>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN, AND
THANK YOU TO OUR COLLEAGUES ON
THE COMMITTEE AND THANK YOU TO
THE WITNESSES.
I NEVER EXPECTED TODAY TO BE AS
QUITE AS EMOTIONAL FOR ME AS IT
HAS BEEN.
A TALKED TO A NUMBER OF YOU AND
HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW YOU.
I THINK ITS IMPORTANT TO TELL
YOU RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, YOU GUYS
MAY, LIKE, INDIVIDUALLY FEEL A
LITTLE BROKEN.
YOU GUYS ALL TALK ABOUT THE
AFFECTS YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH,
AND YOU TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF
THAT DAY.
BUT YOU GUYS WON.
YOU GUYS HELD.
YOU KNOW, DEMOCRACIES ARE NOT
DEFINED BY OUR BAD DAYS.
WERE DEFINED BY HOW WE COME
BACK FROM BAD DAYS, HOW WE TAKE
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THAT.
FOR ALL THE OVERHEATED RHETORIC
SURROUNDING THIS COMMITTEE, OUR
MISSION IS VERY SIMPLE.
ITS TO FIND THE TRUTH AND ITS
TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY.
LIKE MOST AMERICANS IM
FRUSTRATED THAT SIX MONTHS AFTER
A DEADLY INSURRECTION BREACHED
THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL FOR
SEVERAL HOURS ON LIVE
TELEVISION, WE STILL DONT KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
WHY?
BECAUSE MANY IN MY PARTY HAVE
TREATED THIS AS JUST ANOTHER
PARTISAN FIGHT.
ITS TOXIC AND ITS A DISSERVICE
TO THE OFFICERS AND THEIR
FAMILIES, TO THE STAFF AND
EMPLOYEES ON THE CAPITOL CONPLEX
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT
DESERVE THE TRUTH.
SELF GOVERNANCE IS AT STAKE.
THATS WHY I AGREED TO SERVE ON
THIS COMMITTEE.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
THAT DAY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,
I WANT ALL AMERICANS TO BE ABLE
TO TRUST THE WORK THIS COMMITTEE
DOES AND GET THE FACTS OUT THERE
FREE OF CONSPIRACY.
I AM A REPUBLICAN.
IM A CONSERVATIVE.
BUT IN ORDER TO HEAL FROM THE
DAMAGE CAUSED THAT DAY, WE NEED
TO CALL OUT THE FACTS.
ITS TIME TO STOP THE VIOLENCE,
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WE NEED TO
REJECT THOSE THAT PROMOTE IT.
AS A COUNTRY ITS TIME TO LEARN
FROM OUR PAST MISTAKES, AND
REBUILD STRONGER SO THIS NEVER
HAPPENS AGAIN, AND THEN WE CAN
MOVE ONWORD.
I AM HERE TO NOT WIN A POLITICAL
FIGHT, BUT TO LEARN THE FACTS
AND DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY.
HERES WHAT WE KNOW.
CONGRESS WAS NOT PREPARED ON
JANUARY 6th. WE WERE NOT PREPARED BECAUSE WE
WE WERE NOT PREPARED BECAUSE WE
NEVER IMAGINED THIS COULD HAPPEN.
THATS A LESSON. WE DONT BLAME VICTIMS, WE GO
WE DONT BLAME VICTIMS, WE GO
AFTER THE CRIMINALS.
MR. CHAIRMAN, I WAS CALLED ON TO
SERVE DURING THE RIOTS AS A
NATIONAL GUARDMEN.
I CONDEMN THE RIOTS AND THE
DESTRUCTION, AND NOT ONCE DID I
FEEL THE FUTURE OF SELF GOVERNOR
GOVERNANCE WAS THREATENED LIKE
ON JANUARY 6th.
THERES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
REJECTING THE RULE OF LAW, AND
AS WE BEGIN OUR WORK TODAY I
WANT TO CALL THIS COMMITTEES
ATTENTION TO THE OATH OF OFFICE,
AN OATH NOT TO A PARTY OR
INDIVIDUAL BUT TO THE
CONSTITUTION THAT REPRESENTS ALL
AMERICANS.
EVERYONE, AN ELECTED OFFICE
KNOWS HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO
PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES, AND WITH THE POLITICAL
PRESSURES AND RE-ELECTTIONS
ALWAYS AROUND THE CORNER. MR. CHAIRMAN, OUR WITNESSES
MR. CHAIRMAN, OUR WITNESSES
TODAY LIKE EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT
COUNTRY
ACROSS THE COUNTRY TOOK THE OATH
LIKE WE DID.
WHILE WE WERE WHISKED AWAY FROM
THE DANGER, HEROES LIKE THOSE
HERE STOOD THEIR POST BEFORE IT