U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led her fellow Democratic lawmakers in giving emotional testimonies on the House floor on Thursday, recounting their traumatic experiences of the deadly siege of the Capitol on January 6.
Gloria Tso has more.
"Our staff, our Capitol Police, our house clerks.
We thank you..." In an emotional testimony on Thursday, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led fellow Democrats in recalling their traumatizing experiences of the deadly Capitol riots on January 6.
Speaking on the House floor, she doubled down on calls for Republican politicians, including her own colleagues, to be held accountable for the attack.
"Less than twenty-nine days later, with little to no accountability for the bloodshed and trauma of the 6th, some are already demanding that we move on, or worse, attempting to minimize, discredit or belittle the accounts of survivors." Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota said out of fear for their safety that day, he had screamed to his colleagues to follow him to the Republican side of the floor.
"For I felt that the insurrectionists who are trying to break down the doors right here would spare us if they simply mistook us for Republicans.
But within moments, I recognized that blending in was not an option available to my colleagues of color.
So, I'm here tonight to say to my brothers and sisters in Congress and all around our country, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
For I had never understood, really understood, what privilege really means." Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is a Muslim, recounted how the riots reminded her of death threats she received on her very first day as a congresswoman.
"I didn't even get sworn in yet and someone wanted me dead for just existing.
More came later, uglier, more violent, one celebrating in writing the New Zealand massacre and hoping that more would come, another mentioning my dear son, Adam.
Mentioning him by name.
Each one paralyzed me, each time....And so I urge my colleagues to please, please take what happened on January 6th seriously.
It will lead to more death and we can do better.
We must do better." No Republicans participated in Thursday's testimonies, which came shortly after the House voted to remove controversial lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene from two high-profile committees.
Greene, a Republican, has come under fire for her history of inflammatory remarks, including supporting violence against Democrats.
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault. She made the comments in..
