DeLauro speaking with the Independent from her House office on Jan. 6, 2021 before returning to the floor; newly discovered gas mask is at her right.
As a right-wing cohort of Republican legislators continued to upend business as usual in the nation’s Capitol, New Haven’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro took a moment to remember the violent Trump-inspired mob that stormed that very same complex two years ago to the day.
The current fracas in the Capitol is the ongoing race for Speaker of the House. As of Friday afternoon, California U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy had failed to win the top post for the 12th time in a row – as a hard-right group of his Republican colleagues continue to withhold their votes until their party’s leader grants them more concessions, or steps aside for someone else entirely.
The Capitol mayhem that DeLauro recalled in a Friday midday email press release, however, was not the present Speaker’s race but rather the storming and insurrection that took place on Jan. 6, 2021. That mob attack took place by President Trump’s supporters who refused to believe that their preferred candidate had lost the 2020 presidential election, and who, at the then-president’s incitement, broke into the Capitol and sought to stop the certification of Joe Biden as president.
DeLauro was in the Capitol building that day, taking shelter from the violence and persevering until she could help complete certifying the presidential election.
“We must never lose sight of what happened, and we must never stop fighting for democracy,” DeLauro is quoted as saying in Friday’s email press release. “What happened on January 6th cannot be allowed to happen again.”
Click here to read a Jan. 6, 2021 Independent article in which she spoke with the Independent about her experience during the storming of the Capitol.
And see below for DeLauro’s remarks in full on Friday midday commemorating the two-year anniversary of that day.
DeLauro Marks Two-Year Anniversary of January 6 Attack on Capitol
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement in response to the two-year anniversary of the January 6th, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“On the anniversary of January 6, we must honor the U.S. Capitol Police officers who lost their lives that day. Everyday, they come to work ready to protect the citadel of democracy – our nation’s Capital. They faced hell on January 6th, and despite the overwhelming violence, they protected our democracy and secured our Capitol.
“Two years ago, I gathered with my colleagues in the House chamber to carry out our most solemn and sacred duty as elected leaders – the certification of a presidential election. However, spurred on by the Big Lie, thousands of violent insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in an effort to overthrow our democratic process. The chief motivator of the violence that day was former President Donald Trump. Thanks to the bravery of the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line, Trump and his violent, mob did not succeed.
“It is still difficult to believe what happened that day. Although the day was filled with great sadness and uncertainty, by the end of the night, we showed that American democracy persists. Our democracy withstood a serious threat and did not crumble. We returned to the Congress after the insurrectionists had left and finished the people’s business – certifying the election of President Joe Biden.
“I applaud the bipartisan congressional investigators on the January 6th Committee, which has uncovered and documented for the public what led up to the violence of that day, and how some leaders encouraged a coup at the United States Capitol. Chair Bennie Thompson and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney have worked diligently to shed light on what led to the attack and hold accountable those who encouraged or participated in undemocratic violence. No one is above the law.
“As Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, I was proud to secure more resources for the Capitol police, and I will continue to fight for needed investments in the Capitol Police as Ranking Member.
“We must never lose sight of what happened, and we must never stop fighting for democracy. What happened on January 6th cannot be allowed to happen again.”