WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, this week slammed Republicans for holding a subcommittee hearing designed to attack district judges and politicize the judicial impeachment process. In his remarks at the hearing, Senator Welch emphasized how President Trump’s perpetuation of the ‘Big Lie’ that President Biden did not win the election led to the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. The Senator also underscored the importance of protecting America’s independent judiciary, which is critical to the foundation of our democracy.
“My view here? This is really a carryover of what happened on January 6, and it was outrageous. This is my opinion: President Trump abused his authority. He had the trust of millions and millions of Americans who believed in him because of things he advocated for. I give him credit for that. But he abused that trust when he asserted that the election was stolen. And when the people who put their faith and hope in him as their leader heard him say that [the election was stolen] they believed him. And he knew they’d believe him,” said Senator Welch. “They came here, and they were violent. They attacked the Capitol, and then during that time that that attack was going on—and President Trump was tweeting out and calling Vice President Pence, telling him to cave and not certify the election—when that happened, there was violence here in this Capitol. And [for] the first time in the history of our country, there was violence used in an effort to overturn an election and stop the peaceful transfer of power. That’s the agenda here.”
Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below:
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