Washington, D.C (WNews) – On the first anniversary of the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris said the country remains at a “pivot point” but that the violent day marked not only the fragility of American democracy but also its strength.
“Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them, where they were and what they were doing when our democracy came under assault,” Harris said at the Capitol Building, kicking off a day of events remembering the Jan. 6 attack.
Harris said some dates in U.S. history “occupy not only a place on our calendars but a place in our collective memory. December 7th, 1941. September 11th, 2001. And January 6th, 2021.”
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii saw over 2,335 killed and over 1300 injured. This event sparked the United States getting involved in the second World War.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked, which two planes crashed into the World Trade Center Tower one and Tower two in New York City. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in DC, while the fourth plane United Flight 93 crashed into a field outside of Indian Lake and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Close to three thousand people were killed in the 9/11 attacks and thousands more were injured.
On January 6, 2021, a mob, composed mostly of supporters of President Donald Trump, attacked the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize then-President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“…occupy not only a place on our calendars but a place in our collective memory. December 7th, 1941. September 11th, 2001. And January 6th, 2021.” – VP Kamala Harris (Jan. 6, 2022)
The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated, while rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property and occupied the building for several hours. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.
Despite “the violent assault” that interrupted Congress certifying the presidential election, Harris said the strength of American democracy was put on display later that night.
“Yet, the resolve I saw in our elected leaders when I returned to the Senate chamber that night — their resolve not to yield, but to certify the election, their loyalty, not to party or person, but to the Constitution of the United States — that reflects its strength,” she said.
Harris also commended “the heroism of the Capitol Police” and other first responders “who answered the call that day, including those who later succumbed to wounds both visible and invisible.”
In a searing speech — and his most direct challenge to Trump — Biden vowed to defend American democracy and said Jan. 6 represents not its end but rather a rebirth of “liberty and fair play.”
“I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today, but I will not shrink from it, either. I will stand in this breach. I will defend this nation and allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy,” Biden said.
A year later, with Trump still falsely claiming that the election was stolen and many Republicans refusing to contradict him, the US is far from unified after the violence of January 6, 2021
“Today, we accept responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generations of leadership have faced,” Pelosi said. “As we reflect on that darkest day, we remember that the insurrection sought not only to attack the building but to undermine democracy itself.”
Republicans accuse Biden and Democrats of politicizing the attack
“The importance of January 6th as a historic event cannot be overstated. I was honoured & proud to join my daughter on the House floor to recognize this anniversary, to commend the heroic actions of law enforcement that day, & to reaffirm our dedication to the Constitution. 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.” – Former VP Dick Cheney
Co-host Greg Gutfeld said that Biden was talking down to Americans and suggested everyone at the Capitol on January. 6 was collectively guilty.
“Well, this was a guy that was supposed to unite the country, and we’ve pretty much seen what he’s turned out to be,” he said. “He … scolded millions of Americans for what he believes, something very bad that they did. He’s presuming their guilt … That’s not what a president should do.” – Greg Gutfeld
On the show, Jesse Watters called Harris’ speech “amateur hour.”
This is really wildly disrespectful to veterans. https://t.co/vgCS7fSC5y
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) January 6, 2022
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky), said in a statement Thursday that Jan. 6 was “a dark day for Congress and our country.”
“The United States Capitol, the seat of the first branch of our federal government, was stormed by criminals who brutalized police officers and used force to try to stop Congress from doing its job,” he said. “This disgraceful scene was antithetical to the rule of law.”
McConnell said that he supports “justice for those who broke the law” and criticized Democrats, saying they are trying to “exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals.”
“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,” he said.
“A year ago today, the Senate did not bend or break. We stuck together, stood strong, gaveled back in, and did our job. Senators should not be trying to exploit this anniversary to damage the Senate in a different way from within.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also accused Biden of politicizing the January 6 insurrection.
“I still cannot believe a mob was able to take over the United States Capitol during such a pivotal moment – certifying a presidential election. It would have been so easy for terrorists to boot strap onto this protest and wreak even further destruction on the U.S. Capitol,” Graham added in a subsequent Twitter thread.
I still cannot believe a mob was able to take over the United States Capitol during such a pivotal moment – certifying a presidential election.
It would have been so easy for terrorists to boot strap onto this protest and wreak even further destruction on the U.S. Capitol.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 6, 2022
“The Biden Presidency, one year after January 6, is in free fall not because of the attack on our Capitol, but because of failed policies and weak leadership,” Graham added. “The Biden Administration seems to be incapable of dealing with the challenges America faces, and their efforts to politicize January 6 will fall flat.”
Graham mention in the Twitter thread that he was “consistently condemned the attack” and have “urged that those involved be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”
Sen. Graham himself is one of the subjects of an investigation by the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney’s office into efforts by top Republican officials, including Trump, to try and overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in the state.
