[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 88 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2643-H2646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TWO-TRACK JUSTICE SYSTEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia 
(Mrs. Greene) for 30 minutes.
  Mrs. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the two-
track justice system here in the United States.
  If you are part of the Democrat-sponsored and Democrat terrorist 
organizations BLM and Antifa, then you can burn down American cities 
for an entire year, get bailed out of jail, and face no investigation 
or commission from Congress.
  Meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, if you are a Trump supporter who happened to 
be at the Capitol on January 6, then you face exorbitant bail, solitary 
confinement, abuse of jail guards, and no due process.
  This is an outrage. Just today, just this week, Congress told all of 
the American citizens that Congress cares more about Congress than the 
American people. After all, we have witnessed American cities all over 
our country be victims to violent riots by domestic terrorists all over 
this country.
  The people have endured this. Businesses have been destroyed. 
Violence has happened. Police officers, night after night, have been 
abused and have had to endure these violent riots and attacks, on and 
on.
  Yet this institution has been focused on itself and focused on 
investigating January 6, even though there are many investigations 
already happening here through the Senate and the House committees. 
There have already been over 445 people arrested from January 6. There 
are also more than 100 to be arrested soon. There is justice happening 
for the riot here at the Capitol on January 6.
  Republicans and Democrats, together, are against the violence and the 
riot that happened here in the Capitol on January 6, but the problem 
lies with this: Republicans and Democrats are not together on the 
violence that has happened to the people all over this country 
throughout the past year.
  That is why Congress is only concerned with itself and not about the 
American people.

                              {time}  1415

  Rioters did a horrific and jaw-dropping amount of damage to cities 
across America. During 2020, there was up to $2 billion in damage due 
to the riots that swept the Nation, the most expensive in insurance 
history.
  By the way, that is not a $2 billion bailout fund coming from the 
government. That is not a taxpayer-funded check. That is private money. 
That is private money that insurance companies are having to pay 
because domestic terrorists rioted.
  The damage done to Federal buildings has been incredibly costly. BLM 
rioters in Nashville set a Federal courthouse on fire. The destruction 
is estimated to have cost $1.2 million in damages. This is a 
courthouse. Why were those involved attacking and setting fire to this 
courthouse not called insurrectionists? It is a question that needs to 
be asked.
  Rioters in Portland destroyed barriers and attempted to burn down 
government buildings, costing $1.6 million in damage to the Federal 
courthouse downtown. Why is this not called an insurrection? And, 
again, why is Congress not concerned with creating a commission for 
this type of damage and the people who caused this attack?
  In Guilford County, North Carolina, a courthouse was broken into and 
set on fire, resulting in roughly $200,000 in damages. Again, it is a 
courthouse. Why is that not called an insurrection? And there is not a 
government bailout and a commission in place to investigate these 
things.
  Los Angeles, Oakland, Louisville, and Dakota City also had damage to 
Federal buildings. These cities are not

[[Page H2644]]

