On Tuesday, House Democrats spoke on the House floor in a special hour about President Trump's second first 100 days.
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00:00Mr. Speaker, after Donald Trump and his co-president Elon Musk took office on January 20th, Democrats in Congress realized that we were engaged in a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this reckless and cruel administration.
00:25It was an all-hands-on-deck moment with roles for Congress, the courts, and for we, the people.
00:34So on February 10th, House Democratic Party Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries formally established the Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group, chaired by Assistant Leader Joe Neguse and co-chaired by Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jerry Connolly, and Jamie Raskin.
01:01The task force itself is also a multifaceted defense of our democracy, with its 45 members participating in various working groups.
01:14I participate in the litigation working group that brainstorms ideas for amicus briefs, where Congress's perspective would be especially important and useful to the courts,
01:28such as when the Trump administration tramples upon Congress's constitutional powers by ignoring the will of Congress as expressed by legislation that directs that a certain thing be done.
01:44When Congress passes legislation and that legislation is signed into law, then whoever is president is charged with the responsibility of taking care that that law is faithfully executed.
02:00The president does not have the power to nullify a law passed by Congress, but this president is willfully acting like a dictator, and the litigation working group is working to stop this president
02:17from acting unlawfully and unconstitutionally, and we are seeing great success in the courts, which is why this president is now attacking the judiciary and attacking judges,
02:31and we'll talk about that later during this special order hour, which I've been asked to lead.
02:36I also participate in a hearings working group that sets up hearings across the nation to highlight how this administration's unlawful and unconstitutional actions are affecting everyday people.
02:53And importantly for tonight, I participate in the special order hour working group where my fellow representatives and I organize time to speak on topics of urgent importance so that the American public can be informed about the harm this administration is causing,
03:14our thoughts, our thoughts about it, our thoughts about it, and what we can do about it, both here in the halls of Congress and in the courts as well as in the streets.
03:25Tonight, the topic I feel most urgency around is illuminating the ways that the Trump administration is destroying democracy through its attack on the rule of law.
03:39As a young man, I decided to become a lawyer. Actually, as a child, I was four years old when my hero, my mentor, my cousin, we called him Toki, his name was Archibald Hill.
03:56I was four years old when he graduated from law school and became a lawyer, and when that happened, I decided at that tender age of four years old,
04:07I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to be an attorney also. And Archibald went out to Oklahoma and set up his home base there, Oklahoma City.
04:24And he hung out his shingle as a solo practitioner and began to practice criminal defense law.
04:33And me being his acolyte, his fan, I wanted to be just like him. And I decided I was going to open up my law firm and practice criminal defense law just like him.
04:47And I believed in due process. I believed that if government accused you of a crime, you had a right to a trial by a jury of your peers.
04:59And the prosecutor had the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before the jury was authorized to convict.
05:08The government could not just accuse you of something without evidence, lock you up and throw away the key without due process.
05:18I believe in the rule of law. And I believe in the rule of law. And I believe in equal protection under the law.
05:30And as a lawyer, I fought for my clients in court, ensuring they received due process and equal protection under the law that they were entitled to.
05:41And I administered our system of justice as a magistrate court judge, upholding the law without fear or favor.
05:50That's the America that I love, one where everyone in this country feels secure enough in our rights to speak their mind and to live freely.
06:02And I'm deeply disturbed about the devolution that I'm seeing taking place right now in terms of the rule of law and justice in this country.
06:17Unfortunately, this is what we are seeing under this Trump reign of terror.
06:25In only 100 days, there has been an onslaught, an onslaught of attacks on the judiciary and the rule of law.
06:37The Department of Justice, Trump is using the Department of Justice to carry out a campaign of terror, retribution and vengeance.
06:48Trump is perverting his justice department away from administering justice into an outfit that is only there to prosecute his personal vendettas, punish his enemies and reward his friends.
07:03He has installed, to do his bidding, banana republic cronies like Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who are more than willing to carry out Trump's abuse of the justice system.
07:19Under their reign, dozens of prosecutors were targeted, identified and fired simply because they had worked on the January 6th insurrection cases.
07:41I lost my part here.
07:49The FBI turned over a list of 4,000 current and former FBI personnel who worked on the January 6th cases so that they too could be targeted for firing.
08:05When the pardon attorney refused to recommend restoring the gun rights of one of President Trump's supporters, who was also a convicted domestic violence perpetrator,
08:18who was also a convicted domestic violence against the gun rights of the justice system.
08:20Guess what?
08:21She was fired, too.
08:22And when she was called to testify as a whistleblower about her termination, she was called by Democrats to Congress.
08:31Then, the Friday night before the Monday she was to show up in Congress, armed law enforcement agents were directed to show up at her house on a Friday night, late, knocking on her door.
08:47And they tried to intimidate her out of testifying.
08:51It didn't work, I'm happy to report.
08:54The DOJ is also opening investigations to intimidate other whistleblowers from speaking up and to punish those who already have.
09:03The Department of Justice has opened investigations into a lawyer who previously prosecuted Trump's friends.
09:12They're investigating a governor who opposed Trump.
09:17They're investigating the New York Attorney General, the New Jersey Attorney General, and also United States representatives and senators who have spoken out against the Trump administration.
