Editor’s note: Rep. Pressley’s husband, Conan Harris, has contracted COVID. We wish him a speedy recovery — and all strength, courage, and safety to both of them.
Ayanna Pressley won my support in her appearance on CNN last night. She truly and faithfully represented ME last night, and I thank her.
Please watch the Don Lemon Interview (I invite the editors to embed this piece).
Ayanna Pressley met the moment yesterday, appearing on CNN with Don Lemon. I’m happy and proud that my Representative has publicly and clearly said what needs to be said and simultaneously ACTED on that statement. I’m glad that Ms. Pressley is clearly and unambiguously naming the offenses of these GOP white supremacists — not just Donald Trump — who are working so hard to destroy the very foundations of America. I have been critical of Ms. Pressley in the past — she has more than addressed my concerns.
I can’t help but notice that it is the courageous leadership of our black brothers and sisters that is inexorably recovering the moral leadership, at home and abroad, that America once championed. It is our black brothers and sisters who were discounted by the media in the early stages of the 2020 primary. They are revealing the racism of the canard that Joe Biden “came from behind” to win the primary — Joe Biden was ALWAYS the overwhelming favorite, and was “behind” only because the overwhelmingly white media and political culture did their best to suppress the black vote. They responded to decades of GOP attempts to disenfranchise black voters by turning out IN DROVES to make the difference in the battleground states. They repeated that triumphant victory again in the Georgia runoff election, overcoming explicit racism, lies, and corruption to deliver the Senate majority to Joe Biden and the Democrats.
This appearance makes me proud to call Ayanna Pressley my representative. She has won my support.
Here are the highlights of the exchange, for me:
Ayanna Pressley:
Well first, this House met the moment for these high crimes in the wake of a coordinated violent attack by white supremacists on our nation’s capitol. Donald Trump had to be impeached and removed. This is someone who has already been banned from Twitter, yet still has access to the nuclear codes. So the first step is impeach and remove. Which is also about ensuring that he is barred from running for public office again.
The second [step] is to expel. To expel those members who have aided and abetted and been complicit in the cruelty, the corruption, and the criminality of this administration, who perpetuated the big lie, who inflamed and emboldened white supremacy and this attack, and they must be taken to account.
And then the third step, and one that I was the first to call for within hours of being attacked by this violent mob, is investigation. So impeach, remove, expel those members, and then we need to do an investigation to better understand the individuals and agencies that enabled this violent attack.
Don Lemon:
Can we talk a little bit more about that? Because your office put out a statement that there’s now an investigation after your Chief of Staff discovered during the attack that panic buttons in your office were missing. What else would you like to see investigated, Congresswoman?
Ayanna Pressley:
Well, learning that those panic buttons had been removed from my office was certainly unnerving. There is an investigation underway and so I can’t say much more about that. But again in my role on the House Oversight Committee, I called within hours for the Oversight Committee to initiate a thorough investigation to understand those individuals and agencies that might have enabled this violent attack.
Thank you, Ms. Pressley. Thank you for saying to public at large what I have wanted to say. In this appearance, you have truly and faithfully represented me.
I’ve been trying to tell you-she’s the best!
Also in addition to prayers and concerns for her husband, my Congressmen Seth Moulton shared on Radio Boston that she may have been targeted by the mob and her panic button was missing from her desk when she was barricaded inside during the insurrection. As if someone removed it ahead of time knowing what would happen…so we need to investigate every lead on these domestic terrorists and hold them accountable and also hold Capitol Police accountable for treating black and brown protestors to a clear and dangerous double standard.
If there’s any truth to the speculation that members of Congress themselves had a hand in this that will put every other scandal in history to shame. Now some are balking at metal detectors (though I’m not sure what’s new about this as those have been in the Capitol for as long as I’ve been aware) and insisting on carrying their own weapons. I’m really not looking forward to a repeat of Preston Brooks beating Charles Sumner to a bloody pulp.
I expect any person — no matter who — that attempts to evade the metal detector or stop its operation to be immediately arrested and jailed. I am appalled that members of Congress are doing this with apparent impunity (a fine is not nearly enough). What do you think would happen if you or I attempted to avoid the metal detectors at a court house, airport, or other facility?
I’ve been saying for some time now that no Representative that perpetuates the insurrectionist lies of Mr. Trump — including by voting against certification of the election — should be allowed to retain his or her seat.
This is a real insurrection and it must be put down immediately and forcefully.
A useless Moonbat legislator pulling out the “do you know who I am?” card to hassle a cop is usually a Howie Carr column in the making. Only this time it’s a MAGAmoonbat so he’s probably cheering her on.