Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline said Mr. Trump’s behavior in relation to the January 6 attack has harmed not only Congress, but also the Democratic process and the many people who work in the Capitol.
He began by noting that the three people on the presidential line of succession – then Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley – were all in danger, and the rioters made it clear they intended to harm Pence. . and Pelosi.
“This crowd was trying to overthrow our government, and they were getting dangerously close to reaching the first three people in line with the presidency,” Cicilline said.
Rioters, he continued, were willing to attack any legislator they encountered, as evidenced by comments made by mob members on social media posts and subsequently cited in lawsuits.
Cicilline said Mr. Trump’s “real North Star is not America’s welfare, it’s not the country in the first place like our dear late colleague John McCain. No, his guideline is Trump first, regardless of the cost, regardless of the cost. threat to our democracy. ” “
The Rhode Island Democrat stressed that the trauma affected not only lawmakers who were at risk, but also the multitude of staff, security guards, and food workers who work in the Capitol.
“There are countless people who are still living with the trauma of what happened that day,” he said.
Cicilline also pointed to the reports of journalists who were in the Capitol to report on the number of electoral votes, but were instead in the midst of the attack, reporters who have been called the “enemy of the people” by Mr. Trump for years.
In addition to the emotional trauma inflicted, Cicillin pointed to a public health risk given that the attack took place in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He also honored the three Capitol police officers who lost their lives in the aftermath of the riots: agents Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith. Sicknick died of injuries sustained in the attack. Liebengood and Smith died of suicide in the days following the attack.
Law enforcement officers who responded to the attack were extensive, he said, as officers sustained concussions, irritated lungs and broken ribs, for example. In all, 81 members of the Capitol Police and 65 officers of the Metropolitan Police were injured.
“Trump’s gang verbally denounced their patriotism, questioned their loyalty, and shouted racist remarks,” Cicilline said of the emotional pain inflicted. “They called them traitors, Nazis, un-American because they protected us.”
The congressman asked senators to account for law enforcement officials, House and Senate staff and Capitol employees who were shouted at by rioters hurling racist insults and who were hit by the violence when they eventually cast their votes to condemn or to acquit.
‘Is this America? What is your answer to that question. Is this OK?’ he said. If not, what are we going to do about it? These people are important. These people have put their lives on the line for us, so I ask you to respectfully consider them, the police officers, the staff of this building when you vote. ”
Cicilline pointed out the unprecedented nature of the attack – aimed at derailing a constitutionally imposed process – and stressed that an attack on the peaceful transfer of power did not even take place during the civil war.
But “it just happened because of the cold, calculated, and conspiratorial acts of our former president, Donald J. Trump.”