09:31Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate Chris Krebs because Chris Krebs told the truth that the 2020 election was safe and secure.
09:44And just within the last week, the Attorney General issued legal guidelines that allowed the Justice Department to subpoena reporters' personal communications without notice and to criminally prosecute any government employees who are seen as undermining the administration's views.
10:04The message is clear.
10:05The message is clear.
10:06If you say anything negative about the King, then you are not safe.
10:11The message is clear because it is clear.
10:12This reign of terror is what we're talking about tonight, and I'm glad to be joined by my colleague from the great state of New Mexico, Representative Melanie Stansbury.
10:28And she is now recognized for seven minutes.
10:36Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to say thank you to my colleague for convening this special
10:43order hour. Mr. Speaker, this week marks this administration's first 100 days in office. It's
10:54been 100 days of chaos, corruption, confusion, and absolute destruction of our Constitution
11:07and the norms that this great nation was built on. 100 days of tearing apart our democracy,
11:15our families, our communities, the vital federal programs that serve the people who make up our
11:22communities, thousands fired, agencies dismantled, your personal and private data stolen, self-dealing
11:32billions of dollars in federal contracts, judges jailed, a Congress that refuses to act and to do
11:41its job, and to countless Americans who are living in fear. Mr. Speaker, I've just wrapped up a town hall
11:51tour across my district. While my colleagues across the aisle are afraid to even face their
11:58constituents, we are showing up every day across our communities. 15 town halls touching 15,000 New
12:09Mexicans across every county that we represent in 12 towns and communities and tribal communities
12:17across our states. And let me say this. Our people are afraid. Everywhere we go, across the aisle,
12:30people who are afraid they're going to lose their social security, people who are afraid they're going
12:36to lose the health care that keeps them and their family members alive, people who are afraid that
12:41they're not going to be able to afford to put a roof over their head or food on the table. People who are
12:49afraid watching as their family members and friends are facing the threats of deportation.
12:58Students who are afraid to show up to school because they don't know what will happen to themselves or
13:04their families. This is the sign of an unhealthy democracy. This is the sign of an executive that has lost
13:14touch with the American people. This is the sign of an authoritarian and autocratic way of operating. This is the
13:23sign of a democracy that has lost its way. This is a sign that the American people need to continue to stand up,
13:33to speak out, to show up, to attend those town halls, to call their representatives, to continue marching, to continue
13:43making sure that we hold our elected officials to account. All across my district, there is not a single
13:52family who has not been touched over the last hundred days. People who've lost their jobs, teachers and
13:58firefighters, people who work for the VA and the Forest Service, who work for our national security
14:05programs, scientists and engineers, people who just started their jobs, and people who've been there for
14:13countless decades. These are real stories, real people, real lives that have been impacted every single day
14:23for the last hundred days. And what have my colleagues across the aisle done? Nothing. They have done
14:32nothing. They have failed to do their most basic constitutional duty of speaking up on behalf of the people that
14:41they represent, of holding the administration accountable, of saying something when they see something that is
14:47wrong. And not only that, do they refuse to do their most basic jobs, they are here in this building, working on a tax
14:58package behind the closed doors all around us that will further take away the rights of the American people, that
15:06will decimate basic programs that help people put food on the table and a roof over their heads. All around us, our
15:14colleagues are refusing to say out loud the things they will say to us in private, that they too are
15:21frightened about what is happening, that they too have constituents and veterans and elderly people on social
15:28security and disability who are frightened for their lives right now. What is happening in this country is not
15:38normal. We refuse to normalize it. We refuse to allow our democracy to be hijacked. We refuse to allow the silence
15:48that is deafening this country right now to continue. We must continue to speak up. And so I say, Mr. Speaker,
15:59the time to act is now. Because if we do not, we will lose everything. We must restore accountability. We must restore our
16:12institutions. We must restore our norms. We must stand up. We must speak out. And we need our colleagues across the aisle to join us
16:23before we lose our democracy. And with that, I yield back.
16:28Thank you for those very thoughtful comments and the terror that inflicts my colleagues on the other side of the aisle so that they find it impossible to muster the courage to speak out when they see something wrong and hear something wrong and, you know,
16:40everything going against their morals. They know it's wrong, but yet they can't speak out. They are victims of this reign of terror, although I don't absolve them of responsibility for having no courage.
16:55They should have courage. Just like the law firms that have been targeted by the Trump administration, those law firms, some of whom have protested, but others have
17:24have yielded to the terror. He's threatening these very powerful and wealthy corporations or corporate representing law firms with investigations, with revocation of security clearances,
17:45with termination of government contracts or funding, with bans from accessing government buildings, and hiring bans. Some of these law firms are standing up and suing the Trump administration for this unlawful behavior. Law firms like Perkins Coey,
18:07Mmm, %.
18:20Jenneron Block, Sesmon Godfrey and Wilmer Hale, but a raft of other law firms like Paul Weiss, Skaden and Latham bent the knee from the wall bent because they were too afraid of this administration it is destroying their businesses.
18:32I mean, here are a number of big, bad, powerful, wealthy law firms that can't even use the law to protect themselves, afraid to use the law to protect themselves.
