the capitol steps are now jammed with people. >> they moved them fast. >> hang mike pence? >> members of congress are tweeting they've been told to shelter in place. >> there are now protesters inside the capitol building itself. >> they're right outside the senate chamber. >> we're going to walk down to the capitol.

>> storming the capitol at the behest of the sitting president of the united states. >> because you'll never take back our country with weakness. >> the president of the united states, egging these supporters on. >> you have to show strength and you have to be strong. >> the two people who are second and third in succession in that building. >> everybody who works in the capitol building has been put at risk because these protesters don't believe the election was fair. >> stop the steal! stop the steal! [ screaming ] >> tear gas inside the u.s. capitol. the chamber doors have barricaded. the glass has been broken in the gallery door. this is an insane moment right now. >> nothing like i've ever seen before. >> this is the first time we've seen an evacuation from the capitol of members since 9/11.

♪♪ that was one year ago today, one year almost to this very minute. i was anchoring alongside chuck todd and andrea mitchell. the three of us watching as our democracy was attacked. a violent mob egged on by the then-president of the united states, a mob that chanted about hanging that president's vice president. a mob that according to federal prosecutors used a full range of deadly and dangerous weapons, among them flag poles, hockey sticks, an ice axe, baseball bats, fire extinguishers, tasers, metal pipe removed from the scaffolding on the west front, riot shields taken from

police, and their fists. now a year later we wonder if anything is better. in roughly 30 minutes we'll hear testimonials from lawmakers, their memories of that day, as earlier this morning the then-president-elect and now sitting president joe biden was clear about who was responsible and what we as a nation must do to keep that day as just an ugly memory. >> this is what great nations do. they don't bury the truth. they face up to it. sounds like hyperbole, but it's the truth. they face up to it. we are a great nation. my fellow americans, in life there is truth, and tragically, there are lies. lies conceived and spread for profit and power. we must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie.

and here is the truth. the former president of the united states of america has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. he's done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interests as more important than his country's interests, than america's interests, and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. he can't accept he lost, even though that's what 93 united states senators, his own attorney general, his own vice president, governors, state officials in every battleground state have all said he lost. that's what 81 million of you did as you voted for a new way forward. >> chuck and andrea, i'm struck by not just the clarity and the

forcefulness of that speech, and who he's blaming for january 6th, but the message to all of us as a nation that we have got to come together and we've got to face the truth of that day. >> you know, it's interesting, some people might say why did we wait a year for that speech from him. i asked that of somebody over at the white house and they said, you know, there's a time and place, not every speech works well on just a random thursday in the east room. and i think i sort of accept that a little bit, but i also think there was a miscalculation that he made and frankly, i'll confess, that i made. i don't want to speak for the two of you. which was, if you kind of rose above it, if you didn't listen to them so much, if we sort of, hey, let it go, let the rantings of a lunatic -- ignore the crazy uncle over there, that it would fade away. well, a year later it didn't fade away and so now he had to make this speech. it was an important speech, an

important marker. and look, it's easily the best speech of his presidency so far. it's sad that this speech has to be, but in some ways it had to be the best speech of his presidency. i'll say this, those who call it partisan, it's only partisan if you think there's a legitimate debate about the result. really, what's a partisan speech? he barely even made -- he didn't use it to sit there and say this is why we have to voting rights. he didn't do that. he defended american democracy. >> he never mentioned donald trump's name. importantly, he did not appeal for voting rights or specific legislation. he will be criticized by some who say this was a moment, you had the platform, we haven't heard from you, you've been missing in action on this. a lot of his base, particularly black leaders and others in the democratic caucus, black and white, say that they have focused on too much of other things and let the summer pass without doing voting rights. that said, this was a speech, as