being named. Members of Congress are not demanding a commission to 
investigate the damages happening to the Federal buildings in these 
cities. No one is being called insurrectionists for the damage that is 
done to these Federal buildings.
  As a matter of fact, most of the time, if you watch the news, they 
are called peaceful protesters. These are not peaceful protests. These 
are violent domestic acts of terror, and this is exactly how they 
should be viewed, and this is how they should be handled.
  The looting, burning, and destruction across America have cost cities 
millions and millions of dollars. Riots caused an estimated $55 million 
in damages in Minneapolis alone. Minneapolis city officials estimate 
700 buildings were damaged, burned or destroyed, including, in one 
estimation, 360 local businesses. But I have an article right here that 
contains a list of 1,500 businesses that were damaged or destroyed--
1,500 businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, it is these businesses and these business owners that 
pay the taxes that fund everything that we do here. These people should 
matter. Their businesses should matter. Why is there not a commission 
investigating this? Why doesn't Congress care about these people and 
their businesses?
  Rioters in Portland set up an autonomous zone that ultimately cost 
the city $2.3 million in damages--an autonomous zone. What is an 
autonomous zone, and how can people take over part of a city, an 
American city, and say that it is theirs, and that they control it, and 
that no government authority can come in and enforce the law, enforce 
law and order in this part of the city?
  Yet, this is what happened with peaceful protesters in Portland. They 
created an autonomous zone, costing the taxpayers of Portland $2.3 
million in damages. Again, that was not a bailout fund. Those are 
people's actual dollars, private citizens' dollars.
  Riots in New York are estimated to have cost the city $115 million. 
One Friday night alone cost the city $100,000 and resulted in the 
arrest of 150 rioters. That was just in one night, the arrest of 150 
rioters. It is unbelievable.
  Riots in Salt Lake City cost at least $100,000 in damages.
  Riots in Wichita, Kansas, cost the police department nearly $1.5 
million in overtime because they had to work. They had to show up for 
another shift when they were exhausted from working the shift before. 
So, they had to be paid overtime because they were overrun with 
rioters.
  Riots in Denver cost the city at least $5.5 million in damages and 
overtime.
  This is unbelievable, when there are antifa, BLM rioters, domestic 
terrorists causing so much violence and damage in a city that these 
cities and police departments are having to call their police officers 
back in after working their shifts, their long hours: No, I am sorry. 
You can't go home to your family. I am sorry, you can't go home and do 
things that you need to do in your regular life. We need you to come 
in. We need you to come back and work overtime because our city is 
overrun with violence.
  Yet, here the United States Congress, the 117th Congress, has no 
interest in launching a commission to investigate, to stop these 
incredibly organized and well-funded organizations of terror across 
American cities and the country that are causing private citizens, 
businesses, insurance companies, cities, counties, and States so much 
money that all comes from American citizens and taxpayers.
  Money is not created right here in Congress. This is not a facility. 
This is not an institution that creates revenue. The only revenue that 
Congress operates on is the American people's tax dollars that they 
have to pay right here to the Federal Government. Congress needs to 
learn to put the people first and not itself.
  Riots in Baltimore cost the city an estimated $26 million--again, 
taxpayer dollars, privacy citizens' dollars.
  Riots in Kansas City resulted in $2.1 million in damages, most over 
the course of just one weekend. That is some kind of party, isn't it, 
where antifa and BLM terrorists can go out and just riot in violence 
and rage in one weekend, costing a city $2.1 million?
  Rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, injured police officers and set at 
least two city trucks on fire. Altogether, the destruction cost the 
city $50 million. Does anyone understand what $50 million is? That is 
an exorbitant amount of money in damages for people who were angry and 
think that it is okay to riot and destroy other people's property, 
other people's businesses, and tear down a community. There is no 
excuse for that.

  Here we have California, where they closed down all of its State 
buildings in downtown areas, saying staff should not report to work for 
any reason. That sounds like some kind of Third World country where you 
have California closing down all of its State buildings in downtown 
areas saying that your staff should not report to work for any reason. 
Why? Because it is too dangerous for you.
  Yet, this Congress is so concerned with spending an unknown amount of 
money on a January 6 commission when there are already multiple 
investigations underway. There have already been 445 arrests made, 100 
more to take place. Yet, this Congress is not concerned about all the 
violence and the organizations that caused all of this to the point 
where California has to say: Don't come to work. It is dangerous.
  Look at this. It is unreal. This is our country. The police officers 
who defend Americans paid a great price as well, just like the Capitol 
Police officers here in the Capitol did. The police officers all over 
the country in American cities, it didn't just happen to them on one 
day for part of the day. It happened to them night after night, day 
after day, continuously.
  In some cities, for a short time, weeks, but in some cities, it was 
months and months, and it still continues. The Major Cities Chiefs 
Association found that between May 25 and July 31, there were 8,700 
protests nationwide. How many was there on January 6? One.
  Nearly 600 of those protests were declared riots with violence and 
criminal acts, and 2,385 looting incidents were reported. Six hundred 
of them were declared violent riots, 2,385 looting incidents. Again, 
how many times did that happen here at the Capitol? We will go with one 
riot.
  But this Congress is more interested in spending an unknown amount of 
money to investigate one riot here because this Congress seems to only 
care about itself and not the American people.
  Three-quarters of law enforcement agencies reported officers harmed 
during the protests--three-quarters of law enforcement agencies. Why 
don't we hear about them over and over on the news? Does no one care 
about those police officers' lives? Apparently not. This Congress 
obviously doesn't.
  More than 624 arsons were reported, and at least 97 police vehicles 
were burned. That cost a lot of money. Again, do you know whose money 
that is? It is the taxpayers' dollars. The taxpayers did nothing wrong 
to deserve these riots in their cities, and the police officers that 
did a good job and do a good job every day don't deserve it either--
just because of the actions of a few bad apples.
  The MCCA reported that over 2,000 law enforcement officers were 
injured in these 9 weeks alone. That is why I introduced H.R. 2446 to 
award police all over the country who defended American cities. They 
deserve medals because no one is acknowledging what they have gone 
through, night after night, day after day, with what CNN calls peaceful 
protests. I don't think so.
  Meanwhile, BLM and antifa domestic terrorists are bailed out and 
supported by our now-Vice President Kamala Harris. George Floyd died on 
May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As you see here, on June 1, we have 
then-Senator Kamala Harris and then-Vice Presidential candidate for the 
United States sharing, tweeting, a link to the Minnesota Freedom Fund 
encouraging people, if you are able, chip in now. Chip in now. Send 
some more money to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to help post bail for 
those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.
  But we know what was going on. These were not protests. These were 
violent riots. I am sorry, you can't stand in front of a city on fire 
and people fighting and say it is a protest. It is a riot, and it is 
not peaceful.

