
Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of January 6th, the historic attack on the United States capitol by Trump supporters.1 This mob, guided by the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, stormed the capitol building, beat D.C. officers, and threatened the lives and safety of Congress members, calling for the hanging of Mike Pence. 2ย With four years having come and gone since then and with the reelection of the man whose lies incited said attack, we must remember that, despite the President-electโs obfuscation about the attack on the Capitol, January 6th still matters. 3 4It is a testament to the moral brokenness of the MAGA movement and how partisanship is a dangerous weapon easily wielded by demagogues.
Downplaying the Attack
Whenever the discussion of the January 6th attack arises, there will inevitably be obfuscation surrounding the severity of the attack. Some will point to the riots that occurred during the Black Lives Matter protests. Never mind that the evidence available shows that BLM was treated significantly more harshly than the January 6th insurrectionists, many of whom are unrepentant.5 6
These defenses, which conveniently ignore all the injuries and suffering inflicted on law enforcement when the insurrectionists attacked, also serve to pivot attention away from the primarily white assailants to protesters who were demanding better treatment for people of color. More specifically, these defenses pivoted attention to a Black-led movement that continues demanding equal rights for Black Americans and lambastes them for it.
Recognizing the Cost
These distractions, while unsurprising, are not without serious consequences. As I noted last year:
Despite attempts to downplay the attack on the Capitol, the damage done to our democracy and the people within the Capitol is very clear. After the rioters were dispersed,ย fiveย people were dead. Over a hundred officers wereย injured, and four officers committed suicide. However, it is worth mentioning that the exact cause of each suicide in relation to the attack remains difficult to determine. Simply put, the damage done to the people who were dedicated to the Capitolโs defense is immense and shouldnโt be forgotten.
The harm done by the rioters didnโt stop with the fighting or loss of life. In terms of harm to the taxpayer, rioters have effectively cost the public over $2.7 million due to damages to the Capitol and to Capitol Police alone, according to theย Justice Department.
Not to mention the blatant disrespect that the insurrectionists displayed to the center of American legislative power. In one instance, a rioterย smearedย feces over the walls of the Capitol, and someย stoleย sensitive information from congressional offices, including then-Speaker Pelosiโs office.
The threat posed by January 6th canโt be denied. It is evident in the dangers that rioters themselves posed to the officers who defended the capitol, the senators and representatives, and in the repeated incidents of looting that took place that day. Even with all of the evidence, the GOP continues to live in denial. 7
This was not the first time I had to note that January 6th was being downplayed. In 2022, I noted that the GOP have gone out of their way to rewrite the history of the attack and that they cared very little for a clear and concise investigation. As I noted then:
ย From the very beginning, Republicans have done everything they could to prevent the people from getting answers about the Capitol attack. Despite attempts by Democratic leadership to allow equal seating of Republicans and Democrats on the commission, Senate Republicans refused to vote in favor of a bipartisan committee, seemingly attempting to protect Trump from any consequences. Only six Republicansย votedย for the commission, even less than the Republicans who voted for impeachment.
Adding to this obstinance, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy attempted to derail the commission when he suggested Representatives Jim Jordan and Jim Banks for committee seats. Both Jordan and Banks haveย rejectedย the need for a commission and had previously voted against certifying the 2020 election. Jordan himself hadย contactย with then-President Donald Trump on January 6th, which has piqued the commissionโs interest. It was no surprise that Speaker Pelosi rejected Banks and Jordan, as their history spoke for itself. But it was what McCarthy was hoping for, as he sought any excuse to reject the commission as illegitimate.8
Again and again, the GOP has proven stubborn and unwilling to recognize the severity of their own conspiracism. Only the Democrats and their allies can be guilty, and so they insisted any investigation would be partisan. In a way, they were right, as they made an investigation that should have helped uncover the truth of the attack became a fight to defend or indict Donald Trump. It didnโt matter if the former President was unrepentant for his lies.
The true cost of January 6th canโt be understated. Now, more than ever, the corruption of the GOP and its continued unwillingness to address the extremism that has taken over the Republican Party must not be suppressed by a litany of lies. With Trump returning to the White House soon, those lies will be increasingly difficult to challenge, but we must challenge them nonetheless for the sake of our future and in remembrance of one of our darkest hours.
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