chuck says, he had to give. and i think by rising above specific legislative disagreements, he makes what they call partisan, the critics, nonpartisan. the election, the peaceful transfer of power, something that since the civil war, we have never worried about, we've never had a disagreement about, actually, since the founders. so -- >> lincoln's election was more accepted. >> exactly. i was just thinking, even the civil war, we did not disagree with the passing of power. >> it was a shocking moment. this was so bad, and it was so egregious, to violent, so ugly, so clear who was responsible for it, so clear who was egging it on and so clear from the apparel and flags being waved on the steps and throughout the capitol, who was at fault for this, that the country would wake up, that politics would wake up and say, oh, god, we can't have this any longer. but the gaslighting of this

happened almost immediately, and it's only gotten worse as the year has gone on. >> look at the former president today. he's still trying to call november 3rd an insurrection. this is the former president of the united states, more importantly, the former leader of what we used to say, the former leader of the free world, i don't think he believes in a free world, i'm sorry. and that's the thing, i think we basically now know that of our presidents, we have one who doesn't believe in america. and i know that seems like hyperbolic to say this. i'm sorry, there's just no other -- >> you would call him an anti-democratic person. >> small "d" democratic. we've misjudged the seriousness over time with donald trump. there's a buffoonery to him at all times, you're like, it's an act or it's this, you covered him during that campaign, and he would play that game, you know,

he tried to let reporters know, i'm just feeding them what they want. he's now -- it's now toxic. and you have to take it seriously. peter navarro is an unserious person who had the levers of power to do a serious act against this country. and i think more of us in the mainstream media have to wake up to the fact that yes, it's a series of knuckle heads, but it was a series of knuckle heads who actually were willing to -- that the former president weaponized. >> and i don't think that we mistook the seriousness of what he represents, since election week when he refused to concede. and i think since that moment, there was no doubt as to who this person is, and that he was determined to try to find a way around the peaceful transfer of power. i thought the speech today was remarkable. and there was a moment also on the floor today that i noted as soon as i heard about it.

i said, get that tape, because it's not live, available to us live, off c-span cameras, according to house rules. it was the moment when liz cheney introduced her father, former vice president and former house member, author of a book, co-author of a book with his wife about the house and the majesty of the house when he served there to the speaker of the house on the floor of the house, after speeches, and there was that moment of the three of them, and what liz cheney represents is remarkable. for all the disagreements that jamie raskin and others have with her, abigail spanberger who you spoke to today, what she represents is a really important moment in history, that there are certain things that rise above disagreements over social issues, budget issues, and all of the other issues. >> there's no -- there's nothing short of a very wide gap on policy between liz cheney and the speaker of the house, take

place in nancy pelosi, or liz cheney and other members of the house. what she and adam kinzinger are doing is, listen, i know the majority of our party doesn't believe this but we believe this is something we need to come together on, this is a threat to democracy, it's a threat to all of us here in this house, and all of us broadly as a nation, if we can't confront the facts of that moment. i do want to bring in a couple of other people to this conversation, nbc news senior congressional correspondent garrett haake and nbc news white house correspondent carol lee. carol, we're talking about the speech from the president and how direct it was, and where he laid the blame. it was forceful, he said the former president wasn't just a former president, he was a defeated president, which not very many presidents in our history can say, most of them get a second term and then go off. he was a defeated president, and he made that point very strongly. what is the goal from this speech, of this speech, from this white house?

>> well, generally, katy, the goal from the president's perspective is to not let history be rewritten. and this was a speech that frankly these were things that the president has been thinking for a year now, and that he's had -- seems like he had a lot to get off his chest because he hasn't really talked about this very much. he doesn't talk about former president trump extensively, and that's very intentional. this was a siege, and the point of what he was trying to do today was to talk about truth. you heard him mention that word 16 times. the president then tried to dismantle what he called the three big lies, that november 3rd, 2020, was the real insurrection, that the 2020 election results could not be trusted, and in his words, that the mob at the capitol was patriotic. and to that point, he really tried to underscore that those who are perpetuating the notion that the 2020 election was