18:46What makes their clients think that those law firms that bent a knee to Trump will represent their interest?
18:53I don't know.
18:54Only time will tell what happens to those firms that capitulated.
18:58But in the first Trump administration, law firms were part of the huge effort by the legal community to challenge unconstitutional policies of the Trump administration, like the Muslim ban.
19:15But this time around, the Trump administration is going to make sure that that doesn't happen.
19:20That's why they're threatening these law firms and making them heal and forcing them to come to the table and capitulate and roll over and let him wipe their, let him rub their soft bellies.
19:36They won't be involved in protecting the people against Trump's excesses this time around.
19:46Not only that, but as part of their deal with Trump, these law firms promised nearly a billion dollars in pro bono work, but
19:56only for the causes that Trump cares about.
20:01Now, pro bono means for the public good.
20:06But apparently, Trump and the law firms that he has punked out think it just means free legal work for Trump.
20:13Trump has punked these big, powerful, and wealthy law firms into providing free labor to help him negotiate trade deals, to help him revive the coal industry, and to help his friend, Elon Musk, the billionaire, as he wields a chainsaw through his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
20:40White House officials have said the pro bono work could be used towards representing Trump himself or his allies.
20:50And just last night, one of Trump's executive orders directed the attorney general to use this private sector pro bono work that he has extracted to represent him so that they would defend law enforcement officers who are charged with offenses in the performance of their official duties.
21:14So let me translate that, that means, okay, you remember George Floyd, who was murdered by an officer who wouldn't take his knee off of George Floyd's neck until he suffocated?
21:27Y'all remember that?
21:28Y'all remember Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in her bed after a botched, no-knock drug raid?
21:35Or Tyree Nichols, who was beaten to death after a traffic stop?
21:40Under the new Trump regime, the DOJ would conscript private law firms to, for free, represent those police officers against the families of the victims of police brutality.
21:55That's not the way that the Department of Justice should work, and that's not the way that law firms, big, powerful law firms, should work.
22:07They should choose the clients that they want to represent, not Donald Trump choosing their clients and causes for them.
22:14And now I'm pleased to yield some time to my good friend, Representative Dan Goldman from New York, a former prosecutor, and he's got some things that he wants to tell you.
22:29I'm going to yield to this gentleman 10 minutes.
22:32Thank you very much to my colleague, Mr. Johnson, for organizing this incredibly important special order hour to highlight the absolutely unprecedented and devastating attacks on our democracy and on the rule of law.
22:50Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm that our democratic values and the rule of law are under attack.
22:57We all must open our eyes before we find ourselves in Vladimir Putin's Russia.
23:04In just 100 days, President Trump has engaged in a coordinated, premeditated, deliberate attempt to dismantle our government.
23:16Let's be very clear.
23:19Donald Trump does not seek to lead us.
23:22He seeks to rule us.
23:24And we all must open our eyes.
23:28Since he first came into office, President Trump has persistently attacked the media to undermine the credibility of the messenger of news that he didn't like.
23:41And then, during the special counsel Mueller's investigation on Russia's interference in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump's campaign,
23:51President Trump attacked the FBI relentlessly, trying to undermine its credibility.
23:59Rather than debate the facts or the evidence, which he knows he would lose,
24:07isn't it just a lot easier to simply shoot the messenger and claim that everything bad about you is just fake news?
24:16Now, while many have correctly been focusing on the arbitrary and devastating cuts to essential federal programs or the disastrous and reckless tariffs that have increased prices and inflation and have tanked the economy,
24:33President Trump's first 100 days have also escalated this relentless assault on the checks and balances that have been the foundation of our great nation.
24:46On day one, he pardoned more than 1,500 convicted criminals who stormed this very building on January 6th.
24:55Hundreds of them were convicted for violently assaulting law enforcement officers.
25:04Blatant and disgusting disregard for the rule of law and for our fine men and women in uniform.
25:13Next, during his first week, he fired nearly 20 inspectors general,
25:18the independent watchdogs in the executive branch agencies whose responsibility is to ensure that those agencies follow the law.
25:31Then he went after the Department of Justice and the FBI,
25:36firing prosecutors and special agents who investigated his criminal conduct, who simply did their job.
25:44Before turning to the public integrity section, the renowned, venerable institution that was created after Watergate
25:55to be an independent investigative body of public officials.
26:02He and his administration have also been firing and forcing out anyone who might not share his political views.
26:11Even though these jobs are career, non-partisan, apolitical jobs.
26:18Next, he went after lawyers and law firms who have tried to hold him accountable to the law,
26:24and he continues to do so.
26:27He has signed several executive orders trying to limit the ability of law firms to represent their clients.
26:34One of the fundamental hallmarks of our system of laws.
26:41He's gone after universities, institutions that form the bedrock foundation of the growth and innovation
26:48of our great country, and that underpin and form the foundation for the best global economy in the world.
26:59Threatening now to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding,
27:03unless universities change their curriculum, change their admissions process, change their hiring process,
27:11and change other core parts of their mission that they decide as educational institutions in this democracy.
