Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The January 6th Committee Hearing And MAGA Republicans Continuing To Embrace The Big Lie And Undermine American Democracy
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding today’s hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol and MAGA Republicans continuing to embrace the Big Lie, the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
Today the House will continue its public hearings on the Capitol attack of January 6. I urge all Americans to tune in and listen to the strong case our House colleagues are presenting.
The dangers of the Big Lie transcend the Capitol attack: this week, many hard right candidates who deny the 2020 election and have little faith in the fidelity of our elections, may well move to undermine them, have won primaries and will be on the ballot in November.
If you want to know what our country could turn into if they win, look at what’s happening right now in New Mexico: right now a county commissioner in that state is refusing to certify the results of his county’s primary elections because of debunked conspiracy theories involving Dominion voting machines. The votes of over 7,000 people are now in jeopardy and the state’s Supreme Court has been compelled to step in.
This is the results of the Big Lie spread by Donald Trump. He cannot accept the fact that he lost. His ego is so huge and infantile that he is undermining American democracy. And too many, often out of fear of former President Trump and the primary voter acolytes that he has, go along with this, and it's happening in too many states. It's a real danger to our democracy.
In Nevada, for instance, Secretary of State candidate Jim Marchant has said that if he had been in office in 2020, he would not have certified Joe Biden’s victory. That is dangerous stuff.
America needs to be watching what is happening in states like New Mexico and Nevada, because if we are not careful it will be a preview of greater horrors to come.
It’s not a partisan argument: it is simply about democracy versus authoritarianism. Many of the things said by some of these office holders who won were said by people who then led their country to authoritarian regimes.
It does not matter if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an independent: democracy is at risk if we elevate individuals who don’t believe in the sanctity of elections. I urge the American people, regardless of party, to reject these radicals in November because our democracy is literally literally on the line.
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