Congressman Johnson’s Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the January 6th Capitol Insurrection

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet, delivered the following remarks at House Democrats’ hearing marking five years since the January 6 attack on the Capitol, featuring testimony from former law enforcement, state officials, Members who were present at the Capitol on that day, and a Jan. 6 participant who rejected Trump’s pardon, amid an ongoing effort by Republicans to whitewash the truth.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Capitol has been a building permanently etched in my mind from an early age. It regularly came into my view as daily life took my family and I around the District of Columbia. To me, the Capitol was always citadel -- a beacon of freedom, democracy and justice. At the age of ten I developed the vision that one day I would serve there as a legislator.

I was always so proud even today I'm still in awe of the U.S. Capitol, what it stands for, and the fact that it is my workplace, and has been for 19 years!

On January 6, 2021, amidst social distancing in response to the COVID pandemic then still ongoing, I was so proud to be one of a limited number of members of the House to be in the chamber to witness the certification of the 2020 elections. Though somewhat envious of those who were seated on the floor, I nonetheless savored the honor of having a seat in the House gallery from which I could observe the solemn proceeding.

As the peaceful transfer of power was taking place in the chamber, the proceedings were rudely, then violently interrupted. The disorder became louder and louder as the insurrectionists got nearer and nearer. The cacophony shut down the Speaker and caused the business of the House to stop. From the gallery, I watched as the Speaker was extracted from the Chair, and my colleagues evacuated from the floor. What would happen to us in the gallery?

The situation became scary, dire, and dangerous. I felt like a sitting duck. In those moments while in self-preservation mode I thought of jumping from the Gallery onto the floor so that I could be evacuated. My thoughts then turned to my colleagues also in the Gallery, and my thoughts turned to my moral responsibility to them. I would never leave them to save myself.

As we were being spirited out of the chamber into the hallway, I saw dozens of violent insurrectionists lying spread eagle on the marble floor, under gunpoint of the Capitol Hill Police.

I later learned that all those insurrectionists had been released without charges because there was not enough law enforcement manpower to take them into custody. They all walked. They came into the U.S. Capitol, disrupted our work and desecrated this citadel of democracy. They all walked.

Needless to say, I was gratified later when more than 1,500 perpetrators were prosecuted, some of the worst offenders receiving 20-year sentences. There was a sense that people had been held accountable for their crimes.

Then on January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump shot Lady Justice on 5th Avenue in broad daylight by pardoning each and every January 6 insurrectionist. It was a blow to justice and the Rule of Law in America. And my sense of anger at injustice has intensified as Donald Trump and lapdog Republicans in Congress do everything in their power in an unholy and futile attempt to whitewash and rewrite the history of what happened on January 6.

While Donald J. Trump and MAGA Republicans continue their systematic assault on truth and justice, I will proudly stand in the breech with House Democrats and all people of goodwill, to defend the concepts of truth, freedom, liberty, and justice for all, which IS Democracy in America.

I want to thank the Capitol Hill and Metropolitan Police for protecting us on January 6, I want to thank Leader Jeffries and Chairman Thompson for holding this hearing to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of this fateful day, and I want to thank Speaker Emerita Pelosi for her leadership during those difficult times.

For hi-res video, click HERE. 

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