Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Senate Democrats’ Resolution Condemning President Trump’s Pardons Of Violent January 6th Rioters Amid A Golden Age Of Lawlessness
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Democrats’ resolution to condemn President Trump’s pardons of individuals found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers during the violent January 6th insurrection and to urge Senate Republicans to stand on the side of democracy and law enforcement. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
Now, it's become clear – it has been clear but it's even clearer today – that a pattern is emerging from Donald Trump’s presidency: a pattern of lawlessness. He has pardoned insurrectionists. He has fired many of the government’s independent watchdogs. And last night, froze billions, perhaps trillions, of federal grant funding to hospitals and firefighters and seniors and Head Start. Under Donald Trump, it’s already clear: it’s a Golden Age for lawlessness.
Today, Democrats will seek passage of a resolution that says something very simple: we condemn pardoning rioters who attacked our Capitol Police officers on January 6th.
I hope our Republican colleagues don’t block this resolution. All of us should be able to agree that people who attack police officers don’t deserve presidential pardons.
If Republicans stand in the way of this resolution, it would send an awful message to our Capitol Police, who work so hard every day to keep us safe.
Let’s be clear: the people who invaded the Capitol on January 6th, whether they engaged in violence or not, committed a very serious crime. I saw them, I was within 20 to 30 feet of them. And now, because of fear of President Trump, the party on the other side says, ‘never mind.’ One of the worst days in American history.
There is no gray area here – and particularly when it comes to people who attacked police officers.
By handing out these pardons to convicted criminals, President Trump is effectively saying, ‘you want to attack our brave police officers? That’s okay!’
Pardoning lawless rioters is not, not, not what Americans want the president to be prioritizing. They want to see answers to problems that impact them: inflation, good-paying jobs, a better future. And they sure as hell don’t want to see OMB taking away moneys that have been lawfully allocated, that they desperately need in so many aspects of their lives.
Our Capitol Police deserve nothing less than our full and steadfast support for everything they do to keep us safe.
The very least – the very least – we can do for them as Senators is to come together and declare that those convicted of attacking Capitol Police officers, we say clearly with one voice, do not – do not – deserve a pardon.
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