"Fifth Anniversary of US Capitol Attack Goes Unmarked by Republicans"
As the fifth anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol passed largely without comment from Congressional Republicans, Democrats took advantage of the occasion to condemn Donald Trump and the small group of protesters who carried out the attack. The event, which resulted in nine deaths and dozens of injuries, has been extensively documented in videos shot by journalists, police, and rioters themselves.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, speaking at an unofficial hearing convened by his party, said that instead of holding those responsible accountable, Trump and far-right extremists have repeatedly attempted to rewrite history and whitewash the horrific events of January 6. He accused Republicans of acting as accomplices to the president's efforts.
The anniversary marked a significant moment since Trump returned to office last year and immediately pardoned nearly everyone convicted or charged over the violence. Noting that some of those pardoned had been convicted of other serious offenses before and after January 6, Jeffries said it was "a Trump-inspired crime spree" that raises questions about why Republicans won't condemn this behavior.
In contrast to the Democrats' condemnation of Trump's actions, many Republicans chose to remain silent or downplayed the severity of the attack. Representative Mike Collins wrote on X that thousands of peaceful grandmothers and others had gathered in Washington DC to take a self-guided tour of the Capitol building, which he claimed was a "peaceful exercise" of their First Amendment right.
However, Trump made no public comments about the anniversary, and his top officials sought to push his administration's message that the president deserves no blame for the violence. The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, unveiled a website offering a distorted timeline of the day's events, which he later described as a "trap" that news outlets fell for.
The occasion also sparked controversy over a plaque required by law to be installed at the Capitol in honor of the officers who responded to the attack. The Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has yet to install it, despite repeated calls from Democrats to do so.
As some protesters, including those who had received pardons, marched towards the Capitol and placed flowers in honor of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer during the insurrection, Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi briefly confronted them, asking how they felt about committing crimes.
The fifth anniversary of the US Capitol attack has highlighted the enduring divisions between Republicans and Democrats over Trump's actions on January 6. While Democrats have sought to condemn the president and those who carried out the attack, many Republicans have chosen to remain silent or downplayed the severity of the event.
As the fifth anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol passed largely without comment from Congressional Republicans, Democrats took advantage of the occasion to condemn Donald Trump and the small group of protesters who carried out the attack. The event, which resulted in nine deaths and dozens of injuries, has been extensively documented in videos shot by journalists, police, and rioters themselves.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, speaking at an unofficial hearing convened by his party, said that instead of holding those responsible accountable, Trump and far-right extremists have repeatedly attempted to rewrite history and whitewash the horrific events of January 6. He accused Republicans of acting as accomplices to the president's efforts.
The anniversary marked a significant moment since Trump returned to office last year and immediately pardoned nearly everyone convicted or charged over the violence. Noting that some of those pardoned had been convicted of other serious offenses before and after January 6, Jeffries said it was "a Trump-inspired crime spree" that raises questions about why Republicans won't condemn this behavior.
In contrast to the Democrats' condemnation of Trump's actions, many Republicans chose to remain silent or downplayed the severity of the attack. Representative Mike Collins wrote on X that thousands of peaceful grandmothers and others had gathered in Washington DC to take a self-guided tour of the Capitol building, which he claimed was a "peaceful exercise" of their First Amendment right.
However, Trump made no public comments about the anniversary, and his top officials sought to push his administration's message that the president deserves no blame for the violence. The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, unveiled a website offering a distorted timeline of the day's events, which he later described as a "trap" that news outlets fell for.
The occasion also sparked controversy over a plaque required by law to be installed at the Capitol in honor of the officers who responded to the attack. The Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has yet to install it, despite repeated calls from Democrats to do so.
As some protesters, including those who had received pardons, marched towards the Capitol and placed flowers in honor of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer during the insurrection, Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi briefly confronted them, asking how they felt about committing crimes.
The fifth anniversary of the US Capitol attack has highlighted the enduring divisions between Republicans and Democrats over Trump's actions on January 6. While Democrats have sought to condemn the president and those who carried out the attack, many Republicans have chosen to remain silent or downplayed the severity of the event.
it's wild that republicans are still trying to whitewash january 6th 
even after five years have passed... like, they're basically saying that trump's a victim instead of the one who incited the violence 
and now we gotta deal with more questions about pardons for people who committed crimes before and after jan 6th 
it's not cool that democrats are being vocal about this while republicans are just silent or downplaying it 
. It's like they're trying to erase history or something. And now they're acting like Trump didn't even know anything about it when really he's the one who emboldened all those extremists. I don't get why they can't just own up to their party's involvement in this whole thing. The fact that some of those pardoned had a rap sheet before and after January 6 is super suspicious 
. And what's with the plaque thing? Are they really trying to sweep it under the rug? It's like they're more interested in protecting Trump's ego than doing what's right for this country 
what's wrong with Republicans not taking a stand against this? 
and btw, that plaque thingy at the capitol is just a reminder of how messed up things got 
. Trump's actions on January 6 were unacceptable, and the fact that he's still getting away with it is a huge problem 
.
.
. They're basically saying "we're not going to hold you accountable for your actions, but we'll still benefit from being associated with you" 
. That's a recipe for disaster, if you ask me 
. We need more transparency and accountability in our government, not less 
.
. And what's up with the plaque that's supposed to honor the Capitol police officers who responded to the attack? It's like Republicans are trying to avoid confronting the reality of what happened on January 6 
.
. And the Republicans just sitting there, not saying anything... it's like they're complicit or something.
. We need to acknowledge the pain and the suffering of those who were affected, not try to rewrite history to suit someone's agenda 
. We need to be better than this 
.
it's wild how some ppl can just move on from this kinda thing without even acknowledging what happened 
. Can we please just get some honesty and accountability around here? 
i mean seriously, what's goin on over there? are they worried bout gettin roasted by their own base or somethin? 
. The point is that we should be able to have a conversation about what happened without one side trying to silence the other 
. And can we please talk about how some of those people got pardons? It's just so... confusing 
. five years go by and republicans are still acting like nothing happened 
. democrats are right to call him out for it, but where were they all these years ago when the truth was being rewritten? 