One of my favorite moments in President Joseph R. Biden's two years as our heroic Commander-in-Chief occurred in an unexpected way.
A man who was disrupting a speech given by President Biden at the White House was about to be hustled away by a security detail, when the President unexpectedly stopped his removal from the crowd.
"Let him speak. Let him speak," President Biden said.
Now, I need to make clear that I feel it is astonishingly disrespectful for anyone to interrupt a speech given by the President. It is wrong, in my opinion, to prevent the American people from hearing the words of their duly elected Commander-in-Chief. The American public has a right to hear his words without obstruction.
And yet, Mr. Biden turned this challenging situation into a testament to his support for democracy.
Hecklers within former President Trump's crowds were not only removed from the audience. They were also beaten in some cases. Mr. Trump went so far as to suggest they should be actively harmed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/23/donald-trump-on-protester-id-like-to-punch-him-in-the-face/
What did President Joseph R. Biden say in identical circumstances?
"Let him speak. Let him speak."
Why are these words so profoundly moving to me?
Because President Biden has also allowed me to speak.
I possess no special authority, except my abiding love for our democracy. But that love for our country has led me to a great clarity of purpose with regard to articulating what I have learned about the engagement of far right elements within local and federal law enforcement in the crimes of falsified law enforcement reporting for anti-democratic objectives. Many people with vested interests in perpetuating this scheme of falsified reporting would have preferred that, like the objector in former President Trump's audience, I be silenced through harm.
Yet President Biden responded differently.
President Biden, in regarding my plight, said "Let her speak. Let her speak."
For this, and many other reasons, President Biden is my hero. Beyond this, he is democracy's hero, in ways the American public has yet to fully understand.
President Biden, you have intervened protectively while I have attempted to raise the alarm about this insider threat to our nation.
Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your defense. Thank you for your gift of listening with compassion and receptivity to my concerns.
I hope I might have the privilege of explaining to the American people why we need your leadership at this turning point in the history of our democracy, and, in truth, at this inflection point in the history of the world's democracies.
You are our brightest hope for preserving the civil liberties and human rights of American citizens and, indeed, citizens of the world.
You have my abiding admiration, Mr. President, in equal measure with my abundant gratitude.
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