until two republicans came up to me. one of them said, you can't let them see you. i know these people. i can talk to these people. i can talk my way through these people. you're in a whole different category. thanks to the courage of the police officers that day, we were safe. and we returned to the chamber that night to finish the work and certify the results. and our democracy moved forward, weakened, yes, defiled even by the shameful action of the insurrectionists, but as ever, resilient. i pray that this solemn anniversary be a reawakening of our devotion to our democracy, that it serve as the most potent reminder that the freedoms we enjoy are not an inevitable birthright bequeathed by our