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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, some events in our lives make such an impression that we can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we reflect on learning about them. On November 22, 1963, I was a sophomore at Georgetown University here in Washington, DC, when the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, TX. I was in the library, and the news spread through that quiet room like wildfire. We all stopped what we were doing and went outside and stood in the street and listened to the car radio's report of the news that was just tragic news, of course, that President Kennedy had given his life.

It has been more than 60 years since the assassination of President Kennedy and 43 years since President Reagan was shot. A week and a half ago, Americans were shocked to witness on live television an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump as well as the murder of Corey Comperatore at a Pennsylvania political rally.

We should all take a moment to reflect on Mr. Comperatore's family loss. His wife reported that when shots were ringing out, he shielded his wife and children with his body. It is an amazing scene to think that at that moment--that emergency moment--he thought of others to protect them. They have been in my thoughts since the tragic events of that Saturday afternoon.

We have a responsibility in Congress to learn how the Secret Service failed to protect former President Trump on July 13. We need to do this on a bipartisan basis; keep politics out of it.

The Judiciary Committee, which I chair, has jurisdiction over the Secret Service. Tomorrow morning, the Judiciary Committee, along with the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committees, will receive a classified briefing on the shooting. I hope that we learn more since the hearings that occurred in the House of Representatives.

Next Tuesday morning, the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee will hold a joint, bipartisan hearing on the assassination attempt, where we hope to learn more from the FBI and the Secret Service.

We need to ask probing and important questions and do it in a responsible way that avoids the kind of incendiary language that has become all too common in our country. It is irresponsible for a Member of Congress to accuse the opposing political party of being ``flat out evil and . . . [trying] to murder President Trump,'' but a Member of Congress actually said that. Another Member said, ``Joe Biden sent the orders.'' Can you imagine? Those kinds of statements are so irresponsible, mean-spirited. They don't belong as part of the national debate.

As a country, we have become desensitized to toxic and violent rhetoric that some politicians have embraced as standard fare. We should all be disturbed by the April poll from Marist which found that ``one in 5 U.S. adults believe Americans have to resort to violence to get their country back on track.''

I have said this repeatedly, and it bears repeating: Political violence is never acceptable. It is never the answer. Political parties should not elevate leaders who say these things that are so irresponsible.

Candidates should encourage Americans to exercise their constitutional right to speak and vote, not open a rally with an official declaring: If we lose this election, it is going to take a civil war to save this country.

As the most powerful democracy in the world, the eyes of our allies and rivals are always on us. Our political discourse should reflect our solemn responsibility to encourage free and fair elections not just abroad but at home because, in the land of the free, everyone should feel safe expressing their political views and participating in this country's most sacred and fought-for legacy, a free and fair democracy.

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