Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) delivers a speech on the House floor on Thursday, February 4, 2021. (Photo: ABC 17 News/YouTube Screengrab)
Feb 04, 2021
Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri delivered an emotional speech on the House floor Thursday night detailing her experience of the January 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building--which she called a "blatant, heinous, vile white supremacist attack"--and demanding that lawmakers take the basic step of holding to account those who abetted and incited the deadly violence.
The Missouri Democrat's remarks were part of a series of speeches organized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in which members of the House provided their individual perspectives of the events of last month in an effort to inform the public and bolster the pursuit of consequences for all responsible, including former President Donald Trump.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?"
--Rep. Cori Bush
A racial justice and anti-police brutality organizer prior to her election to Congress in November, Bush said Thursday that as the pro-Trump insurrectionists broke into and began storming through the halls of the Capitol Building on January 6, she felt "like this was one of the days out there on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us."
"This was one of the days when the police would ambush us from behind, from behind trees, and from behind buildings, and all of a sudden now we're on the ground feeling brutalized," Bush said. "And I just remember taking a second thinking, if they touch these doors, and come anywhere near my staff, and I'm just going to be real honest about it, my thought process was: we banging to the end. I'm not letting them take out my people. And you're not taking me out. We've come too far."
The Missouri Democrat went on to specifically address the Republicans whose incessant lies about the results of the 2020 presidential election--and efforts to overturn the results of that contest--helped fuel last month's attack, pointing to her resolution calling for investigation and expulsion of seditious members of Congress.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?" Bush asked. "We can't build a better society if members are too scared to stand up and act to reject the white supremacist attack that happened right before our eyes. How can we trust that you will address the suffering that white supremacy causes on a day to day basis in the shadows if you can't even address the white supremacy that happens right in front of you in your house? Does your silence speak to your agreement is the question."
"On January 3, we stood together to swear an oath to office to the Constitution," Bush continued. "We swore to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well, it was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy and we must stand together now, today, to uphold that oath and hold every single person who helped incite it accountable."
Watch the full speech:
\u201cHere's @CoriBush' full speech tonight on the House floor tonight.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1612487348
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri delivered an emotional speech on the House floor Thursday night detailing her experience of the January 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building--which she called a "blatant, heinous, vile white supremacist attack"--and demanding that lawmakers take the basic step of holding to account those who abetted and incited the deadly violence.
The Missouri Democrat's remarks were part of a series of speeches organized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in which members of the House provided their individual perspectives of the events of last month in an effort to inform the public and bolster the pursuit of consequences for all responsible, including former President Donald Trump.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?"
--Rep. Cori Bush
A racial justice and anti-police brutality organizer prior to her election to Congress in November, Bush said Thursday that as the pro-Trump insurrectionists broke into and began storming through the halls of the Capitol Building on January 6, she felt "like this was one of the days out there on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us."
"This was one of the days when the police would ambush us from behind, from behind trees, and from behind buildings, and all of a sudden now we're on the ground feeling brutalized," Bush said. "And I just remember taking a second thinking, if they touch these doors, and come anywhere near my staff, and I'm just going to be real honest about it, my thought process was: we banging to the end. I'm not letting them take out my people. And you're not taking me out. We've come too far."
The Missouri Democrat went on to specifically address the Republicans whose incessant lies about the results of the 2020 presidential election--and efforts to overturn the results of that contest--helped fuel last month's attack, pointing to her resolution calling for investigation and expulsion of seditious members of Congress.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?" Bush asked. "We can't build a better society if members are too scared to stand up and act to reject the white supremacist attack that happened right before our eyes. How can we trust that you will address the suffering that white supremacy causes on a day to day basis in the shadows if you can't even address the white supremacy that happens right in front of you in your house? Does your silence speak to your agreement is the question."
"On January 3, we stood together to swear an oath to office to the Constitution," Bush continued. "We swore to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well, it was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy and we must stand together now, today, to uphold that oath and hold every single person who helped incite it accountable."
Watch the full speech:
\u201cHere's @CoriBush' full speech tonight on the House floor tonight.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1612487348
Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri delivered an emotional speech on the House floor Thursday night detailing her experience of the January 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building--which she called a "blatant, heinous, vile white supremacist attack"--and demanding that lawmakers take the basic step of holding to account those who abetted and incited the deadly violence.
The Missouri Democrat's remarks were part of a series of speeches organized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in which members of the House provided their individual perspectives of the events of last month in an effort to inform the public and bolster the pursuit of consequences for all responsible, including former President Donald Trump.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?"
--Rep. Cori Bush
A racial justice and anti-police brutality organizer prior to her election to Congress in November, Bush said Thursday that as the pro-Trump insurrectionists broke into and began storming through the halls of the Capitol Building on January 6, she felt "like this was one of the days out there on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us."
"This was one of the days when the police would ambush us from behind, from behind trees, and from behind buildings, and all of a sudden now we're on the ground feeling brutalized," Bush said. "And I just remember taking a second thinking, if they touch these doors, and come anywhere near my staff, and I'm just going to be real honest about it, my thought process was: we banging to the end. I'm not letting them take out my people. And you're not taking me out. We've come too far."
The Missouri Democrat went on to specifically address the Republicans whose incessant lies about the results of the 2020 presidential election--and efforts to overturn the results of that contest--helped fuel last month's attack, pointing to her resolution calling for investigation and expulsion of seditious members of Congress.
"If we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment, as representatives, then why did you run for office in the first place?" Bush asked. "We can't build a better society if members are too scared to stand up and act to reject the white supremacist attack that happened right before our eyes. How can we trust that you will address the suffering that white supremacy causes on a day to day basis in the shadows if you can't even address the white supremacy that happens right in front of you in your house? Does your silence speak to your agreement is the question."
"On January 3, we stood together to swear an oath to office to the Constitution," Bush continued. "We swore to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well, it was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy and we must stand together now, today, to uphold that oath and hold every single person who helped incite it accountable."
Watch the full speech:
\u201cHere's @CoriBush' full speech tonight on the House floor tonight.\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1612487348
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.