[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 24 (Monday, February 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S531-S532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               JANUARY 6

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, if you have any memory of the Soviet 
Union, you can remember that when Moscow was in its ascendancy in that 
region of the world, their plan included a revision of history. They 
rewrote chapters of history to make themselves look stronger and better 
and smarter and more powerful than they ever were.
  And we used to mock that in the West and say: Don't they know that 
history speaks for itself? The facts speak for themselves. They did it 
time and again.
  It was usually the product of authoritarian rule, where one man--
strongman--would want his version of history to be written in the books 
and taught to the children.
  Last week, we saw an exercise in Soviet revisionism in, of all 
places, Salt Lake City, UT. The Republican National Committee met in 
Salt Lake City, UT, for a national conference, and representatives came 
from all over the United States.
  What they did to start that conference off was to censure two 
Republican House Members, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from Illinois. 
To me, it was the lowest of low tactics to attack these two individuals 
who are making a bipartisan effort with the January 6, 2021, House 
committee to

[[Page S532]]

get to the bottom of what happened that day and who was responsible for 
it.
  You might remember that there was a proposal from Speaker Pelosi that 
we create a bipartisan Commission wherein the House and Senate 
Democrats and Republicans would turn this matter over, as we have 
before to a group, to determine what happened that day and what was 
behind it to avoid its ever happening again and to get one clear 
definition for history from this bipartisan Commission.
  The Commission idea was stopped by Senator McConnell, the Republican 
leader in the Senate. He refused to agree on this bipartisan approach. 
So Speaker Pelosi, realizing she had a scant majority in the House, 
said that she was going to still try to put such an investigation 
together. She invited Republican participation, which didn't work out 
well. Eventually, two stepped forward--Congresswoman Cheney and 
Congressman Kinzinger--and said they would participate.
  I know Adam Kinzinger. He is from my State. We have worked on a few 
things together. I respect him for his political courage time and again 
to speak out as he has. I am sorry that he was the subject of that 
censure.
  Sadly, that was not the only mistake made in the Salt Lake City 
Republican revisionary meeting. What was even worse, if anything could 
be worse, was the declaration by the Republican National Committee that 
what happened in this building--in this room--on January 6, 2021, was 
somehow characterized by a unanimous vote as legitimate political 
discourse.
  The Acting President pro tempore remembers that day, and I do, too. I 
can't forget it. It was when Vice President Pence was sitting where you 
are today, and a few minutes after 2 o'clock, the Secret Service came 
in and whisked him off the platform. We were told there was an attack 
on the Capitol taking place.
  Earlier, there had been a rally, sponsored by President Trump, and he 
had incited this insurrectionist mob to come up to the Capitol to be 
heard and seen. They knew why that day was chosen. January 6 was the 
day we were counting the electoral college vote--the official vote on 
the selection of Joseph Biden as President of the United States. It was 
the intention of President Trump and those who came here to interrupt 
that constitutional process.
  It is interesting as well that last week, Vice President Pence, at a 
Federalist Society meeting, spoke out on the subject and said for the 
first time that I can recall since he was chosen as Vice President 
that, in fact, President Trump was wrong--wrong in believing that he 
had the power as Vice President to change the electoral college vote. 
Pence made it clear that he did not have that authority.
  Well, the Republican National Committee went further in trying to 
promote the Big Lie and called what happened on January 6 in this 
Capitol Building legitimate political discourse.
  Do they honestly believe that breaking down the windows and doors of 
this building to enter as an unruly mob is legitimate political 
discourse?
  Do they believe that spraying toxic bear spray in the faces of our 
policemen is legitimate political discourse?
  Do they believe that 140 injured policemen and 5 people who are 
deceased as a result of that mob action was somehow legitimate 
political discourse and that, as they came into the Chamber--these 
demonstrators who were aping themselves in front of cameras for their 
friends to take pictures--sitting in the chair where the Acting 
President pro tempore is sitting today and going through my desk and 
other desks here to see if there was anything they could take a picture 
of or steal--that that was legitimate political discourse?

  Do they believe that incitement to violence by President Trump to 
send this mob up here was legitimate political discourse?
  Shame on the Grand Old Party. Shame on Mr. Lincoln's party. They 
should know better. I am glad that a handful have stood up and spoken 
up. I wish more would.
  If we are ever going to put an end to Trumpism in this country and in 
the Republican Party, only the Republicans can get it done. They have 
to decide that enough is enough and step forward.
  It is interesting to me that, when Senator McConnell came to the 
floor a few minutes ago, he talked about the statement of some Big Ten 
professor--he didn't name his name--who was not respectful of our 
police. Of all of the things that happened in the last week that were 
not respectful of the police, I would certainly add the Salt Lake City 
Republican national meeting, where the attack on our police was 
characterized as legitimate political discourse. An incitement to 
violence was legitimate political discourse.
  America is better than that. I sincerely hope that real leaders 
within the Republican Party will reclaim their party and put an end to 
this madness that Trumpism has brought them.

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