For four hours last January America and the world watched in horror and fascination as thousands of protesters attacked the United States Capitol in what many viewed as an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power – the cornerstone of democracy.
In its aftermath several people were dead including a police officer and a number of Trump supporters. Hundreds were injured. It appeared the final chapter of Donald Trump’s tumultuous period in power was coming to an end.
That evening the Senate and the House of Representatives reconvened and certified the votes of the various States, leading to the declaration of Joe Biden as the president-elect. Political leaders from all sides condemned Trump for his role in instigating the assault on the Capitol.
January 6th has not marked a turning point in US history in the same manner as the assault on Fort Sumter that triggered the Civil War or Roosevelt's New Deal
The spell which Trump seemed to hold over his own Republican party seemed to be on the verge of breaking. The House moved to impeach him for a second time and social media companies ejected him from their platforms.
However, 12 months later it is clear that this spell has not been broken. Trump’s hold on the Republican party is perhaps stronger than ever. Republican politicians who voted for impeachment, or who were deemed insufficiently loyal to the “stop the steal” arguments, are either facing Trump-backed challengers to run in next year’s elections or are leaving politics.
Democrats argue January 6th amounted to an insurrection or attempted coup and worry it could happen again. Republicans have moved from criticising Trump to, in many cases, seeking to downplay the events of the day.
While Democrats see those who attacked the Capitol as a mob “with evil in their eyes”, on the right they are considered patriots who wanted to protest at alleged irregularities in the poll. Some Republicans have suggested they were just like “tourists”.
The Republican leadership did not participate in a congressional investigation into January 6th and many candidates running for office next November have adopted Trump’s line in questioning the integrity of the presidential election.
On the right there are concerns at the fate of some of the 700 or so people who have been arrested in relation to January 6th and in some eyes these are now viewed as “political prisoners”.
January 6th has not marked a turning point in US history in the same manner as other dramatic or seismic events such as the assault on Fort Sumter that triggered the Civil War or Roosevelt’s New Deal to end the privations caused by the Great Depression or the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Rather than a turning point it seems to have become another talking point in the never-ending cultural and political conflict between left and right.
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The House of Representatives was not long in session to certify the votes for the presidency on November 6th, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi suddenly left the chamber.
Jim McGovern, the chair of the House rules committee, stepped in. He met her in the aisle as she left, but didn’t seem to have a full grasp on what was happening around the Capitol.
“I’ll be back shortly”, she said as they passed. McGovern noticed she had left her phone behind.
From election night on Trump had sought to convince his supporters he was the rightful winner and that his victory had been stolen
He then got a text message from his daughter who was watching the TV coverage, asking why he was there, and that he should get out. McGovern was puzzled. He was chairing proceedings in the Speaker’s chair. He couldn’t make a call to find out what was going on.
Speaking to The Irish Times he says that ahead of the certification process he along with other Congress members had urged their staff to stay at home that day as they feared there could be angry protests outside the Capitol. However, they never imagined people would break in and take over the Capitol building itself.
“We heard some shouting outside the chamber. I did not think very much of it. Maybe a couple of protesters got into the building and were shouting. The Capitol is a cavernous building and if one person shouts, it echoes. I did not think there was anything… more than a couple of people running around.”
He was asked by security to adjourn the session twice. On the second occasion he realised something serious was happening.
Elsewhere in the Capitol complex Lori Trahan from Massachusetts watched from her office as the reports of protesters breaching the building came in. She had been sworn in as a Democratic congresswoman the previous Sunday and had brought her family including her young daughters to Washington to enjoy the occasion.
However, she says by Monday evening “you did not need to see intelligence reports to notice that the atmosphere was changing” as Trump supporters arrived ahead of the rally scheduled for Wednesday. She and her husband decided it would be best to take the girls out of Washington.
“We were remote schooling them in my office due to Covid. Thank God we knew to get our girls out of town on Tuesday morning as they would have been in my office on January 6th.”
She says the tension was building. “Folks were already assembling on the Mall and where the rally was to take place. My husband was hesitant to leave me alone but he had no choice. He had to take my daughters away. He said whatever will happen on Wednesday is going to be much worse than we think.”
Trahan says on January 6th she was in her office because not everyone could go to the House floor due to Covid constraints. She says when the Capitol complex was breached, she had received instructions to lock and barricade the door and stay put.
“I had two staff people in my office. My first phone call was to my sitter back home to say not to turn on the TV as the images would frighten the children. We were at that point not knowing what was going to happen. The assumption was it was not going to be difficult for these insurrectionists to find members of Congress.”
She was stuck in the office for three or four hours.
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From election night on Trump had sought to convince his supporters he was the rightful winner and that his victory had been stolen.
As legal challenges came to nothing, the focus of Trump and his supporters turned to January 6th. Historically, this is a day of political ritual where the votes of the State delegations are certified at a joint session of Congress.
Just before Christmas, Trump tweeted an invitation to his supporters to come to Washington on that day. “Be there, will be wild!”
