The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REVISITING JANUARY 6TH” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E202 on March 3.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REVISITING JANUARY 6TH
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HON. JOE WILSON
of south carolina
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, no one is defending the violent riot at the Capitol on January 6th and as more evidence is reviewed, I am grateful for the insight today by columnist Jack Devine in The Aiken Standard:
``My column four weeks ago--``The insurrection that wasn't''--argued that portraying the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol as an armed insurrection is simply wrong, unsupported by the facts.
Not surprisingly, many disagree. The armed insurrection label has been repeated so often and by so many that it has become widely accepted as true.
But we've learned a great deal since then about what happened on Jan. 6 and what didn't--and we've watched as the new Democratic leadership takes extreme and disturbing actions to slay the imaginary dragon that they created.
Let's take another look.
The Capitol insurgents--mainly rowdy protesters caught up in the moment--were not armed in any real sense. Their inventory of ``dangerous and deadly weapons,'' as classified by DOJ investigators, consist of two baseball bats, a hockey stick, one pocket-sized extendable baton, a few cans of commercially available pepper spray and bear repellant, and other makeshift odds and ends. No knives and no guns. The infamous zip-ties, initially considered to be proof positive that the insurgents intended to take hostages, were later determined to have been carried into the building by police officers.
The myth that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was murdered by the frenzied mob has evaporated completely. The New York Times has backed away from its bludgeoned-by-fire-extinguisher report; there was no evidence of blunt force trauma; it appears that Sicknick died of natural causes
(probably a stroke) hours after returning to the station house under his own power.
Only one gun was fired during the four-hour assault--that by an unidentified police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed female trespasser. While the FBI is still combing videos to find someone to charge for Sicknick's death, both they and the otherwise pit bull media seem remarkably incurious about Babbitt's killing.
None of the supposed targets of the Capitol assault--Democratic lawmakers and Vice President Pence--were harmed; and the 2020 election result was not derailed by the attack and was never in serious jeopardy.
Make no mistake. The Jan. 6 riot was reckless, angry and ultimately lethal. It cannot be condoned. But for a supposed overthrow of the U.S. government, it looks pretty lame--and more like the continuing wanton rioting that since mid-summer has taken dozens of lives, destroyed untold livelihoods and cost billions in damage to American cities.
A mindless mob bent on venting its anger? Yes. An armed insurrection? Not even close.
And how are we dealing with this non-insurrection?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing for investigation by a ``9/11-style commission''--implying that this bumbling fiasco was somehow comparable to the 2001 terrorist attack that murdered nearly 3,000 Americans.
The U.S. Capitol complex in Washington, D.C., has been turned into an armed camp. It was guarded during the inauguration by 25,000 National Guard troops, thousands of whom still remain. The barriers and checkpoints will be kept in place through September. So far, none of the feared domestic terrorists have reappeared.
The Justice Department has been conducting a nationwide manhunt for the Jan. 6 perpetrators and to date has arrested and charged over 300. Reportedly, dozens are being held without bail--a measure usually reserved for hardened criminals arrested for heinous crimes--in stark contrast to the revolving door treatment of thousands of violent rioters apprehended in recent months and quickly released (and provided bail money if needed by progressive organizations, as encouraged by Democratic leaders including Vice President Kamala Harris).
Prospective U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland promises to prosecute the Jan. 6 perpetrators to the full extent of the law. It would be far better to call that riot what it is, acknowledge the broader issue of escalating American violence and deal with it in an even-handed way.
In my column last month, I characterized our government's response to the supposed insurrection as ``performance art''--the art form that utilizes dramatic live performance to evoke an emotional response. It's an apt comparison. The net effect of the actions outlined above has been to cement in the public mind inordinate fear of the risk posed by domestic terrorism, particularly of the white supremacist variety.
Our leadership seems to think that if we're all terrified enough, we'll go along without objection to the politicized show-and-tell--Capitol Hill barricaded and patrolled by armed troops, perpetrators hunted and held without bond, suspension of due process, rampant censorship--America on a wartime footing, but without the war.
Any threat of terrorism, foreign or domestic, from left or right, deserves serious attention--not hyperbole and hysteria.''
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