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2021 United States Capitol attack

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I’m watching the television the morning of the 6th and I see Don Junior get up there. And then I hear the president get up there and go off on Pence. I literally was so triggered... because I felt the same thing. Somebody is going to hear that, and bad things will happen ~ Nikki Haley
Donald Trump in Save America Rally Speech on 6 January 2021
I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement. ~ George W. Bush

On January 6, 2021, supporters of United States President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol. The event disrupted a joint session of Congress during which the Electoral College vote was to be certified, affirming Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. This came after weeks of numerous failed lawsuits related to the election.

Quotes

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Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable … The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters. ~ William Barr


(Sorted alphabetically by author or source)
The man who was seen during the storming of the Capitol building last week wearing fur, horns, and red, white and blue face paint, is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump for criminal charges related to his role in the events, which led to the deaths of five people. ~ Chris Walker, Truthout
As shocking, deeply disturbing, and frankly saddening as that event remains, we have also seen this week that democracy is resilient in America~Justin Trudeau

January 2021

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  • Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people—the will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one Nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way—restless, bold, optimistic—and set our sights on the Nation we know we can be and we must be, I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our Nation, as does President Carter, who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.
  • [A]n NPR analysis has found that nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol appear to have a military history.
    NPR compiled a list of individuals facing federal or District of Columbia charges in connection with the events of Jan. 6. Of more than 140 charged so far, a review of military records, social media accounts, court documents and news reports indicate at least 27 of those charged, or nearly 20%, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. To put that number in perspective, only about 7% of all American adults are military veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Officials are... looking at the bigger picture to identify if the riot was a coordinated effort between those inside and outside of the Capitol. "That is a tier 1, top priority for the U.S. attorney and federal law enforcement—to see if there was an overarching command and control and organized teams to breach the Capitol and accomplished some type of mission inside the Capitol," Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters Friday. Sherwin said he expected the over 275 suspects to turn into 300 by the end of the day and "exponentially increase" over the weekend and into next week. Officials attributed the success of the investigation partially to the American public's help.
  • Fast forward, I’m watching the television the morning of the 6th and I see Don Junior get up there. And then I hear the president get up there and go off on Pence. I literally was so triggered... because I felt the same thing. Somebody is going to hear that, and bad things will happen.
  • Senator Lindsey Graham said at a press conference that money would not be an object in pursuing charges against the "domestic terrorists" who unlawfully entered the Capitol. Other legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are pushing for the FBI to put rioters on the no-fly list.
    "We are concerned about these people getting back on airplanes and doing more violence," Schumer said Tuesday. "Ahead of the concern for possible future attacks and with the law on our side, we are to say that these insurrectionists, many of whom are known to be at large, should not be able to hop on a flight."
    • Jenni Fink, Newsweek, Officials Investigating if There Was an Organized 'Mission' Inside the Capitol During Riot, (January 15, 2021)
  • Steven D'Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said the bureau has received more than 145,000 photos and videos in the past week. "Every FBI field office in the country is looking for you," D'Antuono said in a message to those involved in the riot. "As a matter of fact, even your friends and family are tipping us off."
    • Jenni Fink, Newsweek, Officials Investigating if There Was an Organized 'Mission' Inside the Capitol During Riot, (January 15, 2021)
  • In so far as he encouraged people to go to Congress, and in so far as the President has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that to be completely wrong. I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way they did in the Capitol.
  • John Earle Sullivan, who was inside the Capitol building during the siege on Wednesday, previously gave a speech in BLM Plaza in DC in August 2020 where he identifies as being part of an insurgency group & calls for a violent left-wing revolution.
    One of the men who was part of the siege of the Capitol building is John Earle Sullivan, an extreme BLM activist from Utah. He was arrested & charged in July 2020 over a BLM-antifa riot where drivers in Provo were threatened & one was shot.
  • Before Donald Trump exhorted the Jan. 6 rally to march on the Capitol, the White House had been warned by the rally sponsor that there was no permit for a march, that the Interior Department’s Park Police were promised there would be no march, and that such an unplanned march was dangerous. As a result, the police were stunned, undermanned and unprepared for Trump’s surprise launch of thousands of his enraged Trump supporters, some armed, on the Capitol. “I mean, it was shocking. It’s something we advocated against doing for exactly the reasons that ended up playing themselves out,” said a high-level source inside Women for America First, the organization that held the Interior Department permit for the rally. They spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity. Even more damning, the march Trump set in motion was led and promoted by ultra-right, violence-threatening extremist Ali Alexander head of Stop the Steal. The Palast Investigative Team filmed Alexander, only weeks before the riot, exhorting a crowd: “Either they take Trump …[or] we’ll light the whole shit on fire!”
  • The first news that there would be, despite warnings, an illegal, uncontrolled march was at 12:15 pm when Trump himself surprised the protest organizers with his announcement. “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard,” Trump said. The march on the Capitol was set in motion when the President announced he himself would join it. “The announcement that he was going to go was news to us,” the insider said. “But then [Trump] said he’s walking! It caught our team by surprise and unprepared.”... Alex Jones stated on his podcast that he and Alexander were called by the White House just before the president’s speech and were told to prepare to lead the crowd on a march... The White House has not denied the duo’s extraordinary claim, a claim consistent with events.
  • La protesta pacifica è diritto di ogni americano ma questo attacco al nostro Campidoglio non sarà tollerato e le persone coinvolte saranno perseguite al livello massimo consentito dalla legge.
  • (google translate): Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and the people involved will be prosecuted to the maximum extent permitted by law.
  • I want to thank the federal, state, and local law enforcement. The violence was quelled. The Capitol is secured and the people’s work continues. We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place. To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins, and this is still the people’s house.
    • Mike Pence, January 6, 2021, as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(3), p. 53.
  • Calling on Vice President Michael R. Pence to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments of the Cabinet to activate section 4 of the 25th Amendment to declare President Donald J. Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President.
  • to immediately use his powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.
  • Come on. Let’s go!
    We’re all part of this (expletive) history
    2021! (expletive) This is insanity. I am shook. What is this? What is this painting, you know? King (expletive) bro (expletive)!
    Is this not going to be the best film you’ve ever made in your life?
    This is surreal. This is real life, though. This seems like a movie.
    This is a revolution. You guys treasure this moment. This is history.
  • We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women.
    I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.
    we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue, 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
    So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.
  • I ’d like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol. Like all Americans I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem. I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders. America is and must always be a nation of law and order. To demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol: you have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction: you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law: you will pay. We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high. But now, tempers must be cooled and calm restored. We must get on with the business of America.
    • Donald Trump, post-January 6 speech, (7 January 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(3), p. 53.
  • He's got to condemn this sh*t ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough
  • We need an Oval office address. He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand.
    • Donald Trump Jr. according to Text messages to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on January 6 2021, urging Meadows to make Donald Trump stop the attack on the Congress Building.
  • The man who was seen during the storming of the Capitol building last week wearing fur, horns, and red, white and blue face paint, is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump for criminal charges related to his role in the events, which led to the deaths of five people. Jacob Anthony Chansley, who also uses the alias of Jake Angeli, faces several criminal charges, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without the legal authority to do so, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct inside the Capitol... Chansley’s attorney, Albert Watkins, believes that Trump should pardon him and others that took part in the breach because it was the president himself that invited them to Washington, D.C., for a protest rally, and encouraged them to go to the Capitol during a speech outside the White House.
    Indeed, Trump had invited his loyalists to come to Washington, D.C., last month, tweeting on December 20 that the protest on January 6 would be “wild.” Trump incited his supporters to take action against lawmakers as they were certifying the election results, telling his loyalists to head to the Capitol, adding that they would “never take back our country with weakness.

