U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum Statement on Fifth Anniversary of January 6 Insurrection
“We will never forget the courageous law enforcement officers who carry scars – both physically and mentally – for the rest of their lives because of their heroism that day.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, issued the following statement on Tuesday in honor of the brave police officers who defended our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021:
“Today, I join Americans in solemn reflection five years after Donald Trump incited a violent insurrection on the U.S. Capitol to halt the peaceful transfer of power. Thanks to the remarkable courage of Capitol Police, D.C. Metropolitan Police, and nearly 20 other federal law enforcement agencies who responded to assist outnumbered officers, Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election failed.
“I will never forget the extraordinary sacrifices that law enforcement officers made to protect me, my staff, my colleagues, and our democracy. More than 140 police officers were seriously injured, and several lost their lives.
“Despite Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ repeated efforts to whitewash and rewrite history, Americans have not forgotten the attacks that Donald Trump unleashed on our democracy five years ago. We are reminded of the violence that took place that day when Americans read headlines about the new crimes that have been committed by many of the nearly 1,600 insurrectionists whose sentences were commuted or pardoned on the first day of his second term. Many of these criminals have gone on to commit more heinous crimes including child molestation, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
“In the weeks after January 6, 2021, a bipartisan Congress created a plaque as an official tribute to the courageous law enforcement professionals who protected our democracy. However, the actual plaque is hidden away somewhere within the Capitol complex, because Majority Republicans refuse to install it. I keep a photograph of a plaque posted outside my Washington, D.C. office as a daily reminder of the honor and bravery of those law enforcement officers who defended our nation on January 6. We will never forget the courageous law enforcement officers who carry scars – both physically and mentally – for the rest of their lives because of their heroism that day.”
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