Menendez Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection
Menendez Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) released the following statement on the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection:
“January 6th, 2021 was among the darkest days in American history. We watched, aghast, as a violent mob —called to action by former President Trump —sought to prevent the democratic transition of power, assassinate elected officials, and undermine the Constitution. The insurrectionists attacked law enforcement officers, including fallen hero and New Jersey native Brian Sicknick, and desecrated the halls of Congress, demonstrating contempt for the rule of law and democracy itself.
“Since that day, Congress has taken the first steps to prevent the events of Jan. 6th from repeating themselves, but we must do more to protect our democratic institutions. With the recent passage of the Electoral Count Act, we took important bipartisan action, however, the presence of election deniers in Congress and throughout state governments represents a continued threat to our democracy. It is incumbent on every single person in this nation to do their part to defend our democracy. Every single one of us must guard against those who would erode its tenets and its promise for political gain. As we have seen around the world, it only takes a few demagogues, a small group of radical extremists emboldened by autocrats, dictators, and those drawn to fascism and nationalism, to destroy the democratic principles and norms we have always taken for granted.
“So today, let us remember and recommit to the oath that every federal official, every servicemember, and every new U.S. citizen swears to uphold: to support and defend the sacred Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We do this by calling out those who refuse to accept defeat in a free and fair election. And we do this by rejecting not only those who sow deep distrust in the integrity of our elections, but those who provide them a platform as well.”
