WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting on President Donald Trump’s continued efforts to whitewash what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In his remarks, Durbin laid out that while President Trump sends in the National Guard to Los Angeles without a request from the State’s governor for the first time since 1965 and declares the city is being “invaded and occupied” by “violent, insurrectionist mobs,” he and FBI Director Kash Patel seem to have forgotten what happened on January 6, 2021, when a violent mob ransacked the Capitol complex in an actual attempted insurrection that led to the deaths of five police officers and injuries to more than 140 others. Durbin noted that it appears Director Patel’s claim that if you “hit a cop, you’re going to jail” only applies to people who President Trump doesn’t agree with and urged his Republican colleagues to join Democrats in condemning the ongoing effort to whitewash what happened on January 6.
Key Quotes:
“This past weekend, President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth sent in the National Guard to Los Angeles. What was the President’s reasoning for sending in the National Guard without a request from the State’s governor for the first time since 1965, when President Johnson did so to protect civil rights demonstrators…? President Trump falsely claims that Los Angeles is being ‘invaded and occupied’ by ‘violent, insurrectionist mobs.’”
“Make it clear as I always have—violence is unacceptable. Vandalism [is] unacceptable. You can exercise your constitutional rights, but not in the name of violence and vandalism. Period.”
“FBI Director Kash Patel echoed the language of the President, posting on Twitter: ‘Hit a cop, you’re going to jail… doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you.’”
“Both President Trump and Director Patel seem to have forgotten January 6, 2021, when a violent mob ransacked the Capitol complex in an actual attempted insurrection that led to the deaths of five police officers and injuries to more than 140 others.”
“Kash Patel called these violent January 6 rioters ‘political prisoners.’ And he produced the so-called January 6 Prison Choir, which sang songs and included at least six rioters who violently assaulted police officers.”
“On President Trump’s very first day in office, he issued a blanket pardon for January 6 rioters, including 169 who violently assaulted law enforcement officers.”
“The Trump Administration’s support of these violent insurrectionists who hit cops continues to this day. After his disgraceful tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin now is the Pardon Attorney for the Department of Justice. As the first political appointee to ever hold this position, Mr. Martin is personally advocating for the complete pardon of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and others who were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in planning and inciting the January 6 insurrection.”
“It appears Director Patel’s claim that if you ‘hit a cop, you’re going to jail,’ only applies to people who President Trump doesn’t agree with politically. I urge my Republican colleagues to join Democrats in condemning the ongoing effort to whitewash what happened on January 6.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
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