:January 6 United States Capitol attack

{{For timeline}}

{{main|Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election}}Joe Biden, of the Democratic Party, defeated incumbent Republican Party president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |title=Presidential Election Results |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 11, 2020 |access-date=December 11, 2020 |url-access=limited |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612100157/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |title=2020 US Presidential Election Results: Live Map |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Elections/2020-us-presidential-election-results-live-map |work=ABC News |date=December 10, 2020 |access-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106172614/https://abcnews.go.com/Elections/2020-us-presidential-election-results-live-map |url-status=dead}}
• {{cite news |work=The New York Times |date=December 14, 2020 |first1=Josh |last1=Holder |first2=Trip |last2=Gabriel |author2link=Trip Gabriel |first3=Isabella Grullón |last3=Paz |title=Biden's 306 Electoral College Votes Make His Victory Official |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/14/us/elections/electoral-college-results.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605032059/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/14/us/elections/electoral-college-results.html |url-status=live}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Blod |first1=Michael R. |last2=Riccardi |first2=Nicholas |date=December 5, 2020 |title=Biden officially secures enough electors to become president |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-3e0b852c3cfadf853b08aecbfc3569fa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208201209/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-3e0b852c3cfadf853b08aecbfc3569fa |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |website=Associated Press}} Trump and other Republicans attempted to overturn the election, falsely claiming widespread voter fraud.Multiple sources:
• {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/politics/trump-michigan-election.html |title=Trump Targets Michigan in His Ploy to Subvert the Election |first1=Maggie |last1=Haberman |first2=Jim |last2=Rutenberg |first3=Nick |last3=Corasaniti |first4=Reid J. |last4=Epstein |date=November 20, 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202011626/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/politics/trump-michigan-election.html |url-status=live |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-presses-georgia-governor-to-help-subvert-election-11607207645 |title=Trump presses Georgia governor to help subvert election |agency=Associated Press |website=MarketWatch |date=December 5, 2020 |access-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208201032/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-presses-georgia-governor-to-help-subvert-election-11607207645 |url-status=live |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |last3=Bade |first3=Rachael |date=December 8, 2020 |title=Trump asks Pennsylvania House speaker for help overturning election results, personally intervening in a third state |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pennsylvania-speaker-call/2020/12/07/d65fe8c4-38bf-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208020244/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pennsylvania-speaker-call/2020/12/07/d65fe8c4-38bf-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=December 8, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935465631/the-growing-backlash-against-trumps-efforts-to-subvert-the-election |date=November 20, 2020 |title=The Growing Backlash Against Trump's Efforts To Subvert The Election : Consider This from NPR |last1=Hale |first1=Lee |display-authors=et al |work=NPR |access-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202024601/https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935465631/the-growing-backlash-against-trumps-efforts-to-subvert-the-election |url-status=live |ref=none}}

File:Trump tweet - I won this election.png's tweet shortly after polls had closed|alt=A screenshot of Donald Trump's personal verified Twitter account (@realDonaldTrump). The tweet reads, in all caps, "I Won This Election, by a Lot!". Below the text, Twitter added a label saying, "Official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted". The tweet was timestamped at 10:36 p.m. on November 7, 2020. The source of the tweet says "Twitter for iPhone".]]

Within hours after the polls closing, while votes were still being tabulated, Trump declared victory, demanding counting be halted.{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Alexander |last2=Martin |first2=Jonathan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/us/politics/election-trump-biden-recap.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104063229/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/us/politics/election-trump-biden-recap.html |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=As America Awaits a Winner, Trump Falsely Claims He Prevailed |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 2021 |access-date=August 9, 2021}} He began a campaign to subvert the election, through legal challenges and extralegal effort. Trump's attorneys concluded there was neither a factual foundation nor valid legal argument for challenging the election results. Despite those analyses, Trump sought to overturn the results by filing sixty lawsuits, including two that came before the Supreme Court. Those challenges were all rejected by the courts, for lack of evidence or legal standing.