27:20He's also waging a war against non-profit organizations,
27:24yanking grants away that have already been made and allocated,
27:29and threatening to remove the tax-exempt status of any organization that may disagree with his opinions
27:38or support lawsuits that might actually enforce existing laws.
27:45You see where this is going?
27:48The media, the FBI, inspectors general, the Department of Justice, law firms, universities,
27:57non-profit organizations, all institutions that enforce our laws,
28:06that hold those in power accountable.
28:10This is his methodical way of undermining all forms of accountability in this government.
28:21But more recently, his attack on this Constitution has escalated.
28:28Now, of course, before he even came into office in January,
28:32President Trump had completely submitted the Republican conference of this body.
28:36They have abdicated their constitutional duty to be a check and balance on the executive branch.
28:45But the judiciary, the third branch of government, still remains in his way.
28:52So how does he deal with the judiciary?
28:54Well, he is openly and brazenly criticizing and attacking judicial rulings that he doesn't like,
29:01including a number issued by Republican-appointed judges, including his own.
29:07And now, he is openly defying court orders, including Supreme Court orders.
29:15He, President, and some of my Republican colleagues are threatening judges,
29:21trying to bully them into ruling in their favor,
29:25not ruling based on their interpretation of the law.
29:27And now, with the career folks removed from our executive branch agencies,
29:36he has put in political lackeys to be in charge of our criminal justice system,
29:43our national security apparatus.
29:45And he is ordering investigations, criminal investigations,
29:52into individuals simply because they disagreed with him.
29:57That is the type of corruption that our country travels the world to root out
30:05because it is, at bottom, as anti-democratic as it gets.
30:11It is the stuff of dictators and strongmen, not of democracies.
30:17And even worse now, he is attacking our basic and fundamental rights of due process.
30:28The right to have any allegation presented before a neutral arbiter who makes a final decision.
30:35Like a king, Donald Trump thinks it's okay for him to get to decide what the law is.
30:45But that is not how our system works.
30:48The Supreme Court and our judiciary decide what the law is.
30:53So when they do that, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that he is not a king
31:02and that he must abide by our basic principles of due process,
31:07he then refuses.
31:11Admitting a mistake,
31:13Kilmar Abrego Garcia deported to El Salvador,
31:17even though he had an order on him that would prohibit him from going to El Salvador,
31:24admits the mistake
31:25and refuses to bring him back to face due process.
31:33Due process is the cornerstone of our country.
31:37It distinguishes us from an authoritarian dictatorship
31:40and Donald Trump wants to destroy it.
31:44But it's not optimal, optional.
31:47And court rulings are not simply suggestions.
31:51They are the backbone of American democracy,
31:55our final safeguard against the unchecked power of the executive.
32:00When a president ignores the courts,
32:03he is not challenging policy.
32:05He is declaring war on the Constitution itself.
32:10And yet,
32:12despite this laundry list of attacks
32:16on trying to undermine our democracy,
32:20our rule of law,
32:21my Republican colleagues remain absolutely silent.
32:26In some cases,
32:28even supportive.
32:30These alarm bells are deafening.
32:33But too many in this chamber
32:35would rather
32:37enable Donald Trump's dissent
32:40into dictatorship than to confront him.
32:43They have laid down the power of the purse
32:45and now
32:47they are actively trying
32:49to forfeit their oversight authority.
32:52They are silent
32:53as President Trump wages an all-out assault
32:56on our constitutional democracy.
32:59They are silent
32:59as he goes after the media,
33:02launches investigations
33:03into his political adversaries,
33:06attacks our basic fundamental rights.
33:08This is what dictators like Vladimir Putin do.
33:12They use repression,
33:14retaliation,
33:15and the threat of violence
33:17to consolidate their own power
33:19while doling out
33:21billions of dollars
33:23to other oligarchs
33:24who will support them.
33:26many countries have faced moments like this before.
33:31Moments where the freedom
33:32and the openness
33:33of the democracy
33:35that they represent
33:36stand at a crossroads.
33:39I urge
33:41my Republican colleagues,
33:43please,
33:44stand up
33:46for our Constitution,
33:47stand up
33:48for our democracy.
33:49None of us want
33:52authoritarianism.
33:54We don't want a dictator.
33:56But now
33:57is the time
33:58when the rubber hits the road
34:00and you will make
34:02your record
34:03for history.
34:05Do you want a dictator
34:06or do you want a democracy?
34:10I yield back.
34:10I thank the gentleman
34:13for his very prescient
34:14comments
34:16and
34:17he spoke of
34:20a reign of terror
34:21that
34:22has been inflicted
34:23upon
34:24our institutions
34:25and the people
34:27of this country
34:27and
34:29I never thought
34:30as a lawyer
34:31that I would ever live
34:33to see
34:33the Department of Justice
34:36being perverted
34:38to the point
34:39of
34:40turning its attention
34:41on persecuting
34:42a judge,
34:45a state court judge
34:47for interfering,
34:49they say,
34:49with a deportation
34:52in her courtroom,
34:55in her courthouse.
34:57Even judges
34:58and courthouses
34:59in this nation
35:01are not safe
35:02from the reign
35:03of terror
35:04of this president.
