Scott Statement on One Year Anniversary of January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement:
"Today our nation marks the one-year anniversary of the violent assault on the United States Capitol. The Capitol Police force was overwhelmed. Members of Congress, congressional staff, reporters, and support personnel were forced to hide from the violent mob storming and ransacking our Capitol. Several individuals lost their lives, including multiple police officers. The images of that day will forever be seared in my memory.
"A year later, our nation is still coming to terms with the aftermath of that day. While we were not deterred from fulfilling our constitutional duty, it still concerns me that just hours after this violent insurrection so many of my colleagues – 147 to be exact –voted to overturn the legally cast votes of millions of our fellow Americans.
"Sadly, the threat to our Democracy is ongoing. Adherence to the former president's ‘Big Lie' about the 2020 election is now the most important litmus test for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. It has been used as pretext all over the country for rampant efforts to suppress the ability of Americans to vote, to install local and state election officials willing to openly ignore the legal votes of the people, and to enact other mechanisms to overturn the results of future elections.
"As we honor and remember the individuals who lost their lives, recognize the loss felt by their families, and help those still reeling from the mental anguish of this attack, we must commit ourselves to protecting our Democracy. The House of Representatives has already taken important steps to protect the right to vote and maintain the integrity of our Democracy through passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. I encourage the Senate to pass these bills. But those pieces of legislation alone are not sufficient to prevent the next attempt to overturn the will of the voters.
"The important work of the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol remains ongoing to get to the truth of what caused this insurrection and what we can do to prevent another. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the Committee on how we can best preserve and protect our Democracy. It is our duty to the Constitution and the American people to get to the truth of January 6, 2021 to ensure that such an assault on our Democracy never happens again."