Morelle Marks Five Years Since January 6th Attack on The Capitol
WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, delivered the following remarks as he testified during the hearing marking five years since the January 6th attack on the Capitol:
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“Mr. Chairman, members of the panel, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. As Leader Jeffries has often noted, January 6 must be remembered as a dark day in American history like September 11 or December 7. We must never forget what happened right here, 5 years ago today.
“Regretfully, that’s what Congressional Republicans want us to do.
“House Republicans’ attempts to whitewash January 6, 2021, began in the weeks that followed the attack, but they accelerated when then-Leader McCarthy reportedly promised to direct the Committee on House Administration to release tens of thousands of hours of sensitive Capitol security footage in exchange for votes to become Speaker.
“As a result of this corrupt bargain, in February 2023, the Committee provided ‘unfettered access’ to tens of thousands of hours of sensitive Capitol security footage to MAGA media personality Tucker Carlson.
“The footage was made public without approval from the United States Capitol Police.
“To the contrary, the Capitol Police had already informed Committee Republicans that it opposed releasing the footage, citing the significant security concerns it presented. Indeed, the top lawyer for the Capitol Police noted ‘the location of each CCV camera might enable a bad actor to exploit vulnerabilities in the system.’ The Assistant Chief of Police testified that camera footage of the interior of the Capitol is, ‘highly sensitive information and that access to it should be strictly limited.’
“Congressional Republicans ignored these law enforcement officials and released it anyway. This disclosure was just the first of many efforts to rewrite the history of the Capitol attack.
“Congressional Republicans created a subcommittee of the Committee on House Administration to investigate the Select Committee’s investigation.
“That subcommittee issued an ahistorical report in service of nothing more than politically distorting a shameful and tragic chapter in our nation’s history. They lied about the Select Committee Members, about their work, and haven’t stopped lying about January 6 ever since.
“Yet, after spending millions of taxpayer dollars during their two-year sham investigation, the subcommittee found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Select Committee.
“Because there was none. This absurd effort lasted longer than the Select Committee itself.
“Instead, the majority spent nearly two years trafficking in paranoid, long-debunked conspiracy theories and dangerous lies while ignoring its actual responsibility to run the House of Representatives and ensure that Members and their families are safe from the very people that perpetrated the attack.
“Colleagues, if given the privilege to Chair the Committee on House Administration under Speaker Jeffries, I will restore the Committee’s proper oversight functions.
“I will not waste taxpayer dollars entertaining ridiculous and disproven, but nonetheless, harmful conspiracy theories.
“We will respect the women and men of the United States Capitol Police by giving them not just empty words and gestures of appreciation, but the training they need and the pay they deserve.
“During the Select Committee’s June 9, 2022, public hearing, Vice Chair Cheney rightly observed that President Trump 'summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.'
“But an arsonist isn’t the only one responsible for a fire. Those who stand by and watch it burn—or, worse, fan the flames—carry that moral stain as well.
“Congressional Republicans experienced first-hand a deadly attack on this sacred place; on them, on their staffs, and on their country. But they chose—and continue to choose—cowardice.
“Demonizing the innocent, protecting the guilty, and disparaging the patriotism of police officers who saved their lives, even before the bloodstains were washed from the Capitol steps, all while claiming to ‘Back the Blue’ no matter what.
“We cannot allow that to stand. We will not allow that to stand.
“With that, I yield back.”
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