somehow fraudulent and that he is not the legitimately elected president are really not patriotic, they're the opposite of that. take a listen to what he said. >> you can't love your country only when you win. you can't obey the law only when it's convenient. you can't be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies. >> now, the white house is facing questions after the speech about why the president didn't deliver a speech like this sooner, as chuck mentioned, earlier. and white house press secretary jen psaki responded by saying president biden has made very clear his views about president trump. he ran on the notion that president trump was a threat to the country and that people know where he stands on that issue. but the truth is that he hasn't really wanted to talk about him and he certainly hasn't talked about his predecessor the way he did today since he's taken office. >> garrett, let's talk about what's going on on the hill. we're going to hear testimonials from house members in a little

while. we've been hearing from democrats in the senate today. what about the republicans? there are almost no republicans on the hill today. where are they, and is anyone saying anything about today's event? >> yeah, what about them? they're largely a nonfactor other than the cheney family who represented all house republicans present here today. kevin mccarthy is not on the hill. there are a big faction of senate republicans not here, although many of them have a perfectly valid excuse, they're at the funeral for johnny isakson, long time senator from georgia, which was held today. you have different categories. you have the january 7th republicans, the folks still speaking today with the moral clarity that the larger party had on the 6th, mitt romney, liz cheney, adam kinzinger, that's about it. at the far end of the spectrum you have the matt gaetz/marjorie taylor greene crew who had a press conference today to make

accusations of this being a false flag operation. then there's the broad middle of the republican party who are operating under the principle that if they just wait long enough, donald trump will go away and they won't have to come to grips with the responsibility for this attack. we've seen a lot of statements that do address january 6th and say things like, this kind of violence is deplorable, i condemn all political violence, some of them pivot to condemning the riots of last summer to kind of get something else in there to talk about. but there's almost no discussion of what started this, why this happened, why we're all here. and that's the majority of the republican party today. and the 365 days since the last january 6th. >> garrett haake, carol lee, thank you so much. let's talk about the about-face we saw from some people in the moments after the insurrection and then today. lindsey graham. and this is the prime example. but let's play lindsey graham on the floor saying he's had enough after the insurrection.

>> trump and i, we've had a hell of a journey. i hate it being this way, oh, my god, i hate it. from my point of view, he's been a consequential president. but today, all i can say is, count me out, enough is enough. >> so that was a stunning moment, especially from him. and then just a few days later, he went to the airport to go home and here is what happened. [ yelling ] >> you are a traitor, lindsey graham! didn't you take an oath? >> i did. >> i've met a lot of republican members, elected members say to me off the record that i want to say more, but -- >> but i'm scared for my life?

>> i'm getting death threats, my wife has been harassed, my husband had been harassed, my kids are being harassed. i know it's hard. try being a cheney, try being a romney. the same thing happened to romney. his spine didn't crumble. >> they're afraid of being primaried by the man at mar-a-lago. >> they care more about the office. >> absolute power corrupts absolutely, it's a cliche but it's a cliche for a reason. you have people, as you say, who want to stay in office more than they care about the future of this country. you wonder if these people are having private conversations like we're having, looking at 2024 and worrying whether this country will exist as it exists after election day. >> they see it only as power.

i mean, i'm not a partisan here, but in terms of people who just want to be reelected for the sake of being reelected and don't care what principles they compromise on the way, it's just extraordinary. we were all together on the air that day, and i covered the hill for years before i was the white house correspondent and covered foreign policy. so i've been back and forth on the hill since the '70s. i watched them go up those steps and i looked at the steps and i said to our viewers, they're going to get in, because i knew those windows were at the top, nobody walks up those steps. >> i've tried to walk up. you get thrown off. >> there was nothing to stop them. and it was horror in my heart when i saw that because there was nothing between them and the senate and house floors,

statuary hall, the rotunda. and then we saw the confederate flag being carried. >> to try to answer your question, i do think one of the things -- i think that partisans don't believe their side are the bad actors and even when their side acts badly, oh, they're outliers, that's not real -- it's very hard to admit your voters or your side or your party leader actually did this. so i think there's some of that, as to why, as garrett described it, there's two ends and then you have this broad middle of elected republicans who are trying to rationalize it all and are in the back of their mind hoping trump goes away. they also somehow think, oh, this will get -- this will happen. i go back to the metaphor, they couldn't get rid of the emperor

