"There, in the rotunda, these brave men and women were resting beneath eight paintings that depicit the earliest scenes of our Republic. These include four by John Trumbull – scenes from the American Revolution. One of these was painted in 1824 and it depicts George Washington resigning his commission. At this moment depicted in the painting, Washington voluntarily relinquished power. He handed control of the Continental Army back to Congress. John Trumbull, the painter, called this ‘one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world.’ With this noble act, George Washington set the indispensable example of the peaceful transfer of power in our country. This is what President Reagan called, ‘nothing short of a miracle.’ This is what President Kennedy called, in his inaugural address, ‘a celebration of freedom.’ And this sacred obligation to defend the peaceful transfer of power has been honored by every American president . . . except one.

"Today, that role is ours as we face a threat we have never faced before — a former president attempting to unravel our constitutional republic. At this moment we must all summon the courage to stand against that. The question for every one of us is in this time of testing, will we do our duty? Will we defend our Constitution? Will we stand for truth? Will we put duty to our oath above partisan politics? Or will we look away from danger, ignore the threat, embrace the lies, and enable the liar?

“As we leave here tonight, I ask all of you to remember this sacred duty that has passed to us; to remember that in our republic some things have to matter."

[Post edited by DanTheFan at 05/23/2022 5:34PM]