[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 2 (Monday, January 6, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S32-S33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JANUARY 6
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 4 years ago today, I stood on this very
spot, alongside my colleagues, as we prepared to certify the 2020
election. As
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we were going about our business, all of a sudden, I felt a hand pull
my collar. My security detail gripped me by the arm and told me we had
to get out--that a mob of rioters had broken into the Capitol and that
we were not safe. I looked to the podium and saw Vice President Pence
quickly being rushed out of the Chamber by his detail. As we evacuated,
accompanied by two Capitol Police officers, we took a turn down the
hallway, opened the door, and came within several yards of angry
rioters before my security detail pulled us away to safety. We were
maybe within 20 feet of them. Had one of them blocked the door or had a
gun, Lord knows what would have happened.
Thus began one of the darkest, most shameful days in American
history--of our democracy. That was 4 years ago today.
Less than an hour from now, the House and Senate shall convene for a
joint session of Congress to complete the process of certifying the
2024 Presidential election. Today, we will not see the violence we saw
4 years ago. Today, the process will return to normal and remain solemn
but peaceful. We are here today to continue the transfer of power, to
acknowledge what the people have already decided and nothing more.
Unfortunately, today stands in sharp contrast to what happened 4 years
ago.
On that day, lawlessness and mob violence sought to bring democracy
to its knees. Staff and Members of Congress hid beneath desks,
barricaded the doors of their offices; rioters smashed windows and
ransacked offices and broke into the Senate and House Chambers.
Insurrectionists waved Confederate flags and donned Nazi symbols. Pipe
bombs were planted near the DNC and RNC. This was in no way a peaceful
protest. This was not even a protest that got out of hand. This was a
deliberate and, in some cases, premeditated attempt to subvert the
democratic process through intimidation and violence. It was one of the
most shameful, reprehensible episodes in the history of this great
Nation, and it happened because the loser of the 2020 election refused
to accept defeat.
We cannot let anyone whitewash what happened here 4 years ago. Far
too many individuals have tried to rewrite the history of January 6,
have tried to sweep the truth under the rug and pretend like the day
was perfectly fine or even a moment of great patriotism. That is a lie.
Plain and simple--a lie. Future generations must never forget the
truth. January 6, 2021, was a day that a violent mob tried to halt the
results of a Presidential election. It was a direct assault on American
democracy.
On that day, our Capitol Police faced their hour of maximum danger,
but they responded with maximum valor. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the
Capitol Police and all of our first responders became the defenders of
our democracy. Today, we honor all the members of the Capitol Police,
the DC police, our servicemembers, and all first responders who kept us
safe 4 years ago as well as everyone who has kept us safe since.
We acknowledge and thank all of the Capitol staff who stayed late
into the night to restore order and clean the wreckage left behind by
the rioters. They did their job without fanfare, without complaint, and
away from the spotlight. They join our first responders as the unsung
heroes of our democracy--every one.
We mourn, of course, all those whose lives were lost in connection
with the attack. We mourn the brave officers who died in the days and
weeks and months after the attack. We pray for their families and that
they find comfort and grace. And it is shamefully, utterly outrageous
that the President is considering pardons for these rioters who broke
the law and attacked our police officers on January 6. Pardoning the
criminals who assaulted police officers and tried to halt the
democratic process would be a dangerous endorsement of political
violence. It would send a message to the country and to the world that
those who use force to get their way will not be punished. It is wrong;
it is reckless; and it would be an insult to the memory of those who
died in connection to that day.
On that day, the rioters tried to halt the peaceful transfer of
power, but as we know, they failed. The insurrection failed because our
democracy is stronger than the gale force winds of mob violence. The
rioters failed that day because Democrats and Republicans were united
amidst a storm of utter lawlessness and committed to finishing the job
of certifying the election.
As hard as January 6 was, it will be one of my proudest moments in
office because, on that day, the majority of us united to uphold our
oaths to the Constitution. I still remember that, at around 5 p.m. this
day, Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, and I gathered
and said: We are going back into session now, and we are going to count
the votes. We decided this despite the worries of some that the Capitol
was not yet safe--and we did. We were not going to let the rioters
interfere with our democracy. It was a historic moment of
bipartisanship, where both sides united in the protection of our
democracy.
I mention January 6, 2021, for many reasons. I mention January 6 to
remind everyone that democracy is precious and can at times be a
fragile thing. I mention January 6 to set the record straight for all
coming time so that future generations may know the truth of what
happened on that day and that they remain vigilant against future
attacks on our democracy. I mention January 6 to warn this generation
and future generations of the immense dangers that arise when election
denialism is tolerated and excused and propagated. We can never ever
again allow the level of unhinged election denialism to happen, not
from Republicans, not from Democrats, not from anyone.
We are setting an example today. Even though the elections did not go
the Democrats' way, I want to be very clear: On this January 6, our
side will not engage in election denialism. We Democrats accept the
will of the people. We accept the results even when we don't like them
because our loyalties lie with the Constitution and with the rule of
law. We hope what happens today rather than what happened 4 years ago
stands as a shining example for future generations of how one conducts
oneself in a free democracy.
We hope that the way we Democrats conduct ourselves today helps those
Republicans who tried to subvert the election of 4 years ago understand
the grave nature of their mistake. Far too many on the other side--far
too many--willingly claim the election of 2020 was stolen even though
they knew perfectly well it was not. Of course, I know plenty of my
Republican colleagues, including my friend the former Republican
leader, did not participate in the attempts to undermine the election 4
years ago, but too many did. If we want to prevent another attack like
January 6, neither side can ever again tolerate the kind of
conspiratorial madness we saw 4 years ago, and it starts by setting an
example and doing the right thing today no matter which side got their
way in the electoral process.
On this, the 4-year anniversary of the Capitol attack, the only
obstruction we will see is the obstruction coming from the storm. Even
then, Mother Nature will not be able to stop us from doing our jobs
today. Today, we will convene; we will do our jobs; and then we move on
to the business of governing for the American people because that is
what our oaths demand of us.
I yield the floor.
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