The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONDEMNING IRRESPONSIBLE DEFAMATION IN CONGRESS
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HON. PAUL A. GOSAR
of arizona
in the house of representatives
Monday, January 25, 2021
Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my dismay that members of Congress are making unfounded claims of treason and sedition against their colleagues without evidence to back their outlandish claims. By this, I mean the numerous members alleging that members aided in ``reconnaissance'' tours for those individuals who would storm the Capitol during the Electoral College certification.
These accusations leveled by several members make these bold statements without offering a shred of evidence. In fact, over 30 members put their names on a letter which made these allegations without even an indication to whom they were referring to. In the absence of fact, these accusations have allowed conspiracy to permeate the narrative from the deepest enclaves of the Internet. Leftist media sources, from major 24 hour broadcast companies to biogs, have picked up on these hollow accusations, and the effects have been damaging.
Since evidence and due process have been replaced with speculation, members of Congress are being deemed guilty of these crimes, including myself. In fact, there is now a narrative running that since I supported the objection to the certification of the count, I must be one of the members guilty of this treason. Multiple media sources have reported as ``fact'' that me and other objectors conducted tours of the Capitol to do some type of ``reconnaissance''. This is patently and unequivocally false. They offered no proof of this scurrilous and defamatory falsehood. I asked Capitol Police to pull and preserve all video footage from House security cameras which can establish with finality who, if anyone, gave even one tour during the days leading to the unrest. I can say this: my office has not given a tour since February 2020. The continuing publication of this defamation by members of Congress and media is unprofessional, unethical, and actionable.
The increase in violent, threatening messages received in our offices because of the irresponsible political messaging from my colleagues in coordination with their media pals is sickening and indicative of our larger societal issues, such as a media which tells their viewers what they know to be true, not what the facts are. So, let me set the record straight. I have not given a tour of the Capitol since 2017, and my staff has not given a tour since they closed to the public early in 2020 as a COVID-19 response. Further, at no time did anyone with Stop the Steal talk to me about violence, and my efforts to speak to the American people and fight for my constituents were guided by the First Amendment and the Electoral Count Act of 1878.
Madam Speaker, the purpose of this body is to serve as the voice of the American people, a voice which speaks with honesty to conduct the business of this country and contribute to the overall good. Yet, the passions of humanity can undermine these principles, and these unfounded accusations are a menace to the traditions of this body. Therefore, Madam Speaker, I condemn my colleagues irresponsible actions and their use of their official powers to fuel a media spectacle for their own political benefit. Their willingness to set these mistruths into the public and not interject when the truth is deviated from and innocent people are blamed is defamation, conspiratorial, and faulty justice. Much like McCarthyism or the witch hunt conducted these last four years, history will not look kindly on this abuse of Congressional power, and therefore I implore my colleagues to either set the record straight with evidence or retract these claims immediately to resecure their position in history.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 14
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