Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote the President of the United States: ``I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol Building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.''

``Go home with love and in peace. Remember this day forever.''-- President Donald Trump.

I condemn this violence. Republicans have condemned this violence. President Trump has condemned this violence. But elected Democrats over the past year have promoted violence, have supported it. They fund it on their ActBlue fundraising platform.

There has been billions in damage caused over this past year, riots all over this country. Do you know how many companies have endured violence and destruction? I have 83 pages here of businesses that had property damage, were burned, through the Minnesota riots.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article about the Minnesota riots.

[From the Star Tribune, July 31, 2020]

Buildings Damaged in Minneapolis, St. Paul After Riots

(By Josh Penrod, C.J. Sinner and Mary Jo Webster)

Twin Cities restaurants and retail stores were hit the hardest in the

rioting following George Floyd's killing

In the first few days after George Floyd was killed by

Minneapolis police, rioters tore through dense stretches of

Minneapolis, St. Paul and other metro communities in

retaliation, causing millions in property damage to more than

1,500 locations.

In their wake, vandals left a trail of smashed doors and

windows, covered hundreds of boarded-up businesses with

graffiti and set fire to nearly 150 buildings, with dozens

burned to the ground. Pharmacies, groceries, liquor stores,

tobacco shops and cell phone stores were ransacked, losing

thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. Many were looted

repeatedly over consecutive nights.

Other property--like gas stations, restaurants and even

parked cars--was set on fire, with much of it completely

destroyed.

The full extent of damage to Twin Cities buildings--

including residences, churches, nonprofits and minority-owned

businesses--could take weeks or months to calculate. Already

on the ropes from months of lost revenue during a global

pandemic, some businesses may never reopen as others are

still temporarily or indefinitely closed.

Buildings along a 5-mile stretch of Lake Street in

Minneapolis and a 3.5-mile stretch of University Avenue in

St. Paul's Midway area experienced some of the heaviest

damage. While this is an incomplete list, here's a look at

some of those hardest-hit areas.

Heavy damage near Minneapolis police precincts

For three consecutive nights starting on Wednesday, May 27,

rioters pummeled blocks worth of buildings near the

Minneapolis' Third and Fifth police precincts, inflicting

heavy damage.

On Thursday night, protesters torched and heavily

vandalized the Third Precinct, and destroyed at least 20

nearby buildings, including several restaurants, an Auto

Zone, Minnehaha Lake Wine & Spirits, a U.S. Post Office, a

cellphone store and the building that housed Talk Town Diner,

El Nuevo Rodeo and others. Midtown Corner, a multi-story

affordable housing project that was still under construction,

erupted into a towering inferno, burning so hot that it

melted siding off a nearby house.

The following night, about three miles west of the Third

Precinct, protesters blanketed the area near the Fifth

Precinct, heavily damaging at least seven buildings--

including a U.S. Post Office, a Wells Fargo branch, a

staffing agency and a Subway in a nearby strip mall.

Authorities also reported that shots had been fired at

officers in the Fifth Precinct area, but there were no

reports of injuries.

Fires near Midtown Global Market, heavy looting in Uptown

The Midtown Global Market area experienced one of the most

concentrated tolls during the Floyd riots. More than a dozen

businesses near E. Lake Street and Chicago Avenue were

destroyed by fire, and a few dozen more reported fire damage

with many being burned severely.

Less than two miles to the west near Hennepin Avenue and W.

Lake Street, nearly 40 businesses were broken into or heavily

looted, including large retailers like H&M, Timberland, an

Apple store, Kitchen Window and Urban Outfitters. Just a few

blocks away near Lyndale Avenue and W. Lake Street, a cluster

of nearly 30 businesses sustained property damage, including

several restaurants and bars. There was almost no fire damage

in this area, a stark contrast to other clusters along Lake

Street.

Miles of damage along University Avenue

Across the river in St. Paul, the hardest-hit area was a 1-

mile stretch of the Midway along University Avenue between

Snelling and Lexington Avenues, although damage extended a

few miles, stopping just short of the State Capitol. In all,

more than 70 businesses were hit, with more than a dozen

sustaining serious fire damage.

Twin Cities surrounding area

Rioters hit buildings well beyond Minneapolis and St. Paul,

with damage reported as far north as Blaine and as far south

as Apple Valley. Meanwhile, clusters of attacked storefronts

sprang up in places like Richfield, North St. Paul,

Maplewood, Brooklyn Center and Roseville:

Our Vice-President-elect, Kamala Harris, posted the Minnesota Freedom Fund bail link, encouraging people to donate money to bail criminals out of jail.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record Vice-President-elect Harris' tweet about the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Kamala Harris

@KamalaHarris

If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to

help post bail for those protesting on the ground in

Minnesota.

4:34 p.m. 6/1/20 Sprout Social

Mr. Speaker, we should not be hypocrites.

Mr. President, I, along with 70 of my Republican colleagues, object to the counting of the electoral votes for the State of Michigan on the grounds that the error rate exceeds the FEC rate allowed at 0.0008 percent, and that the people who signed affidavits at risk of perjury, their voices have not been heard in a court of law.

The objection is in writing, not signed by a Senator.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the objection.

I would like to point out that all the cases that have been thrown out have been thrown out on standing, not the evidence of voter fraud. I would also like to point out the same people who, for 4 years, have failed to find a shred of evidence to convict President Trump of Russian collusion are the same people trying to discredit hardworking American poll watchers who are risking perjury by signing affidavits confirming massive voter fraud in multiple States.

The same fake news who took the word of Christine Blasey Ford against Justice Kavanaugh, who her own friends denied happened, also dismissed the sworn under penalty of perjury accounts from people who witnessed the election fraud.

The same fact-checkers who told you that Dominion machines weren't connected to the internet and couldn't be hacked are the same people telling you that there has been no voter fraud and no violations of election law. But it has been proven that these machines are connected and that they can be hacked.

We have heard repeatedly argued that objecting to these ballots is unconstitutional and violates the rights of State legislatures. They would rather us affirm fraud and pass the buck back to States rather than following the process Madison, Hamilton, Jefferson, and the Framers of the Constitution designed.

When States fail to do their job, we are the last line of defense. Congress is here for this exact situation. We are here to be the fail- safe when States refuse to protect the people's votes.

By objecting today, we are telling the thousands of witnesses who signed affidavits that we have their back, and we will not allow local officials who violate their own election laws to steal this election from those who lawfully voted.

I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).