Pelosi Returns to the Public Stage to Observe 1/6 Anniversary
Democratic lawmakers pay tribute to fallen heroes as Republicans bicker over the speaker
Nancy Pelosi has been laying low the last few days.
Since her speakership ended at noon on Tuesday, the California Democrat has been adjusting to life again as a rank-and-file member, and occasionally milling on the House floor to watch the drama and chaos from the other side of the aisle.
That changed Friday, as the former speaker was once again front-and-center before her colleagues.
Just hours before they were to troop en masse back to the House floor for the fourth day of what has become an endless loop of drubbings of Republican Kevin McCarthy as he quixotically pursues the speakership for himself, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave Pelosi the starring role in a brief — but moving — ceremony to mark the second year passing since Donald Trump and his supporters violently attempted to block the peaceful transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden.
Pelosi also acknowledged Jeffries for choosing the January 6 observation as his first official event as Democratic leader.
The former speaker led the House with “strength, courage and resilience,” as mobs of violent Trump supporters broke in and laid siege to the US Capitol, Jefferies noted.
“Thank you for having your first official public act be one to be a moment of reflection, a time of reflection and gratitude to our heroes. I associate myself, as I’m sure all of our colleagues gathered here with your remarks, in singing their praises,” Pelosi began. “The January 6 insurrection shook our republic to the core. For many in the Congress and across our country, the physical, psychological and emotional scars are still raw.
“Yet, from the unspeakable horror sprang extraordinary heroism. Law enforcement heroes confronted the insurrectionists to protect the Capitol, the Congress and our Constitution. And it’s with great respect and admiration that we are joined by the families this morning,” the California Democrat continued. “Thank you to the families for considering us worthy to share your grief, to honor your loss. When we had the gold medal ceremony, the highest honor the Congress can bestow, I said at that time, your acceptance of that gold medal in honor of your family members’ courage brought luster to the medal.
“We always pray for God to bless America, and he certainly did with the heroism of these heroes. As we mark this solemn day, let us draw strength and inspiration from the timeless words of President Lincoln,” Pelosi continued. “In his message to Congress he offered in the heat of the Civil War, he said, ‘We cannot escape history,’ and he called upon Congress to honor our sacred duty to nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope on Earth, which he believed was American democracy. That is our task today, too, so help us God.
“Now we will in short order hear from the families of our heroes, and we thank them for their sacrifice, for their patriotism. We will always carry the memory of their family members in our hearts,” Pelosi concluded. “And our tribute is also to those who suffered psychologically and otherwise protecting our democracy. I thank all of our colleagues for joining us here on the steps of the Capitol. But we always carry this memory in our hearts.”
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