Leader Schumer Remarks On The Deadly January 6th Insurrection And Attacks On Our Democracy, Honoring The Brave Law Enforcement Officers, And Remembering Those Who Lost Their Lives

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the 5^th anniversary of January 6^th, remembering the brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to defend democracy, and denouncing the baseless attacks on our democracy made by Donald Trump. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

We are here today because we must never forget what happened on January 6th, five years ago. Not only must we remember it, but so must our children, our grandchildren, and future generations, the day democracy was placed at greater risk than it has been in a century. Five years ago, a vicious mob tried to undo American democracy. Thousands of rioters egged on by Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, smashed its windows, desecrated its hallways, ransacked its offices in an attempt to steal the 2020 election.

Members hid in the House chamber. Staffers barricaded themselves in offices, hid behind desks, feared for their lives. I remember the moment I was sitting at my desk. I had just become the putative Majority Leader because we had won the election the night before and I'm sitting there feeling, wow. And all of a sudden, I feel a hand grab my collar. I will never forget that feeling.

My brave Capitol police officer said, "Senator, we got to get out of here, you're in danger." And I looked up at the podium and I saw Pence being rushed off the platform. We went out the Senate door, made a right turn, opened another door, and we were within 20 feet of those rioters, of those insurrectionists. One of them looked at me and said, "There he is, get him." But because of the work of our brave police officers, I wasn't hurt.

Let us never mince words about what happened again. Those who try to lie about it, those who try to make up myths about it, were not there. We were. Most of us, we know exactly what happened, exactly what happened. And then, even more malicious, Donald Trump's White House released a maliciously false account that blamed the Capitol Police for the violence.

How disgraceful, how despicable, how disgusting, how low. Donald Trump showed what a low human being he is by his actions that day and in preceding days where he tried to lie and cover up the truth. It's stunning. He is stunning in his maliciousness and his dishonesty.

And then, to show truly who he was once again, his evil character, if his bad character didn't come through enough, on the first day of his presidency, he issued a blanket pardon for every single criminal who attacked our police on January 6th. And now, in a vicious twist of the truth, he blames law enforcement for the violence.

In the face of such blatant lies, let us all tell the truth and let future generations remember it: on January 6th, our Capitol Police officers were heroes. Our DC police were heroes. Our law enforcement, who protected this building, protected lives, protected democracy, were our true heroes. And to them, personified by the Sicknick and Smith families, we say thank you. You are the great Americans here. You are the great Americans here, not Trump and his minions.

And it is just so, so disappointing, confounding, troubling that so many in Donald Trump's party now have fallen in line with what they know is a big lie about what happened that day. Whether it's fear, whether it's viciousness, whether it's to seek low political advantage, almost all of them seem to go along with the Big Lie. And every time they do, they weaken structure and the beauty of this country.

So, while Donald Trump pardons insurrectionists and lets those who attack our police officers walk free, we stand here with our first responders. We will make sure that your sacrifices that day are never forgotten, nor will we ever, ever forget the lives of those we lost in the connection with the attack. We pray for all our deceased responders, our first responders, and our families.

And in conclusion, let us remember the attack of January 6 is not over. It lives on in the threats to our election workers. It lives on through those who want to take away our right to vote, who want to legalize voter discrimination. We must never, never, never stop fighting for this beautiful democracy, which January 6 showed us is more fragile than we ever imagined. Donald Trump's Big Lie is powerful, but the roots of our democracy and our desire to make sure the truth remains the truth are even stronger. Perseverance of the American people is greater.

So, God bless our first responders. God bless America, this great arsenal of democracy.

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