in "star wars" without darth vader going over the edge. >> the reason they won't get their hands dirty on it, because we are living in a fractured media ecosphere. and if you want to hear what you want to hear, you're going to go to a not so dark anymore corner of the internet, social, facebook, your friend on facebook, or you'll go to fox news. >> that's the problem, 40% of this country believes they're fighting for democracy too. it's an ugly, ugly reality. >> jason crow just finished speaking. is anybody speaking right now? we're going to go right in and listen. >> let me begin, madam speaker, by thanking you for the opportunity for all of us to gather today and for this occasion to properly context allize for history the events of

january 6th, 2021. for me, january 6th will forever be known as a day of remembrance, reflection, and recommitment. i remember waking up that morning, tense but excited, excited to participate in and witness the certification of america's first delaware president. it was a hard fought campaign in the midst of an historic pandemic. i had no idea that the safest, most secure election of our lifetime would on that day turn into a violent insurrection. january 6th for me will forever be a day to remember how the light of acts of courage, small and large, defeated darkness.

heroes, staffers, custodians, police. i will remember those who quite literally gave their lives. a day of reflection. i reflect on that day, being trapped in the gallery, ultimately praying for all of our safety and peace in our nation. i also reflect on just how close, how close we were to losing it, to losing our democracy. those of us trapped in the gallery, we lived it, ducking, crawling, under, over railings, hands, knees, the sounds, the smells. we had a front row seat to what lies, hate, or plain old misinformation conjures. we went from victims to

witnesses and today we are messengers. we reflect on the fact that january 6th was about so much more than an effort to break into a building. it was an effort to break down our institutions. and i must admit to you, my colleagues, that over this past year, there have been times when i felt that justice was not swift enough. i felt sad, i felt mad, i felt bewildered that some minimized the day and continue to minimize it. but we don't give up, because in the words of poet william cullen bryant and quoted by martin luther king, truth crushed to earth shall rise. truth crushed to earth shall rise. so on this day, let us recommit to our democracy and to each

other. on the day that i was sworn in to congress, as many of my colleagues know, i was the first african american and the first woman from the state of delaware elected to congress. and i carried this scarf with me. it marked an "x" that my great-great-great-grandfather used to sign a return of qualified voter registration of 1867 in georgia. i also carried it on the day of the insurrection, because it is my proof of what we have overcome. and it is my inspiration for what is yet to be done as we work towards a more perfect union. i continue to have hope even when i feel hopeless, because my ancestors would have it no other way, and because scripture tells

us that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. and while i remember a great deal that day, what i remember most is walking back onto the house floor, into the chamber, that morning to complete our work. the morning when democracy prevailed. remember, reflect, recommit. [ applause ] >> thank you, lisa. and now i recognize dan kildee from the state of michigan. >> thank you, and thank you, madam speaker, for the opportunity to provide this testimony. i first want to express my gratitude to the capitol police. as one of the members trapped in the house gallery on january

6th, you saved our lives. and by defending the capitol, you literally saved our nation from a deadly mob determined to stop democracy. the law enforcement officers are the true heroes of january 6th and every american, every single american owes them a great debt of gratitude. as i lay on the floor of the house gallery, and as i called my family to tell them i was safe even though i was not sure that i was, it occurred to me that i was in the same spot where i sat 44 years earlier, as i watched my uncle dale being first sworn in to congress. a beautiful memory. and now that memory is replaced by one of me sheltering myself from a violent mob, a mob whipped up by a former president

pushing a cynical and dangerous lie, determined to overturn an election and to keep us, congress, from our constitutional duty to certify the election and ensure the peaceful transfer of power. as many of you know, for me personally the path forward after january 6th has not been an easy one. it's been made more painful, however, by the fact that most of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to accommodate that big lie that was the predicate for the attack on our country. as the speaker said, however, thankfully, gratefully, democracy won on that day. the insurrectionists lost. but january 6th is not over. january 6th is not behind us.

