Political Quotes

“All I can say is having authored this language, I don't know what the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris) is referring to. When we talk about illiberal forces within the NATO alliance, it is all-inclusive. The New York Times did an extensive podcast series on illiberal, rightwing groups within Germany's police and military; not Hungary, not Poland: Germany. Many of our colleagues, when we meet in NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings, express concern about their own internal challenges to their own democratic institutions. {time} 1415 And it is simply false that we are somehow selecting any particular country. This is a concern expressed by virtually all; and we recognize that we have got work to do in showing up and building democratic institutions, even within the alliance; that we can't take it for granted. What we say is democracy is resilient, but it can also be fragile; and that is what this reference is about, and would be recognized by virtually every NATO member as such. So while I certainly can understand Mr. Harris wanting to express a concern, I would hope we have debunked it because it is nowhere even close to being what he has characterized. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”