January 06, 2023

Van Hollen Statement on January 6th Insurrection, Two Years Later

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on the January 6th insurrection on the United States Capitol:

“January 6th is one of the darkest days in our history. But most Americans never wavered in our resolve to defend our democracy — and we never will. We must be ever vigilant, never complacent.

“While passage of the Electoral Count Reform Act was a positive step forward, we can’t stop there. To protect our democracy from states erecting barriers to the ballot box, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And, as we’ve seen just this week with Rep. Kevin McCarthy caving-in to demands of extremist, right-wing election deniers, we must remain on full alert to protect our democracy. We must hold Donald Trump and his accomplices accountable. The January 6th Committee was the first step – now, the Justice Department should finish the job.

“Finally, as I reflect on this day, I remain eternally grateful to the brave members of the Maryland National Guard and all of those from the Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department, and others who stood up to protect our Capitol that day. We are forever indebted to them for defending our democracy.”