[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E16-E17]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DEFENDING OUR DEMOCRACY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE LEVIN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 2021

  Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, for the first time since 
1814, the United States Capitol Building was breached by an angry mob. 
More than 200 years ago, it was British troops. This time it was 
domestic terrorists, inspired and encouraged by President Donald Trump.
  I started the day prepared to uphold my oath of office--an oath I 
took this past Sunday at the launch of the 117th Congress to ``support 
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 
foreign and domestic.''
  I planned to uphold that oath by voting to certify the results of the 
Electoral College, and we are getting back to our work and certifying 
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next President and Vice President. 
We will do that work thanks to the efforts and bravery of the Capitol 
Police and other law enforcement agencies who have intervened. While 
there will be many questions about how this security breach occurred, I 
am incredibly grateful for the men and women who risked their lives to 
keep us safe today.
  As for the domestic terrorists who sought to overthrow our democracy, 
they must be prosecuted. Their leader must be removed from office as 
soon as possible and their enablers in Congress must be held 
responsible for their role in this catastrophe.
  Despite 81 million votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice 
President-elect Kamala Harris, multiple recounts, and more than 60 
failed lawsuits challenging the election results, many of my Republican 
colleagues followed Trump's lead and pushed outlandish conspiracy 
theories and baseless claims of voter fraud without any evidence, 
entirely void of reality.
  Many Congressional Republicans are seeking to overturn the results of 
a free and fair election because they don't like the results. They 
didn't realize--or didn't care--that their actions could result in a 
violent coup attempt. That's exactly what happened today.
  The question now is a vital one: where does our country go from here?
  For many decades, we have had passionate but peaceful political 
disagreements--a shining beacon of democracy. We Americans do not 
support insurrection or mob rule. In short, we are so much better than 
this.
  We are now at a crossroads in our great nation's history, a moment 
where we see two divergent paths in front of us. We can continue down a 
path of hyper-partisanship, divisiveness, and democratic decay, or we 
can try to heal our country. We can come together to reject the 
violence we saw today and recommit to upholding the values that unite 
us as Americans: democracy, justice, and equality. It is paramount that 
we choose the right path.

[[Page E17]]

  I hope my colleagues who insist on continuing this charade, 
understand that their actions will be remembered as among the most 
shameful in our nation's history. Generations of Americans to come will 
learn of their attempt to undermine the democratic institutions our 
country was founded upon.
  To those other colleagues--Republicans and Democrats alike--who will 
uphold their oath of office and help lead us down a better path, I 
thank them for defending our democracy. Our Constitution must never be 
taken for granted. We must continue to support and defend it every day, 
as our oath demands. I am proud to serve alongside them, and I look 
forward to addressing our nation's greatest challenges with them in the 
months and years ahead.

                          ____________________