Advocates for those involved in the protests maintain that some protesters were attacked by police
Vice-president Mike Pence was to preside over the certification process. Some right-wing lawyers advised Trump that the constitution permitted Pence to reject electors from key States where there had been allegations of voting irregularities. This could lead to the nullification of Biden's victory, facilitating Trump remaining in power. Other legal experts considered this concept to be far-fetched.
Trump began placing Pence in the role of hero or villain. At a rally in Georgia, Trump said: “I hope Mike Pence comes through for us. If he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him as much.”
On the morning of January 6th thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington, close to the White House. Trump told the crowd: "We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated."
“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Trump indicated he would join them.
“And we’re going to the Capitol, and we’re going to try and give … our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones don’t need any of our help… We’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Even as Trump was speaking there were already scuffles taking place with police around the Capitol. As the numbers increased, the situation deteriorated. Barricades were toppled, protesters swarmed onto the complex, scaling walls and running up the outside stairways.
Outnumbered police officers were pushed back or decided, tactically, to retreat. Eventually using flag poles and pieces of wood, windows were smashed and a number of protesters climbed into the Capitol Building. Some opened doors and a large number of protesters streamed in.
Angered at the refusal of the vice-president to throw out some election results, a number of protesters chanted “hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the halls. Outside some had a would-be gallows. Others were looking for Pelosi.
At one entrance police and protesters engaged in hand-to hand combat. One police officer died the day after he was overpowered and attacked by protesters. The police union said about 130 officers were injured and some had been attacked with objects including metal poles. Others were sprayed with mace or bear spray. Two police officers died by suicide following January 6th. Two Trump supporters died following heart attacks, another had an accidental overdose. Police were armed but videos later showed concerns among senior officers that firing on protesters could have led to a bloodbath.
If you were to ask me to describe what evil looks like, I would say looking into the eyes of this angry mob, that is how I would describe evil. It seemed like these people were crazed and out of their minds
Advocates for those involved in the protests maintain that some protesters were attacked by police. Trump, meanwhile, had not marched to the Capitol. He returned to the White House and watched events on television.
As protesters entered the Capitol, the Senate chamber, where the vice-president was seated, was evacuated.
In the House of Representatives McGovern says he stayed in the Speaker’s chair as other members were removed and he was one of the last to leave.
“And when I walked into the Speaker’s lobby, which is just off the House floor, to be escorted to a safe location, there was a bit of a backlog as a lot of members and staff were going through a narrow door.”
“When I turned to the Democratic side of the Speaker’s lobby, I could see Capitol Police on the inside had a pile of chairs up against the doors.”
“I could see three police officers outside the windows and then I saw this angry mob pounding with their fists on the glass. I remember turning to someone next to me (and saying): I do not think these people are here to protest. I think they are here to hurt us.”
One of the windows in the doors blocking access to the lobby was smashed.
“If you were to ask me to describe what evil looks like, I would say looking into the eyes of this angry mob, that is how I would describe evil. It seemed like these people were crazed and out of their minds. I could not believe they were desecrating the United States Capitol building.”
“And I felt really angry. Somebody asked me if I was afraid. I said I was just angry. I wanted at that moment to give them the middle finger and say ‘f**k you’. That is what went through my mind. I am glad that I didn’t. But I was just really angry.”
They should not have been there. It was stupid. It was a dumb thing to go in the building but for the most part they were not evil, they were just naïve
Then just as he rounded a corner away from the lobby a shot rang out. One protester, an Air Force veteran and Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt, had been shot and killed by police as she tried to clamber through the broken window.
McGovern says the blocked doors were the last line of defence separating House members from the protesters. “We all mourn the loss of any life. But I wonder what would have happened if they all had got through. When Ashli Babbitt was shot they kind of dispersed. But at that moment, they were very, very close.”
“The hate in the faces and eyes of these people is something I will never forget. I am used to people yelling and screaming at me and telling me I should go to hell. But I have never witnessed anything like this.”
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In the aftermath, police and the FBI arrested more than 700 people.
One of the iconic images of the day was of the so-called QAnon shaman – Jacob Chansley – walking around the Senate chamber dressed in furs with horns and carrying a spear with an American flag. Last month he was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
On the right there is a narrative that many of those arrested are being unjustly treated, particularly in comparison with those involved in the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. In September Trump argued that those charged on foot of January 6th were being “persecuted so unfairly.”
Matt Braynard is executive director of Look Ahead America, which advocates on behalf of those arrested. He maintains the individuals concerned are “being politically persecuted due to political beliefs for their involvement in January 6th”.
He told The Irish Times: “We condemn all political violence, destruction of property and attacks on police officers. However, the vast majority of those arrested and charged were not involved in any violence. They simply walked into a public building that they could walk into on any given day and walked out. They caused no destruction, followed police orders and did not assault anybody.”
“And yet they are being treated like Isis terrorists when historically individuals who engaged in exactly the same behaviour, are usually let off with a slap on the wrists, if that at all.”
“These people are having the FBI break down their door with machine guns drawn and pointed at their children in the middle of the night and being hauled off. In many cases they are being held without a trial date and access to the evidence the government says they have against them.
Braynard disputes that any insurrection took place on January 6th. Rather, he contends, there were people who were trying to exercise their rights under the first amendment to assemble peacefully and petition the government for a redress of grievances.