the threat and the lie that fuels that threat continues to rear its head in other forms. that threat exists today, and further threats of violence against elected and appointed officials meant to intimidate. that threat exists today in state legislatures and local clerks' offices across the country, while one party continues to try to undo the democratic process and make it harder for americans to have their voices heard at the ballot box. if we as members of congress all act with the same patriotism and courage that those brave law enforcement officers exemplified on january 6th, i know we can stop this ongoing effort to bend our democracy. but to truly protect our democracy, we need truth.

truth as clear as this shard of broken glass that i have carried with me for the last 365 days. glass that i picked up from a broken window in the capitol in the aftermath of january 6th as a reminder, constant reminder in my pocket of the brutality of that day. we must have truth. we must have accountability. only truth and accountability will give us the opportunity to find a path toward reconciliation. only truth will begin to thaw the bitterness that characterizes our current divisions. we live in the greatest country in the world, the united states of america. but our democracy is only what we make it. our democracy does not run on auto pilot. one year ago, we came dangerously close to an attack

to stop our democracy from succeeding and our country -- and for our country to heal and move forward. what we need in this country now more than ever, most of all, is truth and leaders who are willing to stand up for truth. even when it's hard. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, dan. before i go to our next speaker, i was just informed that the parents of officer brian sicknick, charles and gladys sicknick, have joined us today. [ applause ] would you please stand, charles and gladys, and be recognized.

for those of you joining us at home, brian sicknick was an officer who gave his life on january 6th, 2021, in defense of this capitol, in defense of many of us. and we sitting here owe your family a debt of gratitude that we can never repay. we will be there for you and your family going forward and you are now a part of our family as well. [ applause ] it is now my honor to recognize my friend annie custer from the state of mississippi. >> madam speaker, to my colleagues and friends, to the sicknick family, and to america, 1,000 acts of courage saved my

life and our democracy one year ago today in the january 6th attack on our capitol. i am here today as both a survivor and a witness to the brutal and violent attack that threatened my life and continues to threaten the future of our democracy. america does not yet know just how close we, the members here in this room today, our nation, and our democracy, came to our demise that terrifying day. 1,000 acts of courage by the capitol police, by the dc metro police, by house staff, saved our lives and saved the future of our democracy. i was in the house gallery with my colleagues to witness the certification of the election of joe biden as our president and kamala harris as our historic vice president. we could hear the shouting and commotion in the hallway outside

the gallery. and then the pounding on the door to the chamber as the members on the house floor were evacuated. terror and adrenaline coursed through our bodies as we lay on the floor, hidden behind the gallery rail. i grabbed the hand of my colleague sarah jacobs, just 31 years old on her fourth day of congress. sarah, i whispered, we have to crawl around this corner to get out of the line of fire. we were all terrified and we thought that we would die. suddenly a capitol police officer shouted, run, run, run, run! we scrambled across the entire length of the gallery, crouching down, ducking down, under the railings, terrified by the pounding on the door and the shouting outside the chamber. a tall, brave officer grabbed four of us and said, i will get you to the elevator, i will get

you to safety. as we ducked into the elevator just as the raging rioters came charging down that third floor hallway, 1,000 acts of courage saved my life and saved our democracy by moments, not minutes. every struggle slowed the monstrous mob, saving our lives. what would they have done to us, 40 or 50 feet, seconds away from us, bear spray? tear us limb from limb? kidnap or kill four members of congress or many, many more? seconds later, our colleague jason crow, a former army ranger, heard the commotion in the hall and commanded the police to lock that last gallery door. two dozen members of congress and a dozen or more journalists were pinned down for the next 8 1/2 minutes while the riot

police finally subdued the terrorist mob. when my colleagues finally evacuated the gallery, the rioters were sprawled on the floor with guns to their heads. a combat scene that no one could begin to imagine in the halls of congress. we survived that day. we are here today as survivors and witnesses. we returned to the chamber that night, at 3:30 a.m. we certified the election of president joe biden and vice president kamala harris. but let us never forget how close we came. let us carry a thousand acts of courage in our hearts and act to save our democracy. today and every day. god bless america. [ applause ] >> thank you, annie kuster.