35:06In Milwaukee,
35:08a state court judge,
35:10Judge Dugan,
35:11was arrested
35:12by the FBI
35:13for obstructing justice
35:15by allegedly
35:16directing a migrant
35:18out of her courtroom
35:19through a side door
35:21as federal agents
35:22waited to arrest him
35:24in the hallway.
35:25He was there
35:26for a hearing
35:27on charges
35:29unrelated to
35:30his immigration status
35:32and Immigrations
35:35and Customs
35:36Enforcement,
35:37ICE,
35:38did not even have
35:39a judicial warrant
35:40to arrest him.
35:43A judicial warrant
35:44is based on
35:45probable cause
35:46and is signed
35:47by a judge
35:48and has the force
35:49of law.
35:50What the ICE agent
35:52had
35:52was only
35:53an administrative warrant,
35:56one which is
35:57just simply
35:57a piece of paper
35:58that somebody
36:01typed up
36:02saying that
36:03this person
36:04should be arrested.
36:05no probable cause,
36:07no nothing,
36:08just an administrative
36:09warrant.
36:11And so the judge
36:12told the ICE agents
36:13that if they wanted
36:14to arrest someone
36:15in her courtroom,
36:17they needed
36:18a judicial warrant,
36:19one signed by a judge,
36:21and they needed
36:22to speak
36:23with the chief judge
36:24of Milwaukee County.
36:26and the chief judge
36:28told the agents
36:29that they could not
36:30make arrests
36:31inside courtrooms
36:32or other private locations
36:34in the courthouse.
36:36And that
36:37makes a lot of sense.
36:38If people know
36:39they will be picked up
36:41by ICE,
36:42if they report
36:44to the courthouse,
36:45they will never show up
36:48for their state court proceedings.
36:50And you're impugning
36:52the ability
36:52of the courts
36:53of the states
36:54to administer justice
36:57according to state law.
37:00So,
37:00Judge Dugan
37:02is alleged
37:03to have ushered
37:04the migrant
37:05out a side door.
37:09A week later,
37:11FBI agents
37:12show up
37:13at her courthouse
37:15at the parking lot
37:17when she pulls up
37:18and then they
37:20pull up on her,
37:23take her out
37:24of the car,
37:26put her in handcuffs
37:27and perp walk her
37:29in a public manner
37:31that was meant
37:32to send a message
37:33to any other judge
37:35who stood up
37:36for the rule of law.
37:37This was clearly
37:38designed to make
37:39not just state court judges
37:42but all judges,
37:44including federal judges,
37:45afraid of taking
37:47a position
37:48out of step
37:49with the Trump administration.
37:51It's meant
37:52to stop judges
37:53from doing their jobs
37:54and standing up
37:55for the communities
37:57that they
37:58are empowered by
37:59and against
38:01the illegal abuses
38:02of the Trump administration.
38:05And this is
38:05even before
38:06the talk
38:07Trump has stirred up
38:09about impeaching
38:10federal judges
38:11who have
38:11the temerity
38:12to rule
38:13against his administration
38:14when it violates
38:15the laws
38:16and the Constitution.
38:18So once again,
38:19Trump and his cronies
38:20are trying to bully
38:22and remove people
38:23who have the backbone
38:24to do their jobs
38:25and stand up
38:26for democracy.
38:27And ladies and gentlemen,
38:29I am now joined
38:31by my colleague
38:33from the great state
38:34of Georgia,
38:36Representative Lucy McBath.
38:39And before I yield
38:40to her,
38:40I would ask
38:41how much time is left?
38:42The gentleman has 21 minutes remaining.
38:49Okay.
38:50With that,
38:51I will yield
38:51to the gentlelady
38:52from Georgia,
38:5310 minutes.
38:57Well,
38:58thank you so much
38:59to my colleague,
39:00my delegation colleague,
39:01Representative Johnson.
39:03Thank you for being
39:04the managing member
39:05and yielding your time
39:06to me this evening.
39:07and I'd like to thank
39:09you for yielding to me
39:11and thank you
39:13for these moments tonight
39:15as we're in very critical times
39:16as you have been expressing
39:18before I've come.
39:21I want to thank your staff
39:23as well
39:23for taking the time
39:24and effort
39:25to put this together
39:26together tonight
39:27and the litigation task force
39:28for convening
39:30this time
39:31on the floor tonight.
39:32I am proud
39:34to join
39:35my Democratic colleagues
39:36here
39:37to raise the alarm
39:38that this administration's
39:40actions
39:41are rapidly
39:42undermining
39:43our democracy
39:44and our justice system.
39:47However,
39:49Democrats continue
39:50to stand
39:51as the party
39:52of truth,
39:54the party
39:54of democracy,
39:56and the party
39:56of the American people.
39:59While the Trump administration
40:00is emboldened
40:02to tear down
40:03foundational programs
40:05that keep Americans safe
40:06and gut the Department of Justice
40:09and our law enforcement,
40:12Democrats in Congress
40:14are holding
40:14this administration
40:15accountable
40:16and fighting
40:18so that our government
40:19works for every family,
40:22not just the richest
40:23in the world
40:23or the close friends
40:25and colleagues
40:26of the president.
