Insurrection in the Capitol

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for organizing this Special Order Hour this evening.

The events of January 6 are still burning in the memories of all of us, as well as millions and millions of Americans across the Nation; although some people would like to deny that it never happened, or sweep it under the rug, it continues to burn in everybody. The images are so aggressive that they still burn in the memories of millions upon millions of Americans.

I started that day as I start every day. I came to my office at 8:30 in the morning. I couldn't get through Independence Avenue because it was shut down, so I came through the back of my office building, and I noticed that I was walking on the sidewalk with some of the protesters, unimpeded. I felt as though security was very lax. No one stopped them. They were walking right next to me. They were around here as early as 8:30 in the morning.

I went to my office, and as I proceeded at one point to leave my office to come down to the floor, I was informed that the Capitol had been breached. So we stayed in our office.

Two police officers came to the office trying to escort us out and trying to take me to a site, a room in another office building where other Members were, to protect us. I decided to stay in my office with my team, and we locked ourselves in there.

I could see from my window some of the protesters. You see, this assault against the Capitol was not just concentrated on the Capitol steps. It was everywhere, really.

And of course, at about 8:00 at night, a little bit before that, I came here to conclude the proceedings. I felt it was very important that we completed our work for the night and not be intimidated by that mob. Democracy could never be intimidated.

And so I came here very early. I walked around as agents went around the Capitol and this floor securing evidence. And the scene was pretty horrifying; furniture stuck up against the walls and bloodstains right outside, where someone was shot, was being mopped.

So this is a traumatic experience for all of us on both sides of the aisle and for our Nation. It cannot be swept under the rug. We must get to the bottom of this. We must find out if there were Members of this body who aided and abetted that angry mob, who instructed them of the whereabouts of Speaker Pelosi.

You see, that mob came here saying they wanted to assassinate her and they wanted to hang the Vice President. So if anybody in this body assisted someone that clearly had an intent to attempt to murder someone, they are an accessory to that crime, and we must look at that evidence.

Ultimately, we need to have the truth; and if we want unity in this body, we need the truth. If we want unity in America, we need the truth. That is what will unite us. We must have a deep dive, a deep investigation into what occurred.

Did any of our colleagues text, email, or tweet the whereabouts of Speaker Pelosi? Did anybody tweet or share information about the labyrinth of tunnels and hallways in this Capitol building? They seemed to know their way around.

So the truth is important for the unity of our Nation. This is a beautiful building and a temple of democracy, but Congress is not this building. It is each and every one of us and, by extension, the people that we represent. So an attack against us was an attack against our constituents. We are their voices here, and we must take a good look at what occurred.

We must not sweep this under the rug. We must continue to ascertain and get all the facts and evidence to determine who played a pivotal role in perpetrating that crime. Only then will we have unity. Only then, through truth, will we have peace.

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