Today, Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) delivered the following opening statement, as prepared, for the House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation":

 

"Mr. Chairman, two weeks ago, our country witnessed a shocking assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.

 

Now, I disagree with Donald Trump on almost every policy area imaginable.

 

I am frequently shocked and outraged at the plans he has for our country and the words that come out of his mouth, and I have dedicated much of the last eight years to fighting his agenda.

 

But, regardless of my strong feelings about Donald Trump’s behavior, I unequivocally and unabashedly condemn—with every fiber of my being—the violent attempt against his life.

 

This was not just an attack on a man, but an attack on our democracy.

 

Political violence erodes the very foundations of our nation.

 

The concepts of freedom of speech, of peaceful transitions of power, of a democratic government at its core—these cannot exist if political violence is allowed to fester and to go unchecked.

 

And if you think that this one assassin’s bullet was a bolt out of the blue, and not part of a wave of violence that has threatened this nation for years, then you have missed the point of what my Democratic colleagues and I have been imploring you to hear for some time.

 

Election workers, many of them working for free, face near-constant threats of violence. In one recent instance, an Indiana man pleaded guilty to threatening to kill an election worker who said that there were no irregularities in a recent election.

 

That man said, quote, “ten million plus patriots will surround you when you least expect it” and “[w]e’ll [expletive] kill you.”

 

That is political violence.

 

In another instance, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s husband was bludgeoned over the head with a hammer by an intruder in his home, who had been there to capture Ms. Pelosi, interrogate her and possibly “break her kneecaps” because of her liberal views.

 

That is political violence.

 

The death threats surging against Vice President Harris, former President Obama and his wife Michelle, and Governor DeSantis, as well as many others—including videos online of individuals holding guns making assassination threats.

 

That is political violence.

 

The plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow parts of the state government.

 

That is political violence.

 

The brutal, deadly attack three years ago against this very building, with rioters breaking through police barriers to run through these halls chanting “Kill Nancy” and “Hang Mike Pence,” and even hanging a noose outside the building.

 

These rioters battering Capitol Police officers and forcing Members of Congress and their staffs to go into hiding, squatted in spaces under desks or in closets.

 

That is political violence.

 

This assassination attempt, as horrific as it is, should surprise no one.

 

And you would think a political party that almost lost their presidential candidate through an act of political violence would have something to say about the way their leaders keep talking about the next election.  

 

Donald Trump has warned there will be a “bloodbath” if he loses.

 

Republican Ohio state Senator George Lang said just last week at a rally for JD Vance that he is “afraid” that “civil war” might be necessary if Republicans lose the November election.

President of the right-wing think tank and Project 2025 leader, The Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, said on Steve Bannon’s podcast, “we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

 

Republican former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said in August 2023 of Trump’s indictments, “Do you want us to be in civil war? Because that's what's going to happen. We're not going to keep putting up with this … We do need to rise up and take our country back.”

 

I could go on, but it’s more and more of the same.

 

And I hear NOTHING from the other side of the aisle in this room about these statements.

Do you support a bloodbath if you don’t get the election outcome you want?

 

Do you justify violence if the left does not agree with you?

 

And what, exactly, has preoccupied this Republican majority while their allies threaten violence to their political enemies, real and imagined?

 

We have chased down baseless conspiracy theories designed solely to influence the 2024 election in favor of Donald Trump.

 

We have spent millions of dollars, and thousands of hours of staff time in more than 100 transcribed interviews, chasing false accusations against President Biden, supporting an impeachment effort that seemed designed to fail, and hunting for a smoking gun that simply does not exist.

 

And instead of admitting that these investigations found no corruption, coercion, or unethical behavior by the Biden administration, Republicans chose to just dig deeper, and spend more money.

 

Imagine what could have happened if we had spent those thousands of hours of staff time, and those millions of taxpayer dollars, addressing even one aspect of the political violence that now threatens our country?

 

Perhaps, had this Republican majority lifted a finger to help a nation that is awash in guns, the assassin in Butler would not have had such easy access to the weapon he used to fire on that crowd.

 

Director Wray, your agency is responsible for addressing some of the most serious issues of our time.

 

The Bureau fights gun violence, which claims the lives of 40,000 Americans every year.

It protects election security from growing threats from malign foreign actors, who are working tirelessly to influence our elections.

 

It protects against domestic terrorists and violent extremists, who have been a growing threat in recent years and have carried out horrific mass shootings and deadly events around the country.

 

And so, so much more.

 

I apologize to you, Director, that instead of supporting you in these missions in the 118th Congress, some of my colleagues have instead hindered your work, maligned your agents, and called to abolish and defund your agency—all for political gain.

 

It is despicable, especially from the party that claims to “back the blue.”

 

And I know that you, and your many agents and employees, have paid the price for these baseless attacks.

 

I know you have faced a barrage of threats, distrust, and vitriol from the public as a result of these wild, politically-driven conspiracies.

 

I know it has become even more dangerous and difficult for you to come to work each day.

I may not agree with you on everything, but I sincerely thank you and every employee in your agency who continues to protect our country.

 

The FBI is vital to keeping America safe, and I pray that today we can focus on the real, substantive work of the agency.  It is the least we owe our country in these times.

 

I yield back."