Rep. Lucy McBath on the Certification of the 2020 Presidential Election
Early this morning, Congress fulfilled its constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 election. I prepared remarks in anticipation of objection to the certification of Georgia’s electors. Although Georgia’s electors were ultimately not objected to, I want to share my prepared remarks with you this evening.
“Like many in this room, I had remarks prepared for today. But the words I wrote are no longer enough. We are all forced to reckon with the numbing reality that this temple of democracy experienced an insurrection.
“Across the nation, millions of Americans watched in horror as chaos and carnage unfolded.
“They watched as rioters stormed the Capitol through shattered windows.
“They watched as members of Congress were thrown to the floor and rushed out of danger by police.
“They watched as a woman was shot and killed during an assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our American way of life.
“Today, violent rioters sought to overturn our elections with fear and violence.
“Tonight, members of this House seek to overturn our elections with soaring prose and parliamentary procedure mere hours after insurrectionists sought to do the same with sticks and clubs.
“The actions of all those seeking to overthrow the will of the people are dangerous and destructive, but they will not succeed.
“Because in the midst of our country’s worst economic and public health crises in decades, the bedrock of our country — our free and fair elections — remained a strong foundation for the American people to make their voices heard.
“President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris received the highest number of votes ever cast in an American presidential election.
“Tens of millions of Americans demanded stability over chaos, demanded we put aside partisan bickering and focus on a brighter future, demanded we forge a new path out of this crisis, with new leaders to build it.
“The facts of this election remain clear and incontrovertible. The administration’s irresponsible allegations of widespread fraud in Georgia, and across the country, have been dismissed as inaccurate and incorrect both in the courts, and by state and federal election officials.
“After Joe Biden was declared the winner in Georgia, our election officials oversaw a statewide effort to hand count every single vote cast — nearly 5 million ballots — and that count reaffirmed the results of Georgia’s election. Three separate times, President-elect Biden was certified the winner of Georgia’s 2020 election.
“Lawsuits have been thrown out, baseless allegations have been discredited, false assertions have been disproven, and to date, not a single court has accepted the claims of widespread fraud.
“As we saw today, these conspiracy theories are dangerous for our country, for our democracy, and for the Americans this government is sworn to represent.
“And amplifying these falsehoods carries consequences. In Gwinnett County, a young election worker was sent a photo of a noose and a message that he should be hung. The wife of Georgia’s Secretary of State received death threats amid calls for her husband to resign. Republican election official Gabriel Sterling said that if this irresponsible rhetoric continues, that “someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to get shot, someone’s going to get killed.” And in our nation’s Capitol, a woman lost her life.
“It is staggering that so many of my colleagues would debase themselves for this administration to create an outcome that is not truthful, that misrepresents the will of the people, and that poses a threat of danger to the lives of Americans.
“The eyes of the world are upon us, and those who vote against the American people and seek to undermine our elections will long be remembered by history as those who fought for dictatorship over democracy.
“Today, insurrectionists attacked our democracy under the flags of failed regimes. Criminals waved the flag of neo-Nazis, the Confederacy, and the KKK in the halls of Congress. But as night fell, it was the American flag which flew triumphant above our Capitol.
“Those who vote against democracy, those who attack our halls of power, must never forget that in every generation, Americans of all colors and creeds have laid down their lives in the struggle against tyranny, the fight against fascism, and the defense against those who would betray the values upon which this nation was founded.
“In each of these conflicts, it is the American flag that flew above Lexington & Concord. It is the American flag that survived the horrors of Gettysburg. It is the American flag that our Marines raised over Iwo Jima.
“And, it is the American flag that continues to represent the world’s oldest democracy, that symbolizes the sacrifice of millions of American soldiers, and that stands for freedom, justice, and liberty. Ideals the American people sent us here to represent. Ideals which must endure long after we are gone.
“So, to those who would destroy the trust in our democratic processes that we’ve depended upon for generations, your efforts have caused chaos and fueled fear, but they will fail.
“This is a battle for the soul of America. And I have faith that the sacrifices of those who came before us, the freedoms this country was founded upon, and the democracy that protects our American way of life, will forever fly triumphant.”
