Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Spotlight Hearing On The Trump Administration's Attempts To Whitewash January 6
Today’s hearing features Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol Police Officer, and Daniel Hodges, an MPD Officer, both who were brutally attacked by insurrectionists
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Democratic spotlight hearing entitled “Clear and Present Danger: The Trump Administration’s Whitewashing of the January 6th Insurrection.” The witnesses include Harry Dunn, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer, and Daniel Hodges, an 11-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were both brutally attacked by the insurrectionist mob on January 6, as well as Mike Romano and Sara Levine, two former prosecutors in the now-disbanded Capitol Siege section within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The hearing will focus on honoring the law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol; acknowledging the work of the prosecutors who brought the January 6 insurrectionists to justice in the years following the attack; and condemning President Trump’s dangerous and reckless decision to commute the sentences of 14 individuals and grant a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to the nearly 1,500 other individuals charged or convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Key Quotes:
“On January 6, 2021, a violent mob—summoned by a bitter, defeated former President—ransacked the Capitol Complex, leading to the deaths of five police officers and the injuries of more than 140 others. Later that evening, we returned to the Capitol and certified the 2020 election results. That should have been the death knell of Donald Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ – his baseless claim that the election was stolen. But within weeks, the bipartisan resolve to defend our democracy was gone.”
“My Republican colleagues washed their hands of what happened that day and have shown zero interest in holding President Trump accountable. Meanwhile, the President continues to falsely claim that rioters who violently assaulted police officers were ‘hostages’ who ‘were assaulted by our government.’ He is even considering financial compensation for the individuals involved in these heinous crimes.”
“Republicans are trying to rewrite the history of January 6 as a tale of martyrdom and courage in an effort to whitewash what happened… We cannot allow the President and his supporters to dishonor the heroic sacrifices of the law enforcement officers who protected us and defended our democracy that day.”
“Now, Justice Department attorneys are arguing that President Trump’s blanket pardon should apply to serious crimes committed by the insurrectionists after January 6. And President Trump continues to elevate those who have whitewashed January 6 and defended the rioters—a classic example [is] Ed Martin, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Martin helped lead the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement to overturn the 2020 election—he was on the ground of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and claimed the insurrection was ‘like Mardi Gras.’”
“Many of the January 6 perpetrators have shown no remorse for the long-term mental and physical damage they inflicted on their victims and have engaged in a new crime spree since the insurrection.”
“Shortly after receiving Trump’s pardons, dozens of former January 6 offenders joined forces on social media to compile and publicize the identities of at least 124 individuals who had been involved in their convictions, including prosecutors, judges, and FBI agents. The post, which has received at least 60,000 views, included names, photos, and disparaging remarks. The threat to these public servants is clear.”
“Government employees should not have to fear for their or their families’ safety simply for doing their jobs. And we in Congress have an obligation to honor the sacrifice of the men and women who bravely defended the Capitol on January 6. They deserve better than this.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
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