March 2021

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July 2021

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  • In America, if you lose, you accept the results. You follow the Constitution. You try again. You don’t call facts “fake” and then try to bring down the American experiment just because you’re unhappy. That’s not statesmanship. That's selfishness. That’s not democracy; it’s the denial of the right to vote. It suppresses. It subjugates. The denial of full and free and fair elections is the most un-American thing that any of us can imagine, the most undemocratic, the most unpatriotic, and yet, sadly, not unprecedented. From denying enslaved people full citizenship until the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War; to denying women the right to vote until the 19th Amendment 100 years ago; to poll taxes and literacy tests, and the Ku Klux Klan campaigns of violence and terror that lasted into the ‘50s and ‘60s; to the Supreme Court decision in 2013 and then again just two weeks ago—a decision that weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act; to the willful attacks—election attacks in 2020; and then to a whole other level of threat— the violence and the deadly insurrection on the Capitol on January 6th.
    • Joe Biden, "Have You No Shame?" (13 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 199
  • So hear me clearly: There is an unfolding assault taking place in America today—an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections, an assault on democracy, an assault on liberty, an assault on who we are—who we are as Americans. For, make no mistake, bullies and merchants of fear and peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country. It gives me no pleasure to say this. I never thought in my entire career I’d ever have to say it. But I swore an oath to you, to God—to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. And that’s an oath that forms a sacred trust to defend America against all threats both foreign and domestic. The assault on free and fair elections is just such a threat, literally. I’ve said it before: We’re are facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War. That’s not hyperbole. Since the Civil War. The Confederates back then never breached the Capitol as insurrectionists did on January 6th. I’m not saying this to alarm you; I’m saying this because you should be alarmed. I’m also saying this: There’s good news. It doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be, for real. We have the means. We just need to show the will—the will to save and strengthen our democracy. We did it in 2020. The battle for the soul of America—in that battle, the people voted. Democracy prevailed. Our Constitution held. We have to do it again.
    • Joe Biden, "Have You No Shame?" (13 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 201
  • Like all Americans, I am frustrated that six months after a deadly riot breached the United States Capitol for several hours on live television ... we still don’t know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. It’s toxic, and it’s a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and employees on the Capitol Complex, and to the American people who deserve the truth. And it’s why I agreed to serve on this Committee. I want to know what happened that day, but more importantly, I want all Americans to be able to trust the work this Committee does and get the facts out there, free of conspiracy. This CANNOT continue to be a partisan fight. I am a Republican, I am a conservative, but in order to heal from the damage caused that day, we need to call out the facts. It’s time to stop the outrage and conspiracies that fuel violence and division in our country, and most importantly, we need to reject those that promote it. As a country, it’s time to learn from our past mistakes, rebuild stronger so this never happens again, and move onward.
    • Adam Kinzinger, "The Men who Helped Ensure Democracy Held," (27 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 212.
  • Here’s what we know: Congress was not prepared on January 6th. We weren’t prepared because we never imagined this could happen: an attack, by our own people, fostered and encouraged by those granted power through the very system they sought to overturn. That is a lesson, not a conspiracy theory or counter-narrative. Some have concocted a counternarrative to discredit this process on the grounds we didn’t launch a similar investigation into the urban riots and looting last summer. Mr. Chairman, I was called on to serve during the summer riots as an Air National Guardsman. I condemned those riots and the destruction of property that resulted. But not once did I ever feel that the future of self-government was threatened like I did on January 6th. There is a difference between breaking the law and rejecting the rule of law, between a crime—even grave crimes—and a coup.
    • Adam Kinzinger, "The Men who Helped Ensure Democracy Held," (27 July 2021), as quoted in Vital Speeches of the Day, 87(9), p. 212.

