Pelosi uses President’s day message to Democratic colleagues to announce independent commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection …
(commission announcement in bold)
Dear Democratic Colleague,
Today, we celebrate the birthdays of America’s two greatest presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
George Washington was the patriarch of our country, who with his courage, fought for and won our independence at great odds; who with his wisdom, then established our democracy – the greatest that the world would ever see – and who with his prescience, cautioned against political parties at war with their own government, warning that through parties, “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.”
Abraham Lincoln saved our country from division by winning a war and the battle of ideas. He wisely said that if division and destruction ever come to America, it will come from within. In his Lyceum Address, he said, “If [danger] ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”
Our country was blessed with the great patriotism of these presidents. And now we are grateful for the great patriotism of our Impeachment Managers, who under the leadership of Congressman Jamie Raskin, did an excellent job defending our democracy and honoring our Constitution.
Now, as always, security is the order of the day: the security of our country, the security of our Capitol which is the temple of our democracy, and the security of our Members.
For the past few weeks, General Honoré has been assessing our security needs by reviewing what happened on January 6 and how we must ensure that it does not happen again. He has been working with Committees of Jurisdiction and will continue to make proposals.
It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened. To protect our security, our security, our security, our next step will be to establish an outside, independent 9/11-type Commission to “investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021 domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex… and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power, including facts and causes relating to the preparedness and response of the United States Capitol Police and other Federal, State, and local law enforcement in the National Capitol Region.”
As we prepare for the Commission, it is also clear from General Honoré’s interim reporting that we must put forth a supplemental appropriation to provide for the safety of Members and the security of the Capitol.
We will be forever grateful to the Capitol Police for their life-saving courage and heroism in securing the Capitol and protecting Members. I thank those of you who have signed on as co-sponsors for the legislation honoring the Capitol Police and other law enforcement with the Congressional Gold Medal, and I urge others to do so as well.
As we go forward, we must be worthy of the courage and wisdom of the patriarch of our country, George Washington, and of the savior of our country, Abraham Lincoln.
Thank all of you for your courage and patriotism.
