Patty Murray: ‘Never Come This Close To... Tears’ On Senate Floor After Padilla's Removal From Noem Brief

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke about the removal of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) from a DHS briefing.

Transcript

00:00Just a second.

00:06The 10 minutes allotted to the senator under morning business has expired.

00:13Another senator may seek recognition in his or her own right.

00:17The senator from Washington.

00:19Thank you, Mr. President.

00:20Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon

00:27to the United States Senate,

00:31a place where people are elected by their constituents

00:36to come here to be their voice.

00:40Every one of us, Republican, Democrat,

00:43elected by the people who we represent

00:47to come here and be their voice.

00:49And to do the job.

00:51What is that job?

00:52To make sure that we are being their voice

00:55and speaking out for them.

00:56And part of that has to be asking questions.

01:01That part of that has to be demanding accountability.

01:04That has to be getting information

01:07so we can do the best job possible.

01:11It is unacceptable

01:12that a United States senator

01:15in his own home state,

01:17elected by millions of people,

01:20went to ask a question

01:21for his constituents

01:24to get an answer

01:25and was brutally thrown to the ground

01:30and handcuffed.

01:33That is wrong.

01:35And I cannot believe

01:36that we don't have senators

01:38on both sides of the aisle

01:39calling this out as outrageous.

01:42This is what a democracy is about, Mr. President.

01:46Mr. President,

01:47it is about us coming to the United States Senate,

01:51speaking out, asking questions,

01:52getting information

01:53so we can be their voice.

01:56What happens when that voice is stifled?

01:58What happens when that voice

02:00is thrown to the floor and handcuffed?

02:02Our democracy is lost.

02:05Mr. President,

02:07I have been here

02:08for more than 32 years.

02:10I have come to this floor often

02:13to speak out,

02:15to be angry,

02:16to be a voice for my people.

02:18I have never come this close

02:20to having tears in my eyes

02:22as I speak to both sides of this aisle

02:25about this horrendous incident

02:27that occurred.

02:29We are a democracy,

02:32but we can lose that democracy.

02:34It can be gone

02:35unless all of us speak out

02:39and forcibly reject

02:42what happened

02:43to a United States senator

02:44and to send the message

02:46that in this democracy,

02:48it is just, it is right,

02:51it is part of our responsibility

02:53to speak up,

02:54to ask questions,

02:55and to be able

02:57to have the knowledge we need

03:00to represent the people

03:02that we come here for.

03:05We use our voices,

03:07Mr. President.

03:09We use our votes,

03:11Mr. President,

03:12to be a part of this democracy,

03:15not violence.

03:18When violence is done

03:19by someone representing

03:21this administration

03:22in a forceful way

03:24against a United States senator,

03:26how does any one of us

03:29go home

03:29and tell our constituents

03:31that they can be part

03:33of a democracy,

03:34speak out

03:35about what they believe in?

03:37This is so wrong.

03:39This is so wrong.

03:42Mr. President,

03:43I hope others speak up

03:44and speak out,

03:45and as a voice,

03:46we say

03:46we want our democracy

03:49to succeed,

03:49and in order to succeed,

03:51we need to be able

03:52to use our voices

03:53and to use our votes

03:55and to ask questions

03:57without being forcibly

03:58thrown to the ground,

04:00without being arrested

04:01by speaking up.

04:04I say to the entire country,

04:07we have a democracy.

04:08We will lose it

04:09if we can't use our voices.

04:12We will lose this democracy.

04:14None of us should be silent.

04:16None of us.

04:18Thank you, Mr. President.

04:19I yield the floor.

04:19Mr. President,

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Transcript

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