Rep. Dean: "Republicans will be held to account" for enabling "the criminal, lawless behavior of this president"

Who?Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA)Key Dean:“We either uphold this Constitution and call out the criminal, lawless behavior of this president and his administration, or we could be doomed,” Rep. Madeleine Dean lectured congressional reporters from the steps of the Capitol.ICYMI — Ask a Pol’s on YouTube, TikTok & InstagramCaught our ear:“Americans are being shot and killed. Journalists like you are being arrested. This is in violation of our First Amendment guarantees,” Dean said.“They were put in there by the very first Congress to the United States, because some were worried that states didn’t have — and individuals didn’t have — enough protections within the Constitution. Are we going to walk away from the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights today?”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Madeleine Dean (2-3-2026)SCENE: After voting on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Rep. Dean stops at the bottom of the US Capitol steps to answer questions from the press corps.Rep. Madeleine Dean: “This is a historic moment, folks. Americans are being shot and killed. Journalists like you are being arrested. This is in violation of our First Amendment guarantees.“They were put in there by the very first Congress to the United States, because some were worried that states didn’t have — and individuals didn’t have — enough protections within the Constitution. Are we going to walk away from the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights today?“This Congress will be held to account. Republicans will be held to account, as Americans are shot and killed in the street, little Liam is taken, fearful — our children in this country are fearful they are going to be taken by authorities in America.“We are at an incredibly historic time. We either uphold this Constitution and call out the criminal and lawless behavior of this president and his administration, or we could be doomed.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.What should we ask Congress this week? Let us know! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe