January 06, 2023

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Recognizes Second Anniversary of January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today released the following statement to recognize the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021:

“Today marks two years since a deadly assault was waged on the U.S. Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution. As we enter the 118th Congress with a Republican majority in the House, we must not allow anyone to rewrite history or whitewash the gravity of what took place. It was a truly harrowing experience – I barely made it out of the House chamber that day. I’ll never forget having to find cover as the insurrectionists stormed the Capitol.

“As we remember January 6th, I am grateful for the heroic officers who protected the Capitol. We must never forget the sacrifice of the five police officers who lost their lives and honor the courage of the more than 140 who were injured defending our democracy. I am encouraged by the progress that House Democrats have made to ensure this never happens again. We’ve passed the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act to stop a similar attempt to overthrow our democracy and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, in addition to providing additional funding for local election security. We must continue the fight to protect the right to vote by passing the For The People Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

“But unfortunately, there is much work left to be done to prevent another deadly attack. Over the past year and a half, the bipartisan January 6th Select Committee has put people over politics and consistently followed the facts, finding that President Trump and his closest associates engaged in attempted coup against the United States and the Constitution. Yet the majority of those involved – including several members of Congress – have yet to be held accountable for their roles.

“As we witness a dysfunctional party of election deniers show their complete inability to govern by holding the House hostage over their vote for Speaker, we must fight harder than ever to defend our democracy from those seeking to tear it down.”