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| US Rep. Stephanie Murphy from Florida will be leaving Congress in January. |
The last vote in Congress cast by US Rep. Stephanie Murphy may be the one that goes down in the history books.
The Vietnamese American Congressmember capped off her political career by voting with the eight other House Jan. 6 Committee members to recommend the prosecution of Donald Trump. The bipartisan committee was formed to investigate the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Trump turned to his supporters, those who believed his lies about a stolen election‚” Murphy, D-Winter Park, said Monday during the committee’s last hearing. “He summoned a crowd to the nation’s Capitol on January 6, hoping that they would pressure Congress to do what he could not do on his own.”
In the committee's final hearing, Murphy’s described the fourth and final of the committee’s findings of potential criminal charges, that Trump violated a federal statute against inciting, assisting, or engaging in insurrection or giving aid or comfort to an insurrection.
“Despite having knowledge of the threats of violence presented by the crowd gathered on Jan. 6, President Trump gave an incendiary speech, declaring without basis that the election had been stolen and encouraging his supporters to ‘fight like hell’,” she said.
“The President’s December 19 tweet galvanized domestic violent extremists, including members of the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys and organized militia groups,” Murphy said. “These individuals began organizing to come to the Capitol in large numbers with the specific intent to use violence to disrupt the certification of the election during the joint session.”
The committee referred Trump to the DOJ on at least four criminal charges, while saying Monday it had evidence of possible charges of conspiring to injure or impede an officer and seditious conspiracy.
The action does not require the Justice Department to act although Attorney General Merrick Garland has already appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to take on two probes related to Trump, including the January 6 investigation.
The full report will be released Wednesday. The sheer volume of this material can't be overstated. The panel took testimony from more than 1,000 witnesses. Many of these interviews were videotaped, which means the panel has hundreds of hours of footage.
After serving three terms in Congress, Murphy decided to retire this year to spend more time with her family.
Murphy became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress in 2016 when she upset 12-term Republican incumbent John Mica to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
“I’m proud of our Congress in this country because we are a citizen Congress,” Murphy said. “It’s about average people getting an opportunity to represent their community. To the Central Florida community, I just have to say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. It’s been the opportunity of my life.”
Republican Cory Mills defeated his Democratic opponent by 17 points in this year’s midterm election to be the new Congressional representative for the 7th district, which was gerrymandered by the GOP-controlled legislature to include more Republicans.
In her final term, Murphy was elected leader of the 18-member House Blue Dogs, which have a longstanding policy focus of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a what they believe is a more pragmatic approach to governance but also put them at odds with their fellow Democrats.
Asked what’s next for her, Murphy told News 6 in late November that she’s looking forward to spending time with her family and a “more sane pace of life.” But, she added, “I believe in public service. I always have. And I’m sure I’ll find ways to serve my community and my country.”
The Vietnamese American Congressmember capped off her political career by voting with the eight other House Jan. 6 Committee members to recommend the prosecution of Donald Trump. The bipartisan committee was formed to investigate the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Trump turned to his supporters, those who believed his lies about a stolen election‚” Murphy, D-Winter Park, said Monday during the committee’s last hearing. “He summoned a crowd to the nation’s Capitol on January 6, hoping that they would pressure Congress to do what he could not do on his own.”
In the committee's final hearing, Murphy’s described the fourth and final of the committee’s findings of potential criminal charges, that Trump violated a federal statute against inciting, assisting, or engaging in insurrection or giving aid or comfort to an insurrection.
“Despite having knowledge of the threats of violence presented by the crowd gathered on Jan. 6, President Trump gave an incendiary speech, declaring without basis that the election had been stolen and encouraging his supporters to ‘fight like hell’,” she said.
“The President’s December 19 tweet galvanized domestic violent extremists, including members of the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys and organized militia groups,” Murphy said. “These individuals began organizing to come to the Capitol in large numbers with the specific intent to use violence to disrupt the certification of the election during the joint session.”
The committee referred Trump to the DOJ on at least four criminal charges, while saying Monday it had evidence of possible charges of conspiring to injure or impede an officer and seditious conspiracy.
The action does not require the Justice Department to act although Attorney General Merrick Garland has already appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to take on two probes related to Trump, including the January 6 investigation.
The full report will be released Wednesday. The sheer volume of this material can't be overstated. The panel took testimony from more than 1,000 witnesses. Many of these interviews were videotaped, which means the panel has hundreds of hours of footage.
Murphy became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress in 2016 when she upset 12-term Republican incumbent John Mica to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
“I’m proud of our Congress in this country because we are a citizen Congress,” Murphy said. “It’s about average people getting an opportunity to represent their community. To the Central Florida community, I just have to say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. It’s been the opportunity of my life.”
Republican Cory Mills defeated his Democratic opponent by 17 points in this year’s midterm election to be the new Congressional representative for the 7th district, which was gerrymandered by the GOP-controlled legislature to include more Republicans.
In her final term, Murphy was elected leader of the 18-member House Blue Dogs, which have a longstanding policy focus of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a what they believe is a more pragmatic approach to governance but also put them at odds with their fellow Democrats.
Asked what’s next for her, Murphy told News 6 in late November that she’s looking forward to spending time with her family and a “more sane pace of life.” But, she added, “I believe in public service. I always have. And I’m sure I’ll find ways to serve my community and my country.”
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