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Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, this past January on the fifth anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, I introduced a bill called the No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act because, as we know, one of the first things Donald Trump did when he returned to office was to pardon every person convicted of crimes connected to the January 6 insurrection in 2021.
That is right, not just those accused of crimes, those convicted in a court of law by a jury of their peers. But for Donald Trump, that abuse of the Constitution's pardon powers was just the beginning. And since then there has been a concerted effort to keep going even further, to not only try to rewrite the history of that awful day, but to raid taxpayer funds to actually reward those who ransacked the Capitol, those who assaulted law enforcement officers, who called for the hanging of Vice President Pence along with Members of Congress, and those who tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
And so, sadly, it was not exactly surprising when, earlier this week, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a corrupt settlement creating a special $1.8 billion slush fund for Donald Trump to reward his supporters, including the perpetrators of the January 6 attacks.
And January 6ers being able to receive money from this fund isn't some loophole or unintended consequence. Let me cite a few people. Ed Martin the Department of Justice pardon attorney whose nomination to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia was rejected by the Senate, that Ed Martin, made it clear that this fund's explicit purpose publicly declaring last year that ``you're damn right I want to pay J6ers.'' That is Ed Martin.
The leader of the Proud Boys says he expects a $2 to $5 million payout. Another January 6 convict told CNN he plans to claim $30 million from the public treasury. And one other stated ``[A]ll January 6ers will apply for restitution'' from the Department of Justice's funds. ``All of us . . . it's all over Twitter [and] our group chats.''
So to be clear, ``all of us'' he means includes the many attackers who have not just been convicted of crimes related to January 6 but even after they have been pardoned by the President have been convicted of additional serious crimes, including one man who tried to bribe a child who he sexually abused to stay quiet with the promise of this exact kind of payout.
Now, the American people have seen a lot of egregious things since Donald Trump first came down that golden escalator in Trump Tower to announce he was running for President, but never--never--have we witnessed something this brazenly corrupt, an American President effectively suing and negotiating with himself to create a taxpayer- funded slush fund to funnel taxpayer dollars to his friends and allies. This cannot be allowed to stand, colleagues.
Now, I'm encouraged to hear some of my Republican colleagues agreeing with me, beginning with Majority Leader Thune who said he is ``not a big fan'' of this proposal.
Another Republican colleague saying ``People are concerned about making their own ends meet, not about putting a slush fund together without a legal precedent. We're a nation of laws. If there needs to be a settlement, let's consider it and Congress should come together and decide upon that.''
A third Republican Senator said ``I've never heard of someone negotiating with themselves and making a plea bargain with themselves, so I think there's no precedent for it.''
Finally, former Vice President Pence himself has said ``It would be my hope that anyone who engaged in violence against law enforcement or at the Capitol building would never be rewarded with taxpayers' money.''
Colleagues, this situation is so outlandish. Some might say it is laughable, but it is not. What it is: it is urgent and it is dangerous. Because if the Republican majorities in Congress, both in the Senate and the House, let this happen, then in less than 60 days, $1.8 billion will be transferred from the judgment fund to this new slush fund, which Congress would have no control over and no oversight over.
Senate Democrats saw this coming months ago, but the time to stop it is now before it is too late, which is why today I am bringing up my No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act. Let's stand up for congressional oversight as a unified Senate. Let's pass this bill and prevent corruption payouts before they happen.
3582. I further ask consent the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, a couple of days ago, I had the pleasure--not just the honor but the pleasure--of welcoming a group of students from Southern California here to the Capitol. As so many schools from across the country do, it is sometimes an annual trip to come see not just a symbol of democracy but literally the home of Congress, where democracy is in action. These young students are smart. They are keeping up with the news to know what is going on in their communities and in their State and in our Nation.
Knowing that sometimes our--small ``d''--democratic institutions are being challenged, are being stress-tested, as they are today, people can be discouraged, and part of our job, I think, is to have them not lose faith in our system. It is not always running perfectly, but it is resilient.
We are close to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and we have learned both from the steps forward our country has taken to be a more perfect Union and from some of the less proud moments of our Nation's history, where we tend to always come out a little bit stronger. And that comes to mind, it comes to the heart of this moment after hearing once again these conspiracies and these lies from Members of the Senate who should know better than either to believe them or to regurgitate them and to exacerbate them in this very debate.
The 2020 election was held. There were countless lawsuits before, during, and after the election. Ballots were counted. Ballots were recounted. Ballots were audited. It is clear who won the election. It is not some mass conspiracy to keep Donald Trump from having won that election.
January 6 happened. Don't take my word for it--plenty of video coverage. All types of news outlets saw the violence that day. It is undeniable.
The rule of law was followed. People who were accused of involvement on January 6 had their day the court. Maybe some were found innocent. Maybe some were found guilty of lesser charges. Many were convicted, found guilty because of the proof, because of the evidence, by juries of their peers.
It is President Trump who sent the message that if he came back into office, they would be pardoned. He won the election. I can say it. It was not my choice in 2024, but he won the election. I will admit it. And he made good on his promise to pardon those who were involved in the violence on January 6 in this Capitol. But I refuse to stand here and just let the administration and any Republican Member of Congress-- in either House--who agrees with him to set up this slush fund. It is an offense and disrespectful to the American taxpayer, to our democracy, and to our Constitution.
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