Rep. Jamie Raskin's Opening Statement on the 5th Anniversary of January 6th

Remembering January 6th

• 💡 The opening statement emphasizes the importance of remembering January 6th, contrasting it with Republican efforts to forget or downplay the event.
• 📌 A bipartisan plaque honoring officers who defended the Capitol, voted for three years prior, remains unhung by Republicans.

The Three Rings of Sedition

• 🎯 The attack on January 6th is described as having three rings of sedition: the coup, the insurrection, and the mob violence.
• 🔑 The coup was fueled by the "big lie" of a stolen election, coercive pressure campaigns on officials, and attempts to overturn electoral votes.
• ⚡ The insurrection involved organized groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, described as white supremacist and nationalist groups who had trained for confrontations.
• 💥 The mob violence was the third tier, recruited by Trump's social media posts and speech, which culminated in the storming of the Capitol.

The Resurgence of Political Violence

• 📈 The statement analyzes the resurgence of political violence in the 21st century, linking it to propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.
• ⚠️ It highlights the threat this violence poses to American constitutional government.

Pardons and Punishments

• ⚖️ Donald Trump's pardons of rioters and insurrectionists are criticized as "raw spoils" and a payoff to his "private militia."
• 🚨 It is noted that at least 33 pardoned insurrectionists have committed additional crimes since January 6th, including serious offenses.
• 🚫 Conversely, Trump is accused of punishing law enforcement and purging FBI agents who worked on J6 cases, while installing participants of the attack within the Department of Justice.

The Ongoing Fight

• ⏳ The speaker concludes that it is still January 6th in America until the forces of strong, nonviolent democracy prevail.
• 💬 The current DOJ leadership is characterized as having election deniers and J6 conspiracists, likened to villains taking over Gotham City.