Press Releases
01/05/2022
Attorney General Tong Statement on Anniversary of January 6 Insurrection
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement on the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection:“Last December, I was buying a Christmas tree with my family when I got a call—the Texas Attorney General and 17 other states had gone to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis to overturn the results of the presidential election. Connecticut joined with 23 other states in the Supreme Court to thwart their seditious scheme. But that was only one of many ugly battles. Across the country – and particularly in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada– attorneys general fought both before and after the election to preserve the integrity of our democracy and the will of voters. It was a front row seat to the breakdown of America’s constitutional system, and we were looking into the darkness.
And then, the unthinkable happened on January 6. One year ago, terrorists and traitors enabled by the former president and his allies in power breached the walls of the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the election. It was a violent insurrection that I never expected in my lifetime to see on American soil. The work to identify and bring to justice the lawless criminals who instigated, aided, and abetted this failed coup continues. Those in law enforcement and Congress carrying out that solemn task have my deepest respect. Those responsible—including those seeking to hide behind their official offices-- must be brought to justice and held accountable for lying to the American people, for encouraging the insurrection, and for treason. The tear gas may have dissipated, but the attacks on our democracy and the legitimacy of our elections have not subsided, and they did not spontaneously commence on that day.
The Big Lie regarding the 2020 presidential election is a precisely that—a lie. Americans cast their ballots in a safe, free and fair election in 2020, and there is not a shred of doubt as to who won the presidency. But that Big Lie and malignant disinformation continues to spread rampant and unchecked on social media and partisan news sources. That Lie is being cynically pushed by those seeking to advance politically motivated and unconstitutional voter suppression laws in battleground states across the nation. In coordination with my fellow attorneys general, we are fighting in the Supreme Court and federal courts across the country to defeat these lawless power grabs, and to protect the rights of all to cast their ballots in free and fair elections. We do not have a democracy without trust in our democratic processes, and without the peaceful transfer of power. Our country held together this time. On this January 6, we can never again take that for granted,” said Attorney General Tong.
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