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Floor Speech

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Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, day one, our President made our country less safe. Day one, with an irresponsible stroke of his pen, Donald Trump released 500 violent felons back out onto our streets.

These are the criminals who brutally attacked cops who were protecting this building. These were the people who betrayed our country, our democracy. I am not talking about the people who merely showed up that day to protest and didn't commit crimes. This is about the attackers who beat cops with pipes and flagpoles and tasers and mace, who literally stomped on police and tried to poke their eyes out. These were the sweeping pardons that Donald Trump made on day one.

These pardons disproportionately benefited the most violent among the mob. Now, they are back out on the street, heading to our communities. A number of them have already publicly commented that they are going to go buy some more guns, that they are out for retribution and have no remorse for what they did.

Of course, Americans are angry by this, and rightly so. It is an awful thing that the President has done, and it puts Americans in danger.

Among those who are angry is the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. They understand, more than anyone, that this puts law enforcement at risk.

In a statement, they said: ``When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe.'' They further worried that it could encourage more violence against law enforcement.

If you can viciously attack a police officer and get off scot-free, what kind of message is that?

So, violence is acceptable if it is committed on Donald Trump's behalf? It is okay to beat a cop if it is in the service of keeping him in power?

This is incredibly dangerous. I have to say, it looks an awful lot like the actions of someone who would like to be a dictator.

How can the officers who protect us believe that we actually value them if the President doesn't believe in holding people accountable who attacked them? How?

Over the last 2 years, I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the officers on the Capitol Police force. They take their jobs incredibly seriously. They have our backs every day. They put their lives on the line not just to protect our flesh and blood but to protect the very democracy, to protect the ideals of this country.

Like many of those who spoke before me have said, it is important to make this connection. These pardons are part of a concerted effort to rewrite what happened on January 6. This desecrates the memory of Officer Brian Sicknick, who lost his life in defense of this building, and it diminishes the great sacrifices that were made by thousands of officers that day.

If we don't push back on this perverted rewriting of history, we can look forward to our children and our grandchildren learning about the glories of January 6, 2021.

It has to be remembered for what it was. It was a domestic terrorist attack, plain and simple.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem to be trapped in a lie that they can't get out of. I know by the eye rolls. Actually, even before we went into the inauguration, I saw some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle doing impressions of the incoming President, making fun of him. They are now trapped in this lie that they have perpetuated for years now, and they don't know how to get out of it.

What Donald Trump has done on day one is to say to the Capitol Police: I value violent felons more than I value you.

I know I speak for so many Americans today when I say that makes me sick.

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