Dear Neighbor,
Like you, I am outraged and devastated by this week’s unprecedented assault on American democracy at the US Capitol. And I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the hundreds of messages of concern and support you delivered to me and my staff. We are safe. And we are more determined than ever to do our work on your behalf, and on behalf of every American who believes in the fundamental rightness of democracy.
On Wednesday, I arrived at the Capitol for the counting of the Electoral College votes. I was on the House floor when the building was breached and the House Chamber was placed into lockdown. Speaker Pelosi and other members of leadership were rushed off the floor by their security details, while the Sergeant at Arms locked the chamber doors and instructed members of Congress to don the gas masks kept under our seats in case of a chemical attack. With weapons drawn, Capitol Police used furniture to barricade the doors.
We were evacuated from the Chamber as the mob smashed through the windows and attempted to break down the doors at the main entrance to the floor -- the same doors presidents are ushered through to deliver State of the Union addresses. As we left for a secure location through the Republican side of the Speaker's Lobby, I turned to my left and saw another makeshift barricade had been erected by the entrance to our side of the Lobby. I looked up and through smashed glass saw a second faction of the mob attempting to force their way onto the floor from the front of the Chamber. Tragically, a rioter pushing her way through that same broken window was shot and killed several moments later.
I will not mince words about this nightmare. The siege of the US Capitol was an act of violent insurrection against a coequal branch of the federal government, incited by the words and actions of a president desperate for power and incapable of coping with perceived humiliation or defeat.
With our own eyes, we saw Donald Trump whip a crowd of his supporters into a frenzy outside the White House and urge them to march to the Capitol. With our own ears, we heard Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, tell them to engage in a "trial by combat" to overturn the election results. The mob was given orders, and the world watched on live TV as they carried them out.
So there’s no question that Donald J. Trump lit this flame. But don’t forget that it was Republicans in Congress who handed him the match.
House and Senate Republicans have spent months lying to their supporters, pushing the outlandish claim that this election was rigged and stolen from the president. That was and is a lie.
They have spent months pushing the outlandish claim that Congress and the Vice President could somehow overturn the legitimate will of the people. That was and is a lie.
Over the coming days, there will be an intense effort among White House staff and Congressional Republicans to erase the president’s fingerprints from this attempted coup. That effort is an insult to the intelligence of the American people, and it will fail. We know where the responsibility lies.
To that end, it is inescapably clear that we cannot endure another second of Donald Trump’s presidency, let alone another two weeks. Congress has the tools at its disposal to remove the president from office, and we must now use them. I am unequivocally prepared to impeach President Trump – again. The United States Congress does not negotiate with domestic terrorists and their enablers.
For the sake of our democracy, and for the safety of our people, Donald Trump must go. Now.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, and remember that my office is here to help. Be sure to visit the COVID-19 page on my website for more information and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at (703) 256-3071.
