WASHINGTON — Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D) of Winter Park, Fla., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former national security specialist at the Department of Defense, issued the following statement July 1 regarding her appointment to the House Select Committee created to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol:
“I am honored to have been appointed to the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, and I pledge to fulfill this solemn responsibility to the best of my ability. My goal is simple and straightforward: to find the truth of what happened, and why it happened, so we can ensure that it never happens again. I will follow the facts wherever, and to whomever, they lead — without preconceived conclusions and through a strictly non-partisan lens.
“When I was a baby, my family fled an authoritarian country (Vietnam). We were rescued by the U.S. Navy and given refuge in America. I love this country beyond words. To see the citadel of American democracy assaulted is a reminder that our democracy is not self-sustaining. It needs to be preserved and protected by American patriots of every political stripe.”
“Jan. 6 was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, with five people killed, 140 members of law enforcement physically harmed and countless more seriously traumatized,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who announced the members of the committee. “It is clear that Jan. 6 was not simply an attack on a building, but an attack on our very democracy: an attack on the peaceful transfer of power. It is imperative that we find the truth of that day and ensure that such an assault on our Capitol and democracy cannot ever again happen.
“It had been our hope to establish a bipartisan, independent national commission, but there is no prospect for that commission at this time. Yesterday, the House established the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Today, I am proud to name members who will patriotically honor our oath and our responsibility to the American people: to seek the truth.”
The other members of the committee are:
Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of Homeland Security Committee
Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), chair of Committee on House Administration
Chair Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), chair of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino), House Administration and Appropriations Committees
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Armed Services Committee
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Oversight and Judiciary Committees
Rep. Elaine Luria, Navy veteran, Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees
The committee will be bipartisan, with 13 members appointed by the speaker, five of whom will be appointed after consultation with the minority leader.
“As we enter the Fourth of July weekend to observe the birth of our nation, we do so with increased responsibility to honor the vision of our founders and to defend our American democracy,” said Pelosi.