he went to Washington with a group of area residents to peacefully “let Congress know we have some grievances about the way the (presidential) election was handled.”

One of Saccone’s posts showed a photo of him with Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams. That led to calls for Mastriano’s resignation on Thursday.

Former @PAHouseGOP Rep Rick Saccone has either deleted his Facebook post bragging about storming the Capitol or changed privacy settings. Either way, here it is along with pic showing off his fellow “patriot” @PASenateGOP Senator @dougmastriano being there, too. pic.twitter.com/xXlGXP6y3P

— Lindsay Drew (@LindsayforPA106) January 6, 2021

In November, Mastriano led a Senate hearing in Gettysburg that raised unproven allegations of election fraud. He later met with Trump at the White House, where the Associated Press reported he was informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Wednesday night, Mastriano insisted he had nothing to do with the violence at the Capitol.

“As a military veteran and retired colonel, I do not — nor would I ever — condone the violence we saw today,” he said in a statement. “I join with all patriotic Americans in condemning what occurred in the Capitol. There never is justification for this sort of behavior. I not only love but I fought for this country, our Constitution and its rule of law.”

Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor, said Mastriano’s explanation was akin to the kind sometimes offered in criminal cases.

“It’s always true that the passengers in a stolen car say they didn’t know anything about it when they are stopped,” Ledewitz said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre County, issued a statement defending Mastriano.

“One of our fundamental rights is that of peaceful assembly. I talked with Senator Mastriano, who shared with me that he and his wife attended the political rally in Washington, D.C., but left as the horrific turmoil began to unfold. He assured me that he did not participate in any unlawful activities. Absent facts to the contrary, the Senate has no cause to act,” Corman said.

‘Total tragedy’

Saccone said he saw some of the “vanguard” of Trump supporters carry a flag onto the Capitol steps but did not see any of them enter the building.

He said he and his wife decided to leave the area when they saw tear gas being deployed.

When he later saw reports of the invasion of the Capitol and resulting damage, he said he was dismayed.

“It’s a total tragedy,” he said. “It should be condemned by everybody.”

He expressed hope those who participated in Wednesday’s violence will be identified and prosecuted.

Before Saccone tendered his resignation to the college, a change.org online petition calling for his termination from the faculty had collected more than 900 signatures. Saccone said he also was receiving “nasty” tweets.

In a prepared statement, college officials said, after viewing a video Saccone had posted about his Wednesday trip to Washington, they “immediately commenced an investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding it.”

The officials said Saccone resigned as a result of the investigation, with his separation from the college “effective immediately. He will no longer be associated with Saint Vincent College in any capacity.”

The college added it strongly condemns “the extreme actions of those in our nation’s capital who engaged in violent and lawless acts against the people, institutions and processes of our democracy. We believe that all individuals have the right to an opinion, but when beliefs and opinions devolve into illegal and violent activities, there will be no tolerance.”

Saccone, a former Air Force officer who has lived in South Korea, taught courses in international relations and global terrorism at Saint Vincent for more than 20 years, as noted on his LinkedIn profile.

Staff writer Deb Erdley contributed.