Hank Johnson: “Tomorrow, the Federal Government will execute a Black man named Orlando Hall in the middle of a deadly pandemic that is…”

“Tomorrow, the Federal Government will execute a Black man named Orlando Hall in the middle of a deadly pandemic that is spiking toward unprecedented levels. The death penalty is cruel, unusual, barbaric, and immoral. Mr. Hall will be the eighth prisoner executed under Bill Barr's leadership since June--eight expedited executions since June in this country--and the first by a lame duck President in a century, the eighth one being done tomorrow. Carrying out Federal executions during a deadly pandemic puts hundreds of people at risk, from local community members, to Bureau of Prison employees, to lawyers and advocates. The Trump administration's choice to risk life in an expedited rush to take life is morally bankrupt. To quote my dear friend and late colleague Elijah Cummings, we, as United States citizens, are better than this. ____________________”