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U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva: "This violent, failed coup was sanctioned by a sitting president, aided and abetted by Members of Congress and other elected representatives, all of them members of the Republican Party."

As we remember January 6th and the dark actions of the mob attack on our nation’s Capitol, we fully realize that this insurrection was a calculated conspiracy to overthrow our democracy. It was a fascist attempt to, by force and lies, overturn a legitimate election. This violent, failed coup was sanctioned by a sitting president, aided and abetted by Members of Congress and other elected representatives, all of them members of the Republican Party.

The dangers posed by this fascist power grab have not dissipated. The forces responsible for Jan. 6 continue to jeopardize our nation. The behaviors that fomented this insurrection persist, and we see it as Republican office holders and extremist/supremist groups continue to plot to establish a form of government that relies on fear and lies to secure power for a minority of Americans at the expense of the rights and voices of the majority.

Republicans continue to utilize and expand the 2020 election playbook by demonizing the media, politicizing science and facts, questioning the legitimacy of judicial rulings, downplaying the insurrection, and perpetuating the Big Lie that the outcome of the 2020 election was stolen. Across the country, former President Trump, the Republican Party and his allies continue to fan flames of subversion, enact undemocratic policies and legal challenges, threaten elected officials who disagree with the outcome of the election, illegally gerrymander their way into power, and seek key statewide offices that oversee elections in swing states like Arizona that will enable Republicans to overturn the will of the people in future elections.

In Arizona, we have the former Liar-in-Chief hosting a rally on January 15th to move the Big Lie movement and fascism forward in our nation. We must defend our democracy and pursue efforts to ensure that our democracy is protected and our right to vote remains free and fair. I will continue to push our Senate colleagues to pass critical voting rights legislation and measures that protect our system of government from corruption and weaponization by any future president. We must support the January 6th Committee to complete its work swiftly to hold the insurrectionists and those Republican officials and individuals who aided in the failed coup accountable. The Biden administration and Department of Justice must do much more to protect our democracy.

As the former President’s event comes closer, it’s time for Arizonans to get involved, register to vote, volunteer, and​civically engage in protect​ing our democracy. We must fight back and resist state-level attempts to make voting more difficult and organize to oppose enactment of anti-democratic state laws. I urge Gov. Ducey and the community to exercise caution and restraint to maintain public safety and keep people safe regardless of political views or party affiliation.”