Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined colleagues for a ceremony to commemorate the installation of the plaque honoring the bravery of the law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

LEADER JEFFRIES: We are here to recognize the heroism of the hundreds of dedicated Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department and other law enforcement officers who stood in this building and across these Capitol grounds to defend the Congress, defend the country and defend the Constitution on January 6, five years ago, in 2021, from thousands of bloodthirsty rioters.

Their heroism will never be forgotten. January 6 is a day that should forever live in infamy. A violent mob incited by Donald Trump attacked the Capitol as part of an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Because of the extraordinary bravery of heroic officers who put their lives on the line, this unprecedented attack on our country and on our democracy failed. But it did come at a heavy price.

More than 140 brave men and women of law enforcement were seriously injured as a result of being violently assaulted. Officers were forced to engage in hours of unprecedented hand-to-hand combat. Many were whipped, beaten with pipes and assaulted by bear spray. Some were even pummeled by Confederate flagpoles.

They were outnumbered by a violent mob, but never overwhelmed. Many, of course, have suffered lasting physical and psychological damage. Some tragically lost their lives.

Despite this, on his first day in office, the current President pardoned hundreds of violent felons who brutally assaulted our police officers while storming the Capitol. He unleashed these criminals into our communities and many now pose an ongoing threat to public safety to everyday Americans and to this very Capitol itself.

Yet our brave and heroic officers continue to show up each and every day in this moment of extreme political violence to keep us all safe. That’s why we’re so grateful that this tribute to our heroes will now reside in the same location where they so bravely and heroically defended the Capitol, the citadel of our democracy.

It will now forever stand as a timeless and permanent testament to their incredible courage and incredible patriotism. And we will never let their service and their sacrifice be whitewashed.

May God bless the dedicated men and women of law enforcement, the Capitol Police, the DC Police Department and all those who heroically served this country on that fateful day of January 6 and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
 
Full remarks can be watched here.

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