October 2021

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  • Americans never bought House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “insurrection” narrative about the January 6 violence at the Capitol, and the majority believe the incident was not as serious as portrayed.

November 2021

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January 2022

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  • If you follow Jan. 6 at the granular level with the facts that are coming out slowly, they are coming out because the government has been very reluctant to release footage, particularly footage of what happened in the tunnel on Jan. 6, where you now begin to see these cops using massive amounts of force against unarmed Trump supporters, including women.
    The death of Rosanne Boyland is now being called into question.
    Was she the second Trump supporter that was killed by the authorities?
    If you read my quotation, it applies to the violence in the tunnel, and I specifically referenced Rosanne Boyland, who was unarmed.
  • On January 6th, we all saw what our nation would look like if the forces who seek to dismantle our democracy are successful. The lawlessness, the violence, the chaos.
    What was at stake then, and now, is the right to have our future decided the way the Constitution prescribes it: by we, the people -- all the people.
    We cannot let our future be decided by those bent on silencing our voices, over-turning our votes, and peddling lies and misinformation; by some radical faction that may be newly resurgent but whose roots run old and deep.
    When I meet with young people, they often ask about the state of our democracy, about January 6th. And what I tell them is: January 6th reflects the dual nature of democracy -- its fragility and its strength.
    You see, the strength of democracy is the rule of law. The strength of democracy is the principle that everyone should be treated equally, that elections should be free and fair, that corruption should be given no quarter. The strength of democracy is that it empowers the people.
    And the fragility of democracy is this: that if we are not vigilant, if we do not defend it, democracy simply will not stand; it will falter and fail.
  • If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January sixth fairly. We will treat them fairly.
    And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly.

March 2022

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* Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!! ~Ginni Thomas
  • I was in the Capitol on January 6 and know it was one of the darkest days in American history.
    I stand with the police officers who protect our streets, federal courthouses, and the United States Capitol against rioters. They deserve our respect and support and I will not second-guess the decisions they made under dire circumstances.

June 2022

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Imagine if your mayor lost a reelection bid...
  • Imagine if your mayor lost a reelection bid, but instead of conceding the race, they picked up the phone, called the district attorney, and said: 'I want you to say this election was stolen.
I want you to tell the Board of Elections not to certify the results'. That's essentially what Donald Trump was trying to do with the election for president of the United States. It was a brazen attempt to use the Justice Department to advance the president's personal political agenda.

October 2022

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  • But the need for this committee to hear from Donald Trump goes beyond our fact finding. This is a question about accountability to the American people. He must be accountable. He is required to answer for his actions. He's required to answer to those police officers who put their lives and bodies on the line to defend our democracy.
He's required to answer to those millions of Americans who votes he wanted to throw out as part of his scheme to remain in power. And whatever is underway to ensure this accountability under law, this committee will demand a full accounting to every American person of the events of January 6th. So, it is our obligation to seek Donald Trump's testimony.
There's precedent in American history for Congress to compel the testimony of a precedent — president. There's also precedent for presidents to provide testimony and documentary evidence to Congressional investigators. We also recognize that a subpoena to a former president is a serious and extraordinary action.
That's why we want to take this step in full view of the American people, especially because the subject matter at issue is so important to the American people and the stakes are so high for our future and our democracy. And so, I recognize the Vice Chair, Ms. Cheney of Wyoming, to offer a motion.
  • You had hundreds of thousands of people come to Washington. They didn’t come because of me. They came because of the election,
Some of those people went down to the Capitol peacefully and patriotically. Nothing done wrong at all. Nothing done wrong. Action was taken. Strong action. Ashli Babbitt was killed. Nobody was killed. There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns... But that was a day of love

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