40:28And I'm here today
40:29not just
40:30as a public servant
40:32but as a mother
40:33who knows
40:35what it feels like
40:35to lose
40:36everything
40:37to gun violence.
40:40And I know this,
40:42every family
40:43in America
40:44deserves the right
40:46to be safe
40:46at school,
40:47at the grocery store,
40:49and at home.
40:51But the Trump administration
40:52is making this
40:54much harder.
40:55this White House
40:57has worked
40:58to unwind
40:59the very protections
41:01that are designed
41:03to keep us safe.
41:05They have cut
41:06critical funding
41:07for gun violence
41:08prevention programs
41:09at the Department of Justice
41:11and have weakened
41:12the ATF,
41:14making it easier
41:15for guns
41:15to fall into
41:16the wrong hands
41:17and for gun crimes
41:19to go unsolved.
41:21They even disbanded
41:23key initiatives
41:24that tracked
41:26domestic terrorism
41:27and hate crimes
41:28tied to gun violence.
41:32These decisions
41:33are not just reckless,
41:35they are deadly,
41:37making it easier
41:38for violence
41:39to spread,
41:40for lives
41:40to be shattered,
41:41and for communities
41:42to keep on living
41:44in fear.
41:46As a mother
41:46who lost her son
41:48to gun violence,
41:49let me be perfectly clear,
41:51the American people
41:53are crying out
41:54for the basic right
41:56to live safe
41:57from unnecessary
41:59gun violence.
42:01Americans want
42:02to send their children
42:03to school
42:04or to the mall
42:05without wondering
42:06if they'll ever
42:07come home.
42:09These egregious
42:10Trump administration
42:12cuts are a slap
42:13in the face
42:14to every family
42:15and every survivor
42:16of gun violence.
42:18And in many cases,
42:19these rollbacks
42:21also make it
42:22more difficult
42:23for law enforcement
42:24to keep
42:25our community safe.
42:28Unfortunately,
42:29of all the disputes
42:31local officers
42:32are called
42:33to address,
42:35domestic violence
42:37incidents involving
42:38a gun
42:38are some
42:40of the most
42:40dangerous.
42:43The emotion
42:43and volatility
42:45during these incidents
42:46mean that they
42:47can quickly turn deadly
42:49if a lethal weapon
42:50is present.
42:52Instead of strengthening
42:53background checks
42:55and red flag laws
42:56to provide tools
42:58to our law enforcement,
43:00the Trump administration
43:01has weakened
43:02those crisis response
43:05tools that law
43:06enforcement depends on
43:08and drastically
43:10cut funding
43:11to police departments,
43:14putting our officers
43:15officers at risk.
43:18I came to Congress
43:20to make our laws
43:21safer
43:22after I witnessed
43:25firsthand
43:26how fragile
43:27our justice system
43:29can be
43:30and now
43:31I am determined
43:32as we all
43:34should be determined
43:36that we should be
43:37determined
43:38to protect
43:39our justice system
43:40so that perpetrators
43:42of crime
43:43and violence
43:43are actually
43:45held accountable.
43:47Recent attacks
43:49on judges
43:49as it has been
43:51expressed by
43:51my colleague
43:52Mr. Johnson
43:54these attacks
43:55on our judges
43:56and the courts
43:57by the Trump administration
43:58they should alarm
44:00every American.
44:03It will now
44:03become harder
44:04for families
44:05to seek accountability
44:06for crimes
44:08that are committed
44:09against them
44:10and for survivors
44:11to get the justice
44:13that they duly deserve.
44:16Every American
44:17no matter
44:18their background
44:19or the state
44:21that they live in
44:22deserves to trust
44:24that when they
44:25walk into
44:25a courtroom
44:26that the law
44:28is fighting
44:29on their side.
44:32But when our
44:32elected leaders
44:34belittle
44:34public serving judges
44:36and bend
44:37the Department of Justice
44:38to serve
44:39their own interests
44:40they shatter
44:42that trust.
44:44Families
44:45looking for answers
44:46for protection
44:47and for justice
44:48cannot afford
44:50to wait.
44:51Trust me
44:52I know
44:52I have been
44:54one of those families.
44:56I know
44:56the stakes
44:57of receiving
44:57justice
44:58for a loved one
44:59and they are just
45:00far
45:01too high.
45:04I thank
45:05my colleagues
45:06for standing up.
45:07I thank
45:08Representative Johnson
45:10for standing up
45:11for the integrity
45:12of our democracy
45:13on behalf of those
45:15who rely upon it
45:16every single day.
45:19And for those
45:20who are watching
45:21at home
45:21I say this to you
45:23you are simply
45:26not alone.
45:28House Democrats
45:29we are fighting
45:30for you
45:31and we will not
45:33let this administration
45:34undermine the very
45:36ideals
45:37of America
45:38and the fabric
45:40of our democracy.
45:42And I yield back.
45:45I thank the gentle lady
45:47for her passion
45:48and for her courage
45:49and for her tenacity
45:51in representing
45:53the interests
45:54of those
45:55who
45:56have been
45:57adversely
45:58impacted
45:59by crime
46:01and who need
46:02the justice system
46:03for
46:05to hold
46:07accountable
46:08those who
46:09would violate
46:09our laws
46:10and she stands
46:12for
46:12justice
46:14for all
46:15and I appreciate
46:16her comments.