“They should not have been there. It was stupid. It was a dumb thing to go in the building but for the most part they were not evil, they were just naïve.”
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time with the best of intentions to convey their concerns about election integrity and suddenly they are being treated worse than those held at Guantánamo Bay.”
Prosecutors, on the other hand, have maintained no one who broke into the Capitol on January 6th was innocent.
The events of that day are currently being investigated by a special committee comprised primarily of Democrats with a small number of Republicans.
Trump has objected to official records from his presidency being handed over. Some prominent supporters, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and advisor Steve Bannon, have refused to co-operate. Other key figures have indicated they will invoke their fifth amendment rights not to incriminate themselves.
However, any report is unlikely to find bi-partisan acceptance given there is no consensus on what actually happened in the first place. Braynard says there was no insurrection. He says that in a country awash with weapons, most of those in the Capitol that day could have had access to rifles or hand guns but no one arrested was in possession of a firearm.
He said you have to compare the video. I said I was f**king there. What are you talking about?
On the Democrat side, January 6th has left a bitter legacy both at the events themselves and conspiracy theories that seek to downplay them.
McGovern says the week after January 6th a man came up to him while he was in the frozen food section of a supermarket and said: “Hey McGovern, what a tragedy about what happened on Janaury 6th.”
“I thought he was being sympathetic. But he went on to say: I know the truth and the deal was the video we saw on TV was filmed somewhere else and not in the Capitol. I have seen pictures of the Capitol and they are two different places.”
“I said to him ‘I was there’. He said you have to compare the video. I said I was f**king there. What are you talking about?”
“I went home and said to my wife. How did this guy get like that? How many people are like that? And this guy was in a business suit!”
“And I have had encounters in restaurants or on airplanes since where people play down what happened that day or basically told me it was a lie and that it didn’t happen.”
McGovern says he has (Republican) colleagues in Congress who downplay January 6th “or cover it up or praise the people that desecrated the building and attacked Capitol Police and threatened the lives of staff up here.
“I have a really hard time dealing with them, because many of them know better but think there is some political gain to... a conspiracy theory .”
“There are some colleagues when the elevator door opens in the Capitol when we are voting and I decide to walk up the stairs instead.”
TIMELINE JANUARY 6TH
2.10am Democrat Raphael Warnock declared winner of Senate run-off election in state of Georgia – paving the way for his party to control both houses of Congress
11am Trump supporters gather for rally at the Ellipse, near the White House in Washington
12pm Trump addresses crowd for more than an hour, repeats false claims about the presidential election having been stolen. He urges his supporters to "never give up" and "never concede"
12.30pm Even while Trump speaking some of his supporters convene at the Capitol Building
1pm An initial wave of protesters break through the outer barricades at the west side of the Capitol as vice-president Mike Pence and members of Congress begin a joint session to certify the election results
1.05pm Joint session opens. Just beforehand Pence announces he will not intervene to reject pro-Biden electors in States where there was alleged irregularities, as sought by Trump supporters
1.12pm Republicans, led by Representative Paul Gosar and Senator Ted Cruz, object to certifying Arizona's electoral college votes. The joint session then separates into House and Senate chambers to debate the objection
1.20pm Trump finishes his speech, urging supporters to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.
1.30pm Crowd outside the Capitol complex grows and overwhelming police officers on duty, protesters begin making their way up the steps to the building itself.
Suspicious packages, later confirmed to be pipe bombs, are found at Republican National Committee headquarters and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. Nearby buildings are evacuated.
2.15pm (circa) Pro Trump supporters break windows and enter the Capitol building, opening doors and allowing others to follow them
2.20pm (circa) Houses of Congress adjourn and politicians evacuated as crowd make their way further into the Capitol building
2.23pm Trump tweets: ""Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
3.15 pm (circa) Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt is shot dead by police as protesters try to break through to access the Speaker's lobby. Trump tweets urging those at the Capitol to remain peaceful
4.05pm Joe Biden publicly calls on Trump to "demand an end to this siege"
4.17pm Trump tweets a video telling rioters that he loves them and urging them to go home. He claims again (falsely) that the election was fraudulent and stolen and that he understands how demonstrators feel
4.18pm In second Georgia run-off election Jon Ossoff wins confirming that Democrats will take control of the US senate. Nearby Maryland and Virginia send National Guard and state troopers to Washington DC
5.40pm (circa) Police begin to clear the Capitol as rioters are pushed back and the interior is secured. Congressional leaders announce that they will resume the electoral vote certification . Curfew in the DC area to take effect from 6pm
6.01pm Trump tweets: "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
7pm Facebook removes Trump's posts about protests and election results from Facebook and Instagram platforms. Twitter suspends Trump account for 12 hours "repeated and severe violations of [its] Civic Integrity policy."
8.06pm Pence reconvenes Senate process saying: Let's get back to work."
9pm Speaker Nancy Pelosi brings the House back into session and says: "Justice will be done."
3.42am (January 7th) After both the House and Senate reject challenges to Biden's wins in Arizona and Pennsylvania, Pence officially affirms the election results, declaring Biden the president-elect
