Warren on Jan. 6 anniversary: Some Republicans ‘exploiting every possible avenue’ to maintain power

On the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Republican “opponents of democracy” are “exploiting every possible avenue to allow their party to maintain control.”

Warren said the events of Jan. 6 made it “painfully clear that American democracy is seriously at risk” during a speech on the Senate floor, in which she denounced restrictive voting laws in states such as Texas and Georgia, and called on Democrats in Congress to pass new voting rights legislation at the federal level. 

“Over the past year, these shameless efforts have become even more brazen,” she said. “Just as the former president was clear that he wanted to overturn the results of the election, Trump and his allies are entirely transparent about their goal of overturning future elections.”

“Today, Republican opponents of democracy are exploiting every possible avenue to allow their party to maintain control,” she added, also calling out the Supreme Court for failing to halt the GOP-led efforts. 

I’m speaking on the Senate floor to reflect on the insurrection at our Capitol on January 6th one year ago, and the need to defend our democracy: https://t.co/2PQ7K93Ik8

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 5, 2022

Democrats are planning a series of events to mark the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the building as Congress was certifying the election of President Biden.

Trump and his supporters have continued to make baseless claims about the election being stolen and riddled with fraud. The former president canceled a planned press conference on Jan. 6; however, two of his top allies in the House announced Wednesday that they will hold a “Republican response” marking the anniversary. 

Warren said the GOP-led states that have passed voting restrictions in response to the baseless claims of election fraud  are leading an “all-out assault on free and fair elections” and called on her colleagues to reform the filibuster so Democrats can unilaterally pass new legislation to protect elections. 

“It is time to end the filibuster, time to protect voting rights, and time to defend our democracy,” the senator said.