[[Page H2645]]

  In fact, Kamala Harris, and unfortunately, my own colleague from 
Minneapolis, Ilhan Omar, have shared links to the Minnesota Freedom 
Fund with their millions of Twitter followers. And it raised a lot of 
money for the Minnesota Freedom Fund. In August, the Minnesota Freedom 
Fund reported that it had raised $35 million in donations.
  Yes, when the Democratic candidate for the Vice President of the 
United States says donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, people 
donated. When the Congresswoman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, shared on 
her Twitter to millions of followers and pointed down, meaning follow 
suit, donate, guess what? They raised $35 million.

                              {time}  1430

  And guess what happened from that. As a result of all the money 
raised by then-Senator Kamala Harris and then the Democrat Vice 
Presidential candidate of the United States, now our current Vice 
President, and current Congresswoman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, 184 
domestic terrorist criminals that rioted were bailed out from the 
Minnesota Freedom Fund.
  The criminals they helped bail out include a woman who shot at the 
SWAT team; another woman, who was accused of killing her own friend; 
and a convicted rapist. That is just a few of the people that were 
bailed out with the money raised directly for the Minnesota Freedom 
Fund by then-Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, shared 
on their own Twitter pages.
  Can you imagine if a Republican Congresswoman or Congressman or a 
Republican Senator or a Republican President shared a bail bond link 
and said: ``Bail out the protestors from January 6''? Can you imagine 
the result of that? It would be unreal.
  There has been no backlash, there has been no consequences, there has 
been no action taken from this irresponsibility, supporting domestic 
terrorists who are responsible for violence, crime, and costing the 
innocent American people an exorbitant amount of money, stress, ruining 
communities, ruining people's livelihoods, and tearing apart our 
country. No accountability whatsoever.
  These Democrat lawmakers have also voted for defunding police 
departments across the country. So while they also raised money for 
domestic terrorists, who committed crimes, to be bailed out of jail, at 
the same time they legislate and vote to defund police.
  H.R. 1280, that they voted for and passed, removed qualified 
immunity. That means police officers can be sued if someone is upset 
with them for their actions on the job.
  Police officers don't make a lot of money. They can't afford big 
attorney bills. It will ruin them, just because someone may get their 
feelings hurt because they got arrested.
  H.R. 1280 also will allow police officers to be put on a list. That 
means whether it is proven or unproven, someone can accuse a police 
officer of doing some sort of wrong, and their name and information 
gets put on a public list that the Department of Justice will manage on 
a website that is open to anyone that wants to look it up. Founded or 
unfounded, their actions, no matter if it is true or not, their name 
goes on this list and what they are being accused of. This is what 
these people voted for to do to police officers and remove a lot of 
their funding.
  After the LAPD was defunded by $150 million, Vice President Harris 
said: ``I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he has done.''
  As a result of the funding cuts, the LAPD dissolved its sexual 
assault unit. Defunding the LAPD where they have to get rid of the 
sexual assault unit? That is unbelievable. That means women, children, 
any victim of sexual assault--I am sorry, there is not a unit there 
anymore to help them, because they have been defunded.
  As a result of this defunding, Vice President Harris applauds Eric 
Garcetti for doing what he has done, there has been a 73 percent spike 
in shootings in LA. When you defund the police, ladies and gentlemen, 
there are direct consequences. That means crime goes up.
  There has also been a 200 percent higher murder rate than last year 
at the same time. If you don't fund law enforcement, you are funding 
criminals. Clearly, we can see this is what some of these Democrat 
lawmakers have done; they have clearly funded criminals and defunded 
the police.
  Back to Minneapolis and the riots there.
  Notice that this date, 11/4/20, that is not too long ago, encouraging 
donations. There is no excuse for that. November 4, 2020, by that date, 
we had seen plenty of violence and damage all over the streets. There 
was no way to call those riots peaceful protests. We know exactly what 
they are: domestic acts of terror.
  In Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's district, 700 buildings were damaged, 
burned, or destroyed. Who owns those buildings? Mostly private 
citizens.
  1,500 businesses. Here is the list. It is reported from the Star 
Tribune from Minneapolis, for the Twin Cities. 1,500 privately owned 
businesses heavily damaged, two destroyed, mostly completely destroyed.
  The problem with Congress is, Congress does not get up early every 
single day, go into its business and have to earn the money that keeps 
it going. Congress does not have to work so hard, lose sleep at night, 
to figure out how to earn the money to keep the doors open to their 
business. Congress does not have to lose sleep at night when things get 
rough, like when the Government shuts down the economy because of a 
Chinese virus and tells businesses that they cannot keep their doors 
open and sell their goods and services, that they cannot earn a living. 
You see, Congress doesn't understand how hard it is to figure out how 
to keep paying your employees when that happens to you.
  Congress doesn't understand or seem to care about doing a commission 
for the people that pay the taxes to keep the lights on in this 
building, to care about them and why they were violently attacked. No, 
Congress only cares about itself and why it was attacked on January 6, 
even though there are multiple investigations going on, even though 
there has been 445 people arrested and 100 people more arrested.
  And justice should be served for those that committed violence here 
at the Capitol on January 6, but Congress doesn't care about the 
American people who have suffered this entire year, and it is 
despicable.
  The human cost of a year of riots and violence is 25 American lives 
lost. That has been estimated. Twenty-five Americans are dead as a 
direct result of BLM and antifa terrorism that has swept our Nation.
  I will go ahead and tell you about one.
  This little girl's name is Secoriea Turner. Secoriea Turner was 
killed at a Wendy's in Atlanta, because there were riots going on. 
Secoriea Turner's mother was pulling in the Wendy's, turning around, 
trying to go the right way, when gunshots were fired that took Secoriea 
Turner's life. She was 8 years old. This little girl was 8 years old 
and was murdered during a riot.

