Cory Booker: “I want to respond deeply. I, first, want to thank my colleague for being here in the morning. She is one of my…”

“I want to respond deeply. I, first, want to thank my colleague for being here in the morning. She is one of my colleagues that I confided in when I told her it was enough for me, I needed to do something different, and she readily encouraged me to be here on the floor for what is now about 13 hours. She has encouraged me. She has encouraged my heart and is just one of my dear friends. I am just so grateful to see her this morning. I want to say something before I begin answering her question. In my hometown where I grew up in Bergen County, there is a family, the Alexanders, whose son Edan is an American who is being held by Hamas. He is being likely tortured and in trauma and in pain. He is a U.S. citizen. He is an American. I had a friend with me just recently, a man who was driving me around. I have this ribbon that I often use that I keep in my pocket. It reminds me of him and my determination to bring him home--bring him home. I want his family to know that, as a State Senator, he is in my thoughts. I also feel there are so many New Jerseyans who are affected by this crisis, who lost family members in the region. We must bring peace. Then my friend Senator Smith asked this question about--which is a real test because when you disagree with someone's statements so much, but the very nature of the First Amendment--what makes this document so precious is that it says that no matter how reprehensible your speech is, this document says you have the right to say it.…”