— Today, Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) released a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Administration Committee Chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) calling for the preservation of glass panels smashed during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Last night, the members learned the Capitol Superintendent retained the damaged glass from Capitol doors facing the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.

Read the letter here.

Full text: 

We write to request that the glass panes from the doors to the Capitol Rotunda which were damaged during the failed January 6th insurrection be preserved and prominently displayed for future generations to bear witness to the events of that day and the fragility of our democracy.

As you’re well aware, members of the mob broke down doors, shattered windows, and damaged artwork and furniture throughout the Capitol complex. We appreciate that efforts to restore the Capitol have already commenced, and hope that as part of that repair we ensure certain remnants of the failed insurrection are preserved and prominently displayed - specifically the broken glass panes from the Capitol Rotunda doors facing the Library of Congress.

Throughout the Capitol, keen eyes can still find impressions of our history, including chisel marks on the columns in the crypt left by those enslaved by early Americans to build the Capitol,  a bullet hole in the desk of Republican leadership in the House chamber from the 1954 attack by Puerto Rican nationalists, and an inlay patch on the desk of traitorous former Senator Jefferson Davis marking where Union soldiers attacked the desk with bayonets during the Civil War.

Just as these reminders of our complicated past remain, so too must some of the damage caused by the insurrectionists on January 6^th, 2021. We believe these items must be preserved as a symbol to those who remain, and to educate future Americans about the fragility of our union and the preciousness of our democracy.  It is our hope that these vestiges of the attack will remind all who view them of our individual and collective duty to defend truth and give pause to those who would inflame the passions of our countrymen at the expense of our nation.

Thank you for your consideration of our request.

Respectfully, 

Rep. Dean Phillips

Rep. Andy Kim 

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