  There is not a commission being launched in here for her life. There 
is also not a commission being launched for the life of David Dorn, a 
great man, a retired police officer who was murdered during domestic 
terrorists, BLM, riots. Why does Congress not care about David Dorn? 
Why does Congress not care about Secoriea Turner?
  Despite all of this damage, there is no investigation into domestic 
terrorism from Congress. We have no commission launched to investigate 
the funding of antifa. There is no investigation into the funding of 
BLM. There is no commission set forward for the past year of violent 
riots. But all they care about is a commission for the one riot here on 
January 6.
  The accused on January 6 have been abused behind bars; they have been 
denied due process rights; they are still being held in jail. Michael 
Sherwin, an attorney for D.C., bragged that they had rounded up 400 
people who participated in the breach of the Capitol on January 6. He 
said he wanted to charge as many people as possible.
  What kind of justice system do we have if officials are eager to 
charge as many people as possible, but they don't care about antifa 
domestic terrorists and they don't care about the people in those 
riots?
  The Biden administration has taken investigators who typically work 
on cases involving drug trafficking and

[[Page H2646]]

child pornography and assigned them to calling relatives, even ex-
girlfriends, of the January 6 accused in an attempt to find them 
guilty.
  Please put them back on drug trafficking and child pornography. These 
departments are being defunded anyway.
  One person accused faces 7 years in prison for walking through the 
open doors of the Capitol, taking photos in the hallway, and leaving 
without doing any harm.
  Even the mainstream media outlets have reported on D.C. jail guards 
cruelly beating Trump supporters. One man was beaten so badly he has a 
skull fracture and is now blind in one eye. You don't hardly hear 
anything about that on the news.
  Months after January 6, men and women are still being held in jail, 
and they haven't seen their day in court. Justice should be served for 
January 6, but this Congress needs to care about the people of the 
United States who have not seen justice for the riots of the past year. 
This Congress is failing the American people.
  Not only are we a Nation nearly in $30 trillion in debt, but we have 
a Congress that could care less about law and order in the United 
States
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the Vice President.

                          ____________________