[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1768-H1769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ISSUES OF CONCERN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I am the only Democrat Congressperson from 
Tennessee, so in some ways I represent the entire State on issues of 
concern to Democrats and people of progress.
  Tennessee and New York, unfortunately, have been shameful in their 
conduct recently in the way they relate to government and in the lack 
of the way they relate to meaningful gun reform to protect our citizens 
from mass shootings.
  In Tennessee there was the Tennessee Three. Three legislators who 
went to

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the well to protest the fact that after a murder, a terrorist act 
killing six citizens at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, there was no 
response from the supermajority Republicans in the general assembly, 
nor at the time from the Republican Governor.
  They went to the well, while the galleries were full of people 
protesting the lax gun reform laws or gun laws in Tennessee, to protest 
and say, we should have some gun laws to protect our children and to 
protect people all over our country who are victims of mass shootings.
  They expelled two of the members and tried to expel three for simply 
raising an issue that otherwise would not be raised by a supermajority 
and that was favored by a majority of the people in Tennessee by far--
red flag laws.
  No more weapons of war should be sold, the weapons that people used 
to do mass shootings at Covenant Presbyterian Church; in Louisville, at 
the bank; and almost everywhere where there are mass shootings in this 
country.
  That was shameful for the Tennessee General Assembly to try to expel 
three and to expel two, and not to take up gun reform.
  Governor Lee later took up gun reform and said he was for red flag 
laws, but a red flag law was proposed this week, and it didn't even get 
a motion or a second.
  In New York, the House Judiciary Committee adjourned to New York, a 
recess there, to have a hearing yesterday allegedly concerning a State 
official, the DA, Mr. Bragg, and his record that they call pro-crime 
and anti-victim.
  What they really went to New York to do was to act as Donald Trump's 
public relations firm and defense firm, something the United States 
Congress is not empowered to do for any individual. They are not 
empowered to go into another jurisdiction where federalization laws say 
that the States have their own prosecutors, and the Federal Government 
is not supposed to go in and ask for information that they can then 
give to the defense, and attack Mr. Bragg.
  The facts were well-pointed out that New York is a safe city, and 
safer than most of the major cities in Mr. Jordan's State of Ohio. They 
attacked Mr. Bragg and said he was supported by George Soros.
  What does that have in common with Tennessee?
  The people they went after were minorities.
  Mr. Bragg, the first African-American-elected DA in the borough of 
Manhattan and in Tennessee the two youngest members of the general 
assembly who happened to be African American, a minority group by far 
in Tennessee and the Tennessee General Assembly.
  They accused Mr. Bragg of being supported by George Soros, which he 
was. We know that is a trope for anti-Semitism. They go after a 
minority religion, a minority DA, and try to appeal to their base and 
try to help Donald Trump. That is shameful, as well.
  Shame on the Judiciary Committee of this House. Shame on the General 
Assembly of Tennessee.
  Do your job. Protect your citizens. Pass meaningful laws to restrict 
weapons of war and impose red flag laws, so we can stop people from 
committing crimes--mass murders in this country, which have become too 
commonplace. Let's uplift our political dialogue to where we don't 
attack minorities to get away with obfuscating our real purpose, which 
is supporting Donald Trump, who committed two of the worst crimes in 
this country: one, trying to steal the 2020 election and telling people 
it was a steal, fraudulently, and getting campaign contributions; and, 
two, in 2016--if Mr. Bragg is right--covering up payments to a porn 
star to win the 2016 election illegally.
  Madam Speaker, the worst crime in New York was 9/11. Then there was 
the Central Park Five. Five Black youths who were alleged and convicted 
of killing a jogger in Central Park. This was back, I think, in the 
20th century.
  Mr. Trump took out full-page newspaper ads in three papers and said 
all of those five should get the death penalty. They got sentences, 
they didn't get the death penalty. Later they were exonerated, and it 
was shown that somebody else committed the crimes--but not after they 
spent 41 years in prison, an average of 8 years a piece, and not after 
the State had to pay $41 million for their time in prison.
  Did Donald Trump apologize?
  No, he doesn't apologize. Shameful.

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