46:18And
46:18you know
46:21it's not
46:22it's not just
46:24big law firms
46:26and judges
46:27that are being
46:29targeted
46:29DOJ
46:30officials
46:32FBI
46:33officials
46:34government
46:35employees
46:36whistleblowers
46:37the Department
46:39of Justice
46:40is now going
46:41after
46:41none other
46:43than
46:43Act
46:44Blue.
46:45What is
46:46Act Blue?
46:50Trump has
46:51asked the DOJ
46:52to cut off
46:53funding
46:53to anyone
46:54who opposes
46:55him
46:56and recently
46:57he directed
46:58DOJ
46:59the Department
46:59of Justice
47:00to target
47:01Act Blue.
47:03What is
47:04Act Blue?
47:04It's a
47:05Democratic
47:05fundraising
47:07site
47:07which collects
47:09small dollar
47:10donations
47:10from people
47:12across the
47:13country
47:13which fuel
47:15the Democratic
47:16Party's
47:17fundraising.
47:19Act Blue
47:19is a
47:20vehicle
47:21for everyday
47:22Americans
47:22to make
47:25small dollar
47:25donations
47:27to the
47:28campaigns
47:29of people
47:30who are
47:31standing up
47:32to Donald
47:32Trump
47:33and fighting
47:33back against
47:34this
47:34administration.
47:37And so
47:37as a result
47:40of that
47:41Donald Trump
47:43and his
47:43Department
47:44of so-called
47:45Justice
47:45is trying
47:46to shut
47:46them down.
47:47There's
47:48zero evidence
47:50of any
47:50wrongdoing
47:51by Act
47:51Blue
47:52unlike
47:53this
47:55president's
47:56own
47:56shady
47:57crypto
47:57businesses
47:58and his
47:58taking
47:59of
47:59unconstitutional
48:00emoluments
48:02during his
48:03first term
48:04but because
48:05Act Blue
48:06provides a
48:08way
48:08or a
48:09mechanism
48:09for small
48:10donors
48:11to fund
48:12those who
48:14oppose
48:15Trump
48:15Trump
48:16is using
48:17his
48:17power
48:18over
48:19the
48:19DOJ
48:19to shut
48:20down
48:21Act
48:21Blue
48:22like
48:24the
48:24authoritarian
48:25dictator
48:27that he's
48:27trying to
48:28be.
48:29Under
48:30rulings
48:30by
48:30the
48:32Supreme
48:32Court
48:33it's
48:34big
48:34dark
48:35money
48:35donors
48:36who
48:37now
48:37dominate
48:39elections
48:40and they
48:41donate
48:41heavily
48:42in favor
48:44of
48:44Republicans
48:45and instead
48:48of making
48:50those dark
48:51money
48:51donors
48:52putting some
48:54restrictions
48:55on them
48:56he wants
48:59to make
48:59them the
49:00only ones
49:00who are
49:01in place
49:01to be
49:02able to
49:03fund
49:04elections
49:05of
49:05representatives
49:06so in
49:06other words
49:07he's
49:08persecuting
49:09and prosecuting
49:10trying to
49:10prosecute
49:11a small
49:13dollar
49:14donor
49:14network
49:15for
49:16Democrats
49:16so that
49:19only the
49:21big
49:21dark
49:21money
49:22donors
49:22who
49:23participate
49:24in
49:24electing
49:25him
49:25and his
49:26MAGA
49:26cronies
49:27they're the
49:29only ones
49:29who are
49:29playing the
49:30game.
