Spencer Finley

Politics Editor

sjf5814@psu.edu

Given that the one-year anniversary of the attack on the United States Congress occurred shortly before the semester began, and it was one of the most politically significant events of the past few years, the Behrend Beacon has decided to mark the anniversary of the attack with an article. While writing that article, I discovered a half-finished piece on the attack sitting in my Google Drive. I had intended to submit it for publication at a local newspaper; I, however, never finished it and therefore never submitted it for publication. It did, however, make for a useful examination into my own mindset in the immediate aftermath of the insurrection. In the year that has elapsed since the Capitol Riot, I had forgotten my own powerful anger and fear on January 6 and in the days shortly following the attack; to some extent, the rest of the country has as well. It is important, however, that the country remembers their feelings on that day, lest the Capitol Riot mark the start of a new and dangerous era in American Politics where the peaceful transition of power is no longer the norm. I have not included that half-finished work in this article, but instead I will offer a brief summation of the events of the day and a short examination of the political fallout of the riot. 

January 6, 2021 was set to be a day of high tension. Then-President Donald Trump had been calling on his supporters to gather in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election since at least mid-December of 2020; the earliest tweet which makes mention of a gathering on January 6 was from December 19, 2020, where the Former President said “Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud ‘more than sufficient’ to swing victory to Trump https://t.co/D8KrMHnFdK. A great report by Peter. Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” About a week after this, on December 27, 2020, the at-the-time President of the United States tweeted “See you in Washington, DC, on January 6th. Don’t miss it. Information to follow!” However, this was far from the only groundwork being laid for the attack on the Capitol which occurred on January 6th; according to NPR, on sites like TheDonald, Parler, Gab, and MeWe, as well as more mainstream sites like Facebook and Twitter, right-wing extremists had been laying out plans to storm the Capitol on January 6th. 

On January 6, Trump supporters gathered near the White House to listen to the Former President and a number of his prominent supporters give addresses railing against results of the 2020 election and imploring members of Congress to vote against certifying the electoral results of several key swing states. They also asked that their audience be willing to engage in violence to stop the election from being certified. A perfect example of this is remarks from Representative Mo Brooks, a Republican of Alabama, who according to NPR, said “Now, our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes and sometimes their lives to give us, their descendants, an America that is the greatest nation in world history. So I have a question for you — are you willing to do the same?” At noon, Former President Trump began his speech. During the course of his speech, Trump told his supporters to engage in violence to stop the certification of the Electoral College, saying “Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down and I’ll be there with you. We’re going to walk down–We’re going to walk down. Anyone you want, but I think right here, we’re going to walk down to the Capitol–And we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong,” conflating violence and strength. According to NPR, his supporters began to move towards the Capitol, where they began to skirmish with the police at around 1 PM. 

Shortly after 1 PM, the certification process began in the Congress, and Former President Trump ended his address. In the both the House and the Senate. This goes on until it becomes too dangerous to continue operations, at which point both houses go into recess. according to NPR, rioters broke through the last remaining police barricades at around 1:45 PM and successfully breached the building at around 2 PM. Per NPR, at about 2:20 PM, both houses go on recess and members of Congress are evacuated. Less than 10 minutes later, at 2:28 PM, Former President Trump tweeted “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!” 

At this point, Trump-supporting insurrectionists ransack the building until they are driven out by the National Guard at about 6 PM. Trump, at this point, tweets that “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!” 

According to the New York Times, on January 11, 2021, articles of impeachment were introduced against Trump in the House of Representatives, which were passed on January 13, 2021 with the support of 10 Republicans. According to the New York Times, the impeachment went to trial on February 9, 2021. The Former President was acquitted at this trial.