Condemning Qanon and Rejecting the Conspiracy Theories It Promotes
Floor Speech
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1164, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1154) condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Res. 1154.
Mr. Speaker, QAnon is a movement promoting a collection of unfounded conspiracy theories that have spread on the internet over the last several years. These conspiracy theories undermine public trust in our democratic institutions and our election process, and that is why I am pleased to support this important, bipartisan resolution by Representatives Malinowski and Riggleman.
QAnon initially alleged that prominent Americans are engaged in a secret plot to control the world while using their power to exploit children. It now extends to a range of dangerous conspiracy theories. The FBI has assessed with high confidence that ``fringe political conspiracy theories,'' including QAnon, ``very likely to motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to engage in criminal or violent activity and that these conspiracy theories very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places, and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets.''
Mr. Speaker, as the Members may know, the resolution's lead sponsor, Representative Malinowski, has himself faced threats from QAnon supporters after he was falsely accused of lobbying to protect sexual predators.
According to the Combating Terrorism Center at the West Point Military Academy: ``QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed.''
Fortunately, a growing number of political leaders recognize the threat that QAnon poses, and that includes Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who recently said that ``there is no place for QAnon in the Republican Party.''
The Malinowski-Riggleman resolution does several things:
It condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories that it promotes;
It encourages the FBI and all Federal law enforcement agencies to continue to strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories;
And, finally, it urges all Americans, regardless of our beliefs or partisan affiliation, to seek information from authoritative sources and to engage in political debate from a common, factual foundation.
I would hope that these are principles we could all agree with on a bipartisan basis.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Schakowsky), my good friend and colleague.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Jackson Lee), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, thank you to the gentlewoman who is managing this resolution, and thank you very much to Mr. Malinowski for bringing us together.
I think I started out earlier this morning by saying the Nation is better than this. It is not because people do not have the right to espouse views that I may disagree with. But not when those views become detrimental to innocent Americans; when those views take the very hostile and historically violent form of anti-Semitism; when they begin to attack and marginalize groups; when they evidence themselves as we saw--although not claiming to be part of QAnon--that scene in Charlottesville, with tiki torches, saying that part of the Nation did not belong here, in essence threatening people of color, Jewish people.
I believe this resolution is crucial. It is crucial because it is dangerous to remain silent. As we have looked at QAnon, it is attempting to speak of fringe beliefs that can be enormously dangerous. It can actually motivate domestic extremists, which may result in harm to innocent persons.
The FBI has made an assessment, with high confidence, that the fringe political conspiracy theories, including QAnon, are motivating domestic extremists, and where QAnon adherents have been implicated in one particular case of a man arrested in 2018 for plotting to plant a bomb in the Illinois Capitol rotunda to make Americans aware of pizzagate.
I think we are also aware of, during the last Presidential election, someone driving and rushing to a restaurant in Washington, D.C., and going in the basement, suggesting that pedophiles and the then- Presidential candidate were involved in it.
These are dangerous positions. They are not just that I disagree because a philosophy is different from Sheila Jackson Lee. It is that we must not be silent, for there have been atrocities perpetrated around the world historically because people remained silent. The atrocities in Germany come to mind; we remained silent. Or the genocide in Sudan; we remained silent.
So this resolution is crucial. It is as crucial as the work we will do in addressing the sin, the original sin, of this Nation, and that was slavery.
But I rise today to support H. Res. 1154 that condemns QAnon and rejects conspiracy theories. I ask my colleagues to support this. And I thank the author of this legislation for his courage and leadership.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Let me start by thanking Mr. Malinowski and Mr. Riggleman for this bipartisan resolution, such an important statement. And I do hope all of my colleagues in this Chamber vote for the resolution. I am troubled that some might try to take this bipartisan resolution and introduce other aspects that include calling out cities like mine, the city of Seattle, and other baseless comments.
But the most important thing is to return to the context of this resolution. The context is that it is sad that, in the year 2020, a baseless, anti-Semitic conspiracy theory has infected the political discourse of our great democracy.
This body should not be giving such an unhinged internet hoax the time of day. Frankly, it is sad that in the past few weeks, the House has had to pass several resolutions, including a resolution calling for a peaceful transfer of power after this year's Presidential election, to publicly reinforce democratic customs and norms that until recently were beyond question. But circumstances, yet again, require this body to make a statement.
Through social media, this internet hoax has become so widespread that it has inspired threats and even acts of violence across the country, including against our Members on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, rather than condemn this hoax, rhetoric that comes from the White House has instead given comfort to QAnon followers and credence to their belief in fabricated and fantastical theories.
Under these circumstances, it is so good to be doing a bipartisan resolution in this House. It is imperative that the House of Representatives make it clear to the American people that QAnon is a hoax and that we absolutely and completely condemn the violence perpetrated by its adherence.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1154, a resolution condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes.
QAnon is a movement promoting a collection of unfounded conspiracy theories that have spread widely on the internet since 2017.
Whereas, throughout history, conspiracy theories that falsely blame secret cabals or marginalized groups for society's ills have fueled prejudice, genocide, and acts of terrorism. QAnon first gained notoriety with its unfounded, outrageous, and bizarre conspiracy theory alleging that prominent Americans are engaged in a secret plot to control the world, while using their power to exploit children.
Qanon has gone on to embrace virtually every popular conspiracy theory of the last several decades, from questioning the truth about the September 11th terrorist attacks, to believing in alien landings, to denying the safety of vaccines.
Many QAnon followers express anti-Semitic views, and the Anti- Defamation League has said that the movement's central conspiracy theory includes anti-Semitic elements;
Mr. Speaker, history records that conspiracy theories have been a central driver of anti-Semitism for centuries, and QAnon conspiracy theories are fanning the flames as anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has assessed with high confidence that ``fringe political conspiracy theories'', including QAnon, ``very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to engage in criminal or violent activity'', and that these conspiracy theories ``very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets.''
This assessment is supported by an alarming number of ``events in which individuals committed crimes, plotted attacks, or successfully carried out deadly violence, and who--either before or after their arrests--attributed their actions to their conspiratorial beliefs.''
For example, QAnon adherents have been implicated in crimes that they claim their QAnon beliefs inspired, including--
1. A man arrested in 2018 for plotting to plant a bomb in the Illinois Capitol rotunda to make Americans aware of the ``Pizzagate'' conspiracy theory;
2. A man arrested in 2018 for using an armored car to block traffic on the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge; 3. A man in Arizona arrested in 2019 for vandalizing a Catholic church; and 4. A woman arrested in New York with a car full of knives after posting a video accusing Joe Biden of participating in child sex trafficking and threatening to kill him.
According to the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point, ``QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed.''
The conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon undermine trust in America's democratic institutions, encourage rejection of objective reality, and further deepen our Nation's political polarization.
It is therefore timely and appropriate that the People's House support this resolution, which puts it on record clearly condemning QAnon and rejecting the false conspiracy theories it promotes and spread.
In the highly charged political climate we find ourselves in it is also appropriate that this body condemns any and all other groups and ideologies, from the far left to the far right, that contribute to the spread of unfounded conspiracy theories or that encourage Americans to destroy public and private property and attack lawful authority.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to condemning QAnon and its false and dangerous conspiracy theories, I support the resolution because it calls upon the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as all Federal law enforcement and homeland security agencies, to continue strengthening their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories and urges all Americans, regardless of our beliefs or partisan affiliation, to seek information from authoritative sources and to engage in political debate from a common factual foundation.
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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