now i recognize my friend adam schiff from california. >> thank you, jason. madam speaker, my colleagues. one year ago, i was on the house floor when the mob attacked our capitol. as one of a few members the speaker had asked to manage the opposition to the efforts to decertify the results of the presidential election, i had six actors and six rebuttals to make to the challengers from six different states. so i wasn't paying attention to what was happening outside the building, to the growing mass of rioters, to efforts to break into the building. it was not until our leadership was swiftly removed from the chamber and police announced we needed to take out our gas masks

that i understood the full extent of the danger. when the order came to evacuate, i stayed behind for a while, until two republicans came up to me, one of them said, you can't let them see you. i know these people, i can talk to these people, i can talk me way through these people. you're in a whole different category. thanks to the courage of the police officers that day, we were safe and we returned to the chamber that night to finish the work and certify the results. and our democracy moved forward, weakened, yes, defiled, even, by the shameful action of the insurrectionists, but, as ever, resilient. i pray that this solemn anniversary be a reawakening of our devotion to our democracy, that it serves as the most

potent reminder that the freedoms that we enjoy are not an inevitable birth right bequeathed by our founders but a treasure to be jealously guarded. as americans, we have a very proud legacy to cherish. it's time we remembered that. it's time we defended our democracy like our lives, our liberties, and our very happiness depend upon it, because they do. because they do. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, adam schiff. i now recognize val demings from florida. >> madam speaker, mr. and mrs. sicknick, to my colleagues and other special guests, i stand

before you today as a 27-year law enforcement officer. a police officer's oath of office says that i do solemnly swear that i will support, protect, and defend the constitution and government of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. that i will bear true faith, loyalty, and allegiance to the same. and that i am entitled to hold office under the constitution. and that i will faithfully perform all of the duties under the constitution, so help me god.

when the police officers reported for duty one year ago today, they came as they always do. ready to faithfully perform all of the duties. but they had no idea what they would face. it seems a lot of people at all levels knew or should have known just how far this violent mob and their enablers would go. but the officers were ambushed by this violent mob who had total disregard for the officers' oaths, their records of service, their families, and their safety.

as a former police chief, i shall never forget what i witnessed one year ago today. and america should never forget either. i know the capitol police officers and others took their oath seriously because i saw them fighting with every ounce of strength, courage, commitment, and energy that they could muster up. but you know what? as members of congress, both in the upper chamber and the lower chamber, we have taken an oath too. but some have forgotten that

oath. for some, their oath is overshadowed by their quest for power and their pathetic fear of election officials counting every vote. i want to thank the police officers for defending and protecting us that day. but they did so much more. they also protected our democracy. many people call themselves patriots. but true patriots don't lie. they don't steal. they don't cheat. they aren't cowards. they don't push lies for political or financial gain. but out of the ashes, good things can rise.

bright spots. one year ago today, the police officers who defended us and the certification of the electoral ballots. our democracy stood. and the enemies of our democracy lost. i will support, protect, and defend because america is worth it. god bless you all. [ applause ] >> thank you, val demings. and now i recognize my friend colin allred from the state of texas. >> madam speaker, my colleagues, sicknick family. i have to tell you a little bit about how i came to be in the congress. i took the normal route. i was raised by a single mother,

played in the nfl, went to law school and became a civil rights lawyer. i thought when i left the nfl as a linebacker, where my job was to put people on the ground, that those abilities and the need to do that were over. on january 6th, along with my friends and colleagues, rubin gallego, pete aguilar, we took off our suit jackets on the house floor, the first time i've ever done that, and we were ready to try and defend our colleagues from whatever was going to come through those doors. and we saw the mob at the doors.

