[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 215 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7261-H7262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WHAT MESSAGE ARE WE SENDING?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Takano). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human 
Rights Commission, as chairman of the Congressional-Executive 
Commission on China, as someone who cares deeply about human rights and 
democratic principles, and as a proud Member of this House, I rise to 
express my deep concern about the damage being done to America's moral 
authority by those who refuse to accept the legitimate outcome of 
November's election and who continue to deliberately spread lies and 
manufacture conspiracy theories that have no basis of fact in an 
attempt to overturn the will of the American people.
  As Americans, we see ourselves as a beacon to the world, as that 
shining city upon the hill. We believe our political experiment, to 
create a country united by ideals, rather than blood and soil, is 
unique and exceptional.
  We promote democracy as a pillar of our foreign policy, confident in 
our own example. We say we are a nation of laws, not men.
  Yet, since November 3, a widespread effort to overturn the results of 
the presidential election have been openly endorsed by some high-
ranking leaders and facilitated by the silence of many more.
  For the record, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won by more than 7 
million votes. They received 81 million votes, 51.3 percent of the 
total cast. On Monday, President-elect Biden won 306 electoral college 
votes, two more than President Trump in 2016.
  There is no question that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 
election resoundingly. Those who believe otherwise first alleged 
massive fraud, then claimed election procedures were unfair. But when 
granted the opportunity in courts of law to present evidence of fraud, 
they couldn't do it.
  There simply is no proof of fraud at any significant scale. The 
attacks against voting by mail, signature matching, and the like, 
notably selective to begin with, had mostly already been litigated.
  Mr. Speaker, it is critically important that Americans trust our 
elections. That is why credible claims of fraud or irregularities must 
be investigated and corrective action taken. That has happened.
  There have been multiple recounts. Three in Georgia alone. Those 
seeking to overturn the election results have lost 59 times in courts 
across seven States and twice before this Supreme Court.

  At least 86 judges, many appointed by Republicans, have rejected at 
least one post-election lawsuit. All three Supreme Court Justices 
nominated by President Trump ruled against him.
  Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the November elections were free and 
fair. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said that 
the election ``was the most secure in American history'' and ``there is 
no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed 
votes, or was in any way compromised.''
  Attorney General Barr, of all people, said that the Justice 
Department has uncovered no voting fraud ``on a scale that could have 
affected a different

[[Page H7262]]

outcome in the election.'' I am using his words.
  The election is over, yet President Trump still refuses to concede 
and his allies continue to look for ways to throw out the votes of 
millions of Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, this is crazy. It is un-democratic and un-American, and 
it degrades democracy in every corner of the world. If this were 
happening in another country, our government would rightfully demand 
that the results of free and fair elections be respected.
  Mr. Speaker, some may criticize my remarks today because I objected 
to certifying the electoral college results in 2017. So let me be 
clear. I do not oppose using established constitutional procedures. I 
object when those procedures are not used to further the truth or to 
undermine it.
  In 2017, eight U.S. intelligence agencies--eight--said that Russia 
had engaged in an unprecedented attempt to interfere in our elections 
in favor of Donald Trump. I sought the kind of assurance about the 
security of the 2016 election that has already been provided for 2020. 
It was not forthcoming.
  Mr. Speaker, America's institutions will survive the test of the last 
few weeks. Due to the quiet courage and commitment of thousands of 
volunteer election workers, local and State election officials--some 
facing threats and intimidation--and the integrity of our courts, the 
clear choice of the people will be respected. But I worry that we are 
becoming what we condemn elsewhere.
  Democracy is not guaranteed. Each of us has to choose democracy every 
day in the way we conduct our politics. Either we choose to enforce 
democratic rules of the game or we don't. Either we choose to accept 
the losses alongside the wins or we don't. Either we choose to tell the 
truth or we don't.
  Mr. Speaker, today I urge my colleagues to proceed with caution. If 
our politics belie our values, we will be lost at home and ignored 
abroad.
  I believe we are an exceptional country. Let's act like it.

                          ____________________