On the recordJanuary 8, 2018
Freedom is not partisan. Yesterday, on the corner of Post Oak and Westheimer in Houston, Texas, I stood with Iranian Americans, linking arms with them as they protested and petitioned for a free and democratic Iran. I told them that the cries of hunger and economic needs, and the cries of young people who wanted freedom in Iran were my cries, and that we believed in democracy, freedom, and peace, and that we would not leave them alone. So, again, I say to them: We stand not as Democrats and Republicans, but as Americans, wanting for a free government that allows the people's voices to be heard, and that despotic governments have no place in a society that relishes and thirsts after freedom. I want to thank the law enforcement officers who stood by in the cold--yes, the cold in Houston--and allowed for a peaceful protest in this time of honoring them a national law enforcement commemoration. Again, I want to thank them, for they go to places where they are needed and they allow democracy to reign. I will say democracy will reign in Iran, and Iranian Americans are not alone in their quest for freedom, democracy, and peace. ____________________