as we were exiting the house floor, i saw the glass breaking. i saw the officers staying behind, their guns drawn. and i thought about the opportunity they had given me. because, as i said, i was raised by a single mother but i'm a father now. i had a 23-month-old son at home. and i had a baby on the way in two more months. had those officers not held that line, i would not have met my son cameron. so for me, january 6th, i don't see it as a member of congress so much. i see it as a father, as somebody who, because i didn't know mine, have always been committed to making sure that my

boys knew me. so to the sicknick family, i say you to, your son's sacrifice allowed me to meet mine. the overwhelming feeling i felt on january 6th was one of sadness. sadness for our country. sadness for the country that i thought i might have to leave to my boys. in the time since then, and i really mean this, my sadness has become a resolve. i'm determined to do whatever i can to save our democracy, because it's worth saving. for my boys, and the country they'll inherit, for their children and their children's children, we cannot let the mob,

the authoritarians, people who, in president bush's words, reject pluralism, reject modernity, reject our way of life, win. that brings me to my final point. as so many of us has said, i don't think people will remember that we had to evacuate the house floor. i hope they won't. or not only that, maybe. i hope that we remember that we came back. while there was still blood on the walls, still broken glass on the floor, while we ourselves were shaken, we came back and we

voted to certify an american presidential election. it's my honor to serve with every single one of you. i'm sorry that we've gone through this together. but i'll tell you, our country is worth it. our democracy is worth it. and the people in this room, in mr. meacham's words, are the ones who are standing in the breach. and i'm proud to stand with you. thank you so much. [ applause ] >> thank you, colin allred. i'm now proud to recognize rosa delauro from connecticut.

>> madam speaker, mr. and mrs. sicknick, thank you. thank you to congressman crow for presiding over this somber day of reflection and remembrance, as we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the january 6th assault on this institution and the assault on our democracy. just a year ago, congressman crow, you fought to keep the protesters out of the house chamber. and you gave the rest of us in the gallery direction and strength and helped us to protect ourselves. and for that, we are grateful. keep your head down, take your pin off, you are a remarkable leader. we thank you. on january 6th, 2021, our nation

gazed into the abyss. we understood more fully than ever that our democracy is fragile. a year later, it is difficult to comprehend the gravity of this attack on our democracy. but i will i will never forget the capitol police who told us to, quote, hit the floor, grab the gas masks under our seats. i had no idea there were gas masks under our seats. as the mob headed for the chamber and when they said the capitol had been breached with tear gas in statuary hall and they were on their way to the chamber doors, and that's a very short walk to the chamber doors. trapped in the gallery with my colleagues so many who are here today, we held onto one another. we watched out for one another. we made sure that we could get

over the railings or under the railings. and i'll never forget marcy captor who said this is a little bit like the limbo, over and under. and yet you had a little bit of levity. but we did. we look back to say are you with us, let's go as we made our way around the perimeter of the capitol. and i will never forget lying on the floor behind those seats and the officer said hit the floor, there are gunshots. we saw the chamber doors smashed. we saw police with guns drawn. we heard the shots from the speakers lobby. and i remember i was laying on the floor and i had just a little bit of juice left in my cellphone. and i wanted to call my husband.

i wanted to call stan. i was afraid to say i love you because it harkened back to september 11th and those last calls. so i just said i'm all right, tell the kids i'm all right, they are going to get us out of here. and i hung up the phone. and then when they did get us out through those ceremonial doors, we saw the rioters spread eagle on the floor the capitol police with guns standing over them. and they got us to safety. as my colleagues have said, they saved our lives at risk of their own. but we mark this day by also recognizing the resilience of our democracy. on that day our institutions withstood a threat.

