Biden goes after Trump, the Cheneys join remembrance: Takeaways from Congress marking 1 year since the Jan. 6 riots
WASHINGTON – Exactly one year after the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Congress, President Joe Biden and congressional staffers marked the anniversary with somber remembrances that underscored the nation's deep divisions over the attack.
In some of his most heated comments about Jan. 6, Biden slammed former President Donald Trump in a speech early Thursday for inciting the insurrection with unfounded allegations that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
"The former president and his supporters have decided the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and subvert our elections. It's wrong. It's undemocratic. And frankly, it's un-American," Biden said.
Congressional Democrats held several events in Washington marking the date, which Vice President Kamala Harris likened to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. The Senate and House observed a moment of silence and Democrats organized a series of events, including a prayer vigil, testimonials from lawmakers and conversations with historians. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of exploiting Jan. 6 for political gain and Democrats criticized Republicans for downplaying the seriousness of the attack.
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Here are the highlights of the day:
Biden and Trump trade withering attacks
Biden called out his predecessor for preventing the peaceful transfer of power between presidents in remarks that pinned the Jan. 6 attack on Trump.
“Here’s the truth: The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election,” said Biden, speaking at Statuary Hall in the Capitol.
Biden attacked Trump, without specifically using his name, for caring more about his ego than for American democracy or the Constitution.
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The president also didn't hold back on the pro-Trump mob that overwhelmed police, broke into the Capitol and ransacked offices, interrupting Congress' count of electoral votes.
"Those who stormed this Capitol and those who instigated and incited and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy," Biden said.
Biden made it clear he wouldn’t back down on defending democracy.
“For Jan. 6 marks not the end of democracy, but the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play,” the president said. “I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today. But I will not shrink from it either.”
It didn’t take long before Trump responded.
“This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed,” Trump said in a statement released after Biden’s speech. Trump accused Biden of using his name “to try to further divide America."
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Obama, Carter lament the future of American democracy
Several prominent politicians, including two former presidents, pointed to the need to preserve of American democracy.
Former President Jimmy Carter wrote in The New York Times that he feared for the nation.
“For American democracy to endure, we must demand that our leaders and candidates uphold the ideals of freedom and adhere to high standards of conduct,” Carter wrote in an op-ed piece that did not mention Trump or the GOP.
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He also called for less political polarization, more civility among Americans, and “transparent, safe and secure electoral processes.”
Former President Barack Obama also warned of the risk to American democracy and the importance of the electoral process in a statement released Thursday.
"Our system of government has never been automatic. If we want our children to grow up in a true democracy – not just one with elections, but one where every voice matters and every vote counts – we need to nurture and protect it," he wrote. "Today, that responsibility falls to all of us. And on this anniversary, nothing is more important."
It wasn’t just Democrats.
Karl Rove, a former senior adviser in the George W. Bush administration, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal urged his fellow Republicans to condemn the riot, arguing that observing the day was for the good of the nation.
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“I’ve been a Republican my entire life, and believe in what the Republican Party, at its best, has represented for decades,” Rove wrote. “There can be no soft-pedaling what happened and no absolution for those who planned, encouraged and aided the attempt to overthrow our democracy.”
Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney join Democrats in moment of silence
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and her father, Dick Cheney, the vice president under Bush, joined 40 Democrats in a prayer and moment of silence on the House floor Thursday.
Liz Cheney, among Trump's fiercest Republican critics, is vice chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Dick Cheney said he was "honored and proud" to be with his daughter on the House floor and commended the actions of law enforcement.
"The importance of January 6th as an historic event cannot be overstated," Dick Cheney said in a statement. "I am deeply disappointed at the failure of many members of my party to recognize the grave nature of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing threat to our nation.”
The two stood with Democrats as House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben delivered a prayer for the health, safety and stability of the nation.
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Mitch McConnell accuses Democrats of politicizing Jan. 6.
Nearly all Republicans in Congress did not take part in the events at the Capitol Thursday.
Over the past year, congressional Republicans have denounced the attack, but many have tried to downplay the severity of the day, saying America should move on. Others have tried to distort the memory of the day by casting the riots as a protest of a contested election and have even defended the rioters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Democrats of trying to exploit the anniversary for political purposes.
“It has been stunning to see some Washington Democrats try to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event,” McConnell said. “It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mob’s attempt to disrupt our country’s norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules, and institutions themselves.”
Mitch McConnell: Democrats are trying to 'exploit this anniversary'
Pelosi: 'We honor the heroism of so many'
Several Democratic members of Congress honored law enforcement that stood toe-to-toe with the rioters last year and took shots at their Republican colleagues for downplaying the attack.
“Today one year ago, the Capitol and those who work in it were targeted by a violent insurrection that sought to undermine democracy,” House Speak Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said before a moment of silence. “As we acknowledged the horror of that day, we honor the heroism of so many."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the moment of silence was designed to honor “the heroic efforts of our staff” to resist the assault.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said some lawmakers led “a concerted effort to downplay or grossly mischaracterize” the effort to overturn the election.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who was in the Capitol for both the 9/11 attacks and the Jan. 6 riot, said the differences between the two were about unity.
“As we were scurrying (on Jan. 6), the ‘Big Lie’ was looming and you wondered: Why were you against what was so good about America, the peaceful transfer of power?” she asked.
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A year after the chaos, calm on the National Mall
Far different from the chaos that unfolded last year, the snowy grounds of the Capitol were calm Thursday.
The area was lightly scattered with demonstrators, and a number of locals passed by.
Keith Scott, 49, waved a blue flag reading “election fraud” on the west side of the Capitol. He came from Texas to revisit the “greatest day of his life.”
On Jan. 6, 2021, Scott attended Trump’s speech on the Ellipse about 50 rows from the front, and shortly after, he followed a crowd of thousand toward the Capitol.
“I got all the way up against the edge and I was watching the chaos unfold below me, where everyone was fighting to try to get in that door,” he said, pointing to a door near the west entrance of the Capitol. Scott didn’t enter the Capitol, he said. Instead, he sang "Amazing Grace" and the national anthem and watched.
“I feel bad about the violence that happened that day and the loss of life on both sides, but moving that part to the side, I felt like we were having our voices heard. That’s what I wanted to happen that day.”
Elizabeth Nicholas, a Capitol Hill resident and former Senate staffer, said she felt “mixed emotions” as she paused to reflect on last Jan. 6 while walking her dogs, Stella and Archie.
Nicholas was in North Carolina visiting family that day and remembers trying to get in touch with friends who worked inside the building as she learned about the breach. She didn’t know for several hours whether they were safe.
“It was very triggering because we all went through September 11 being part of the Senate family,” she said, adding that she hopes the country can come together the way it did after 9/11. “It was very, very hard.”
Contributing: Ella Lee, Chelsey Cox, Michelle Shen, N'Dea Yancey Bragg, Savannah Behrmann, David Jackson, Matt Brown, Joey Garrison and Michael Collins