49:30now
49:32we cannot
49:34allow that
49:35to stand
49:35Trump
49:37is
49:38actually
49:39going
49:39full
49:39MAGA
49:40out here
49:40with
49:41this
49:41and his
49:43purpose
49:46is to
49:48make America
49:50great
49:50again
49:51again
49:52wants to
49:53turn the
49:53country
49:54back to
49:54the time
49:55when the
49:55only people
49:56who had
49:57the right
49:57to vote
49:58were
49:59the
50:00white male
50:02property
50:02owners
50:03and in
50:06line with
50:07that
50:07he's trying
50:09to destroy
50:10the civil
50:10rights
50:11division
50:11at the
50:12department
50:12of justice
50:13under
50:14Trump
50:15Pam
50:16Bondi
50:17and the
50:17department
50:18of justice
50:18is degrading
50:20the ability
50:21of civil
50:22rights
50:22lawyers
50:22to do
50:23their jobs
50:24on behalf
50:24of the
50:25American
50:25people
50:26the
50:27department
50:27of justice
50:28has a
50:28storied
50:29civil
50:29rights
50:30division
50:30which was
50:32established
50:32by the
50:33enactment
50:33of the
50:34civil
50:34rights
50:34act
50:35of
50:351957
50:36which
50:37focused
50:38on
50:38fighting
50:38racial
50:39discrimination
50:40the
50:41division
50:41has
50:41since
50:42been
50:42tasked
50:43with
50:43upholding
50:44the
50:44rights
50:44of
50:45all
50:45persons
50:45in
50:45the
50:46United
50:46States
50:46particularly
50:47the
50:48most
50:48vulnerable
50:48when
50:49Trump
50:50took
50:50office
50:51there
50:51were
50:51almost
50:51400
50:52attorneys
50:53in
50:53the
50:53division
50:53and based
50:55on
50:55unofficial
50:55estimates
50:56approximately
50:5870%
50:59of the
51:00justice
51:01department
51:02civil
51:02rights
51:03division
51:04is
51:06expected
51:06to
51:06accept
51:07the
51:07second
51:08resignation
51:08office
51:09offer
51:10leaving
51:11fewer
51:12than
51:12150
51:13attorneys
51:14as
51:15Trump
51:16has
51:16twisted
51:17the
51:17division
51:18into
51:18something
51:18unrecognizable
51:20into a
51:21unit
51:21that is
51:22bent
51:22on
51:22dismantling
51:23diversity
51:25equity
51:25and
51:25inclusion
51:26initiatives
51:27reversing
51:28policies
51:28on
51:29transgender
51:29rights
51:30rooting
51:31out
51:31woke
51:32so-called
51:33woke
51:34ideology
51:34and
51:35other
51:36such
51:36nefarious
51:37goals
51:38as
51:39Vanita
51:40Gupta
51:40former
51:41associate
51:41attorney
51:42general
51:42under
51:43Biden
51:43under
51:44President
51:44Biden
51:44has
51:45said
51:45the
51:46division
51:46has been
51:47turned
51:47on its
51:48head
51:48and
51:49now
51:49is
51:49being
51:50used
51:50as
51:50a
51:51weapon
51:51against
51:51the
51:51very
51:52communities
51:52it
51:53was
51:53established
51:53to
51:54protect
51:55cases
51:56have
51:56been
51:56halted
51:57and
51:59top
51:59managers
52:00from the
52:01voting rights
52:01section
52:02have been
52:02reassigned
52:03as
52:04devastating
52:04as this
52:05is
52:06it's
52:06also
52:07it's
52:08it also
52:08means
52:09that
52:09that
52:10knowledge
52:10is being
52:11lost
52:11and if
52:12we have
52:13an
52:13election
52:13in
52:132028
52:14it's
52:15not
52:15guaranteed
52:16with
52:16this
52:16president
52:17already
52:17selling
52:17merchandise
52:18proclaiming
52:20Trump
52:202028
52:21but if
52:22we do
52:23have
52:23an
52:23election
52:24in
52:242028
52:25and get
52:26a new
52:26president
52:26we cannot
52:28snap our
52:28fingers
52:29instantly
52:30and rebuild
52:30an entire
52:32division
52:32that was
52:33just
52:34demolished
52:34by this
52:35administration
52:36and so
52:37major
52:37damage is
52:38being done
52:39to our
52:39institutions
52:40and all
52:42my brothers
52:43and sisters
52:43can do
52:44on the
52:44other side
52:45of the
52:45aisle
52:45is cower
52:46in favor
52:48of what
52:49they know
52:50is wrong
52:51and unjust
52:52this is
52:53abuse of
52:54authority
52:55and we
52:56cannot let
52:57it go
52:57unchecked
52:58as much
52:59as Trump
53:00and his
53:00department
53:01of justice
53:01try to
53:02silence us
53:03we must
53:04all speak
53:05up and
53:05speak out
53:06democracy
53:07is a
53:08fragile
53:08and precious
53:09thing
53:10it lasts
53:11so long
53:12as we
53:13fight for
53:14it
53:14because
53:15each
53:16time
53:16we
53:16let
53:16ourselves
53:17be
53:17cowled
53:18and each
53:19time
53:19we
53:20yield
53:20to
53:20fear
53:21our
53:22rights
53:22narrow
53:23I have
53:24before me
53:25the preamble
53:26of the
53:26constitution
53:27it says
53:28we the people
53:29of the United
53:29States
53:30in order
53:31to form
53:32a more
53:33perfect union
53:34establish
53:35justice
53:36it's right
53:38up there
53:38at the top
53:39this is
53:39why
53:40we wanted
53:42to form
53:42a more
53:43perfect union
53:44was to
53:45establish
53:46justice
53:46and ensure
53:47domestic
53:47tranquility
53:48provide
53:50for the
53:51common
53:51defense
53:51and promote
53:52the general
53:53welfare
53:53but it
53:54was
53:54to establish
53:56justice
53:57that
53:58premised
53:58everything
53:59else
54:00and justice
54:01and the
54:02system of
54:03justice
54:03in this
54:04country
54:04is worth
54:04protecting
54:05and we
54:06shall do
54:07so
54:07we shall
54:08continue
54:08to do
54:08so
54:09I promise
54:10that
54:10I will be
54:11in the
54:11trenches
54:12fighting
54:12with you
54:14we
54:15the people
54:16as John
54:17Lewis used
54:18to say
54:18let's
54:19go make
54:20some good
54:21trouble
54:21and with
54:22that
54:22Mr. Speaker
54:24I yield
54:24back
54:25gentlemen
54:26yields
54:26members are
54:27reminded to
54:27refrain from
54:28from