we overcame the chaos. and let it be a reminder of just how remarkable america is. together we protected the basic functions of our democracy. we continued to request to build a more perfect union. and the principles of our constitution not only survived this crisis but proved once again our democratic system works and remains a beacon of hope for the world. and that is why it is so important that we continue to have a full investigation of those events one year ago so that they never happen again. we seek the truth, recognize what happened so that we can move forward. it is why we must safeguard our elections bypassing voter rights legislation that would protect that right to vote. the right to vote is the ultimate defense against insurrection. it is why we must continue the

work of the january 6th committee led by congressman benny thompson and congresswoman liz cheney. and that is why those of us who have the capacity whatever committee we serve on that where we passed into law almost a billion dollars to fund the capitol police and to secure the u.s. capitol, the citadel of democracy. one year ago our democracy was tested but we prevailed. our institutions and the rule of law triumphed on january 6th. and despite rioters and protests we performed our constitutional duty. yes, we were delayed but our efforts were undeterred. we pray for their officers and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice. we honor their sacrifices by taking a hard look at just what happened on that dark day and what we need to do to ensure

such a breach in our capitol security never happens again. we must never forget january 6th. we must never lose sight of what happened. and we must never stop fighting for our democracy. in the immortal words of alexis -- i quote, the greatness in america lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation but rather in her ability to repair her faults. let that be the enduring lesson of january 6th. thank you, my colleagues. and god bless this institution and all of you. [ applause ] >> thank you. next i recognize my friend, sarah jacobs, from california. >> thank you, jason, for putting

this on. and for the glass of whiskey you poured me when we finally got back to our offices on january 6th. january 6th was my fourth day in office. january 6th was my first time ever to the house gallery. my team had to walk me there because i didn't know how to get through the capitol yet. i'll never forget the buzzing of the escape hoods, the fear when i couldn't open the packaging, the sounds of the doors closing and being locked, introducing myself to my colleagues as we were hiding under the chairs, fashioning weapons out of stachens and pens and my high heels, ready to take on the rioters who were banging on the doors behind us. climbing over rails and chairs not sure where the rioters were. wondering if the bruises where found later that night were from

dropping to the floor so many times or from our rushed escape, waiting for the elevator door to open. sure we were going to see a machine gun and for it all to be over. the capitol police officer who put his body in the way in case that happened. looking to my right and seeing the mob as we rushed to get out seconds away from getting us. i'll never forget just how close we came to losing our democracy that day. but i'll also never forget the feeling as i was sitting there under my chair that i knew what we needed to do, that i was here for a reason. because i'd spent my career working on conflict and political violence at the u.n. and the state department. i'd worked on transitions in places around the world. i'd been in scary situations before and i'd advised many other countries about what they should do. i just never thought i'd need to

use that experience here. i never thought the most dangerous place i could be was the united states capitol. but on january 6th the united states capitol became a conflict setting. and although we eventually secured the building and returned to work that night, the conflict isn't over. january 6th was not the end. it was the beginning. and i know that many people are afraid what this means for the future of our country as we see the threat from from a violent mob. and those threats to our democracy are real. but i'm optimistic because i've seen countries torn apart even more than ours are, find a way to put themselves back together. i know that it's possible. all it takes is each of us regardless of party coming together to decide that our democracy is worth defending. and i know that all of us here today are ready to do that.

thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, sarah jacobs. and next i recognize my friend tom melonowski from new jersey. >> thank you, jason, madam speaker and mr. and mrs. sicknick, my colleagues. as many of you know i was born in a communist country, came to america as a child. and when i grew up i spent most of my career before coming to congress as a human rights advocate and as an american diplomat trying to champion to dictatorships around the world the idea of american democracy. so i have my own particular perspective on what makes america special and on why so

many people around the world to this day dream of becoming american. it's not just words like "democracy" and "liberty." more than that is because an idea embedded in the constitution of the united states, the idea that everyone in america no matter how powerful is supposed to play by the same rules. and every american election is an opportunity to show that, to show what it means. unlike in many other countries our winners don't assume absolute power to do whatever they may want. our losers understand that their rights are preserved. they accept defeat. we've all been there and lived to fight another day. so on january 6th, a year ago, i was desperate to be in the house gallery. i wanted to be there to see the ceremony that would mark the continuation of the sacred