January 6

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, if you have any memory of the Soviet Union, you can remember that when Moscow was in its ascendancy in that region of the world, their plan included a revision of history. They rewrote chapters of history to make themselves look stronger and better and smarter and more powerful than they ever were.

And we used to mock that in the West and say: Don't they know that history speaks for itself? The facts speak for themselves. They did it time and again.

It was usually the product of authoritarian rule, where one man-- strongman--would want his version of history to be written in the books and taught to the children.

Last week, we saw an exercise in Soviet revisionism in, of all places, Salt Lake City, UT. The Republican National Committee met in Salt Lake City, UT, for a national conference, and representatives came from all over the United States.

What they did to start that conference off was to censure two Republican House Members, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from Illinois. To me, it was the lowest of low tactics to attack these two individuals who are making a bipartisan effort with the January 6, 2021, House committee to get to the bottom of what happened that day and who was responsible for it.

You might remember that there was a proposal from Speaker Pelosi that we create a bipartisan Commission wherein the House and Senate Democrats and Republicans would turn this matter over, as we have before to a group, to determine what happened that day and what was behind it to avoid its ever happening again and to get one clear definition for history from this bipartisan Commission.

The Commission idea was stopped by Senator McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate. He refused to agree on this bipartisan approach. So Speaker Pelosi, realizing she had a scant majority in the House, said that she was going to still try to put such an investigation together. She invited Republican participation, which didn't work out well. Eventually, two stepped forward--Congresswoman Cheney and Congressman Kinzinger--and said they would participate.

I know Adam Kinzinger. He is from my State. We have worked on a few things together. I respect him for his political courage time and again to speak out as he has. I am sorry that he was the subject of that censure.

Sadly, that was not the only mistake made in the Salt Lake City Republican revisionary meeting. What was even worse, if anything could be worse, was the declaration by the Republican National Committee that what happened in this building--in this room--on January 6, 2021, was somehow characterized by a unanimous vote as legitimate political discourse.

The Acting President pro tempore remembers that day, and I do, too. I can't forget it. It was when Vice President Pence was sitting where you are today, and a few minutes after 2 o'clock, the Secret Service came in and whisked him off the platform. We were told there was an attack on the Capitol taking place.

Earlier, there had been a rally, sponsored by President Trump, and he had incited this insurrectionist mob to come up to the Capitol to be heard and seen. They knew why that day was chosen. January 6 was the day we were counting the electoral college vote--the official vote on the selection of Joseph Biden as President of the United States. It was the intention of President Trump and those who came here to interrupt that constitutional process.

It is interesting as well that last week, Vice President Pence, at a Federalist Society meeting, spoke out on the subject and said for the first time that I can recall since he was chosen as Vice President that, in fact, President Trump was wrong--wrong in believing that he had the power as Vice President to change the electoral college vote. Pence made it clear that he did not have that authority.

Well, the Republican National Committee went further in trying to promote the Big Lie and called what happened on January 6 in this Capitol Building legitimate political discourse.

Do they honestly believe that breaking down the windows and doors of this building to enter as an unruly mob is legitimate political discourse?

Do they believe that spraying toxic bear spray in the faces of our policemen is legitimate political discourse?

Do they believe that 140 injured policemen and 5 people who are deceased as a result of that mob action was somehow legitimate political discourse and that, as they came into the Chamber--these demonstrators who were aping themselves in front of cameras for their friends to take pictures--sitting in the chair where the Acting President pro tempore is sitting today and going through my desk and other desks here to see if there was anything they could take a picture of or steal--that that was legitimate political discourse?

Do they believe that incitement to violence by President Trump to send this mob up here was legitimate political discourse?

Shame on the Grand Old Party. Shame on Mr. Lincoln's party. They should know better. I am glad that a handful have stood up and spoken up. I wish more would.

If we are ever going to put an end to Trumpism in this country and in the Republican Party, only the Republicans can get it done. They have to decide that enough is enough and step forward.

It is interesting to me that, when Senator McConnell came to the floor a few minutes ago, he talked about the statement of some Big Ten professor--he didn't name his name--who was not respectful of our police. Of all of the things that happened in the last week that were not respectful of the police, I would certainly add the Salt Lake City Republican national meeting, where the attack on our police was characterized as legitimate political discourse. An incitement to violence was legitimate political discourse.

America is better than that. I sincerely hope that real leaders within the Republican Party will reclaim their party and put an end to this madness that Trumpism has brought them.

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