Tim Ryan: We must come together to keep our republic
From the Columbus Dispatch.
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Gallows on the Capitol lawn. Molotov cocktails at the ready. Zip-tie handcuffs in the House of Representatives and Senate Chambers. Law enforcement officers beaten and killed. There is no sugar-coating what happened at our nation’s Capitol on January 6th: Domestic terrorists violently breached the seat of American government with the intent of preventing the certification of rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election.
As chaos unfolded that afternoon, I was thankful to be have been sheltered in a safe area of the House Office Buildings. I watched updates in horror as Capitol Police were overrun and the violent mob took the Capitol building. Like most Americans, I was heartbroken at what was unfolding in the heart of our nation’s 244-year old democratic experiment.
As chair of the Legislative Branch House Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m charged with the funding and oversight of the Capitol Police. Ahead of expected protests on January 6th, I held calls with the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to ensure there was a crowd management plan. I was assured there were sufficient protocols that would keep members of Congress and the staff who work here safe.
(snip)
He tried to bully state elected officials to “find” more than 11,000 votes to change the outcome of the race. He continued to fan the flames of a debunked conspiracy about voting machines from his soap box online. No matter your politics, we must all say in no uncertain terms that we do not accept efforts to overturn the will of the people.
The second step of our inquiry is that we must join together and repudiate the actions of those who carried out the attack and sought to overthrow the will of the people. There must be no space in our democracy for those who use intimidation and violence to bend others to their will.
Full column:
https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/2021/01/19/column-we-must-come-together-keep-our-republic/4179611001/
