ATTACKS AND THREATS ON DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW

On 2025-04-29, Representative Daniel S. Goldman (D-NY-10) delivered a floor speech titled "ATTACKS AND THREATS ON DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW" in the House.

ATTACKS AND THREATS ON DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 71 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1714-H1719] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ATTACKS AND THREATS ON DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Johnson of Georgia was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. General Leave Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to submit extraneous material into the Record. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Taylor). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia? There was no objection. Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, after Donald Trump and his co- president Elon Musk took office on January 20, Democrats in Congress realized that we were engaged in a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this reckless and cruel administration. It was an all-hands-on-deck moment with roles for Congress, the courts, and for we the people. On February 10, House Democratic Party Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries formally established the Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group, chaired by assistant leader Joe Neguse and co-chaired by Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Gerry Connolly, and Jamie Raskin. The task force itself is also a multifaceted defense of our democracy with its 45 Members participating in various working groups. I participate in the Litigation Working Group that brainstorms ideas for amicus briefs where Congress' perspective would be especially important and useful to the courts such as when the Trump administration tramples upon Congress' constitutional powers by ignoring the will of Congress as expressed by legislation that directs that a certain thing be done. When Congress passes legislation and that legislation is signed into law, then whoever is President is charged with the responsibility of taking care that that law is faithfully executed. The President does not have the power to nullify a law passed by Congress, but this President is willfully acting like a dictator and the Litigation Working Group is working to stop this President from acting unlawfully and unconstitutionally. We are seeing great success in the courts, which is why this President is now attacking the judiciary and attacking judges, and we will talk about that later during this Special Order hour, which I have been asked to lead. I also participate in a hearings working group that sets up hearings across the Nation to highlight how this administration's unlawful and unconstitutional actions are affecting everyday people. Importantly for tonight, I participate in the Special Order hour working group, where my fellow Representatives and I organize time to speak on topics of urgent importance so that the American public can be informed about the harm this administration is causing, our thoughts about it, and what we can do about it, both here in the Halls of Congress and in the courts as well as in the streets. Tonight, the topic I feel most urgency around is illuminating the ways that the Trump administration is destroying democracy through its attack on the rule of law. As a young man, I decided to become a lawyer. Actually, as a child, I was 4 years old when my hero, my mentor, my cousin--we called him Tokey, but his name was Archibald Hill--I was 4 years old when he graduated from law school and became a lawyer. When that happened, I decided at that tender age of 4 years old that I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to be an attorney also. Archibald went out to Oklahoma and set up his homebase there in Oklahoma City, and he hung out his shingle as a solo practitioner and began to practice criminal defense law, and me, being his acolyte, his fan, wanted to be just like him. I decided I was going to open up my law firm and practice criminal defense law just like him. [[Page H1715]] I believed in due process. I believed that if government accused you of a crime, you had a right to a trial by a jury of your peers and the prosecutor had the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before the jury was authorized to convict. The government could not just accuse you of something without evidence, lock you up, and throw away the key without due process. I believe in the rule of law and I believe in the Constitution, which undergirds the rule of law. I believe in equal protection under the law. As a lawyer, I fought for my clients in court, ensuring they received due process and equal protection under the law that they were entitled to. I administered our system of justice as a magistrate court judge, upholding the law without fear or favor. That is the America that I love, one where everyone in this country feels secure enough in our rights to speak their mind and to live freely. I am deeply disturbed about the devolution that I am seeing taking place right now in terms of the rule of law and justice in this country. Unfortunately, this is what we are seeing under this Trump reign of terror. In only 100 days, there has been an onslaught of attacks on the judiciary and the rule of law. Trump is using the Department of Justice to carry out a campaign of terror, retribution, and vengeance. Trump is perverting his Justice Department away from administering justice into an outfit that is only there to prosecute his personal vendettas, punish his enemies, and award his friends. He has installed to do his bidding banana republic cronies like Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who are more than willing to carry out Trump's abuse of the justice system. Under their reign, dozens of prosecutors were targeted, identified, and fired simply because they had worked on the January 6 insurrection cases. The FBI turned over a list of 4,000 current and former FBI personnel who worked on the January 6 cases so that they too could be targeted for firing. When the pardon attorney refused to recommend restoring the gun rights of one of President Trump's supporters, who was also a convicted domestic violence perpetrator, guess what? She was fired too. When she was called to testify as a whistleblower about her termination, she was called by Democrats to Congress. Then the Friday night before the Monday she was to show up in Congress, armed law enforcement agents were directed to show up at her house on a Friday night, late, knocking on her door, and they tried to intimidate her out of testifying. It didn't work, I am happy to report. The DOJ is also opening investigations to intimidate other whistleblowers from speaking up and to punish those who already have. The Department of Justice has opened investigations into a lawyer who previously prosecuted Trump's friends. They are investigating a Governor who opposed Trump. They are investigating the New York attorney general, the New Jersey attorney general, and also United States Representatives and Senators who have spoken out against the Trump administration. {time} 1815 Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate Chris Krebs because Chris Krebs told the truth that the 2020 election was safe and secure. Just within the last week, the Attorney General issued legal guidelines that allowed the Justice Department to subpoena reporters' personal communications without notice and to criminally prosecute any government employees who are seen as undermining the administration's views. The message is clear: If you say anything negative about the king, then you are not safe. This reign of terror is what we are talking about tonight. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury), who I am glad has joined me this evening. Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for convening this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, this week marks this administration's first 100 days in office. It has been 100 days of chaos, corruption, confusion, and absolute destruction of our Constitution and the norms that this great Nation was built on; 100 days of tearing apart our democracy, our families, our communities, the vital Federal programs that serve the people who make up our communities; thousands fired, agencies dismantled, and people's personal and private data stolen; self-dealing billions of dollars in Federal contracts, judges jailed, a Congress that refuses to act and to do its job, and the countless Americans who are living in fear. Mr. Speaker, I have just wrapped up a townhall tour across my district. While my colleagues across the aisle are afraid to even face their constituents, we are showing up every day across our communities: 15 townhalls touching 15,000 New Mexicans across every county that we represent in 12 towns and communities and Tribal communities across our State. Let me say this: Our people are afraid. Everywhere we go, across the aisle, we saw people who are afraid they are going to lose their Social Security, people who are afraid they are going to lose the healthcare that keeps them and their family members alive, people who are afraid that they are not going to be able to afford to put a roof over their head or food on the table, people who are afraid watching as their family members and friends are facing the threats of deportation, students who are afraid to show up to school because they don't know what will happen to themselves or their families. This is the sign of an unhealthy democracy. This is the sign of an executive who has lost touch with the American people. This is the sign of an authoritarian and autocratic way of operating. This is the sign of a democracy that has lost its way. This is a sign that the American people need to continue to stand up, to speak out, to show up, to attend those townhalls, to call their Representatives, to continue marching, t