Congressman Courtney Issues Statement Commemorating One Year Since the January 6th Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
NORWICH, CT—Today, as the nation marks one year since the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement commemorating the service of police officers and members of the U.S. National Guard, and on the work that still must be done to protect the strength and credibility of American democracy.
"January 6th, 2022 marks a full year since the shocking, destructive insurrection at the U.S. Capitol," said Rep. Courtney. "This iconic site of democracy that has witnessed so much greatness, was violently attacked in a way that no one at home or abroad could have ever possibly imagined. Thanks to the courageous actions of the U.S. Capitol Police, the Washington D.C. Police, and the D.C. National Guard, the mob was stopped—but not without a bloody cost. One police officer, Brian Sicknick, was pepper sprayed and lost his life from the assault, and four others died by suicide within seven months of the attack. A total of 140 officers were injured, and 17 were still out of work five months afterwards. The cowards who assaulted these sentinels with bats, poles, fire extinguishers, and pepper spray are being brought to justice. Over 700 have been indicted, 151 have been convicted, and many are still imprisoned. The Justice Department has been diligent in its work to hold perpetrators to account, but as a nation we've got more work to do than just process the paperwork of these criminals."
"A complete, credible, and transparent investigation must be carried out to expose the root causes of this despicable, anti-American event," Rep. Courtney continued. "It's clear that the target of their violence was the Constitutional process underway last January 6th—namely, the final count of the Electoral College and the peaceful transition of power, which has been a hallmark of our democracy since George Washington ceded office to his successor in 1797. What is less clear to many Americans are the forces that drove the mob to storm our country's Capitol building that day. To simply walk away from this sort of red alert for our democracy would be unconscionable. The House investigation, which I voted for, needs to pursue the facts and the law vigorously and fully. The attempt by witnesses and persons of interest to evade or whitewash the investigation cannot be tolerated."
"I am proud to have been part of the U.S. Congress that assembled back in the House at 3:00am on January 7th, after that violent riot was put to an end, and to have cast my ballot to certify the lawful returns of the 2020 election," Courtney concluded. "I was determined to execute that act of fidelity to the U.S. Constitution, if for no other reason than to keep faith with the police officers who held the line for our democracy that day—and I wasn't alone. Those final votes to certify the 2020 election were bipartisan, and that should be a reminder that as a nation we've still got it in us to come together around a shared set of principles and one common oath, namely to preserve and protect our constitutional republic."
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