Trump then mounted a campaign to pressure Republican governors, secretaries of state, and state legislatures to nullify results by replacing slates of Biden electors with slates pledged to Trump, or by manufacturing evidence of fraud; Trump's role in the plot to use fake electors led to prosecutions in Georgia and in federal court. He demanded lawmakers investigate ostensible election "irregularities", such as by conducting signature matches of mailed-in ballots, disregarding any prior analytic efforts. Trump made inquiries regarding the possibility of invoking martial law to "re-run" or reverse the election{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Finkelstein|first1=Claire O.|last2=Painter|first2=Richard|url=https://www.justsecurity.org/73986/invoking-martial-law-to-reverse-the-2020-election-could-be-criminal-sedition|title=Invoking Martial Law to Reverse the 2020 Election Could be Criminal Sedition|date=December 22, 2020|work=Just Security|access-date=February 3, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128102855/https://www.justsecurity.org/73986/invoking-martial-law-to-reverse-the-2020-election-could-be-criminal-sedition/|url-status=live}} and appointed a special counsel to find instances of fraud, despite conclusions by federal and state officials that such cases were few or non-existent. Trump ultimately undertook neither step. Trump repeatedly urged Pence to alter the results and stop Biden from taking office. None of those actions would have been within Pence's constitutional powers as vice president and president of the Senate. Trump repeated this call in his rally speech on the morning of January 6.

Numerous scholars, historians, political scientists, and journalists have characterized these efforts to overturn the election as an attempted self-coup by Trump and an implementation of the "big lie".

On December 18, Trump called for supporters to attend a rally before the January{{spaces}}6 Congressional vote count, writing on Twitter, "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!".Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last=Timberg |first=Craig |date=April 15, 2021 |title=Gallows or guillotines? The chilling debate on TheDonald.win before the Capitol siege. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/15/thedonald-capitol-attack-advance-democracy/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417103739/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/15/thedonald-capitol-attack-advance-democracy/ |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |oclc=2269358}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Jaffe |first1=Logan |last2=DePillis |first2=Lydia |last3=Arnsdorf |first3=Isaac |last4=McSwane |first4=J. David |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Trump tweeted 'Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!' and thousands of insurrectionists heeded the call |url=https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/president-trump-tweeted-big-protest-in-dc-on-january-6th-be-there-will-be-wild-and-thousands-of-insurrectionists-heeded-the-call-28622391 |website=Orlando Weekly |access-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404075358/https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/president-trump-tweeted-big-protest-in-dc-on-january-6th-be-there-will-be-wild-and-thousands-of-insurrectionists-heeded-the-call/Content?oid=28622391 |url-status=live }}
• {{Cite tweet |number=1340185773220515840 |user=realdonaldtrump |title=Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud 'more than sufficient' to swing victory to Trump washex.am/3nwaBCe. 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! |first=Donald |last=Trump |author-link=Donald Trump |date=December 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219064257/https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1340185773220515840 |archive-date=December 19, 2020 |url-status=dead}} On December 28, far-right activist Ali Alexander described collaboration with the Proud Boys and explained the purpose of the January 6 event would be "to build momentum and pressure" to convince members of Congress to alter the election results.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/22/politics/ali-alexander-january-6-extremists-kfile/index.html |title=Videos show 'Stop the Steal' rally organizer saying he would work with extremist groups |first1=Andrew |last1=Kaczynski |first2=Em |last2=Steck |website=CNN |date=January 22, 2022 |access-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829023847/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/22/politics/ali-alexander-january-6-extremists-kfile/index.html |url-status=live }} He named three Republican members of the House as allies who were planning "something big": Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Montini |first=EJ |date=January 10, 2021|title=Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar implicated by activist in Capitol insurrection|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2021/01/10/reps-andy-biggs-paul-gosar-implicated-capitol-insurrection/6614177002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210110212135/https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2021/01/10/reps-andy-biggs-paul-gosar-implicated-capitol-insurrection/6614177002/|archive-date=January 10, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=The Arizona Republic}} "We're the four guys who came up with a January{{spaces}}6 event", Alexander said.Multiple sources:
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Grim|first1=Ryan|last2=Chávez|first2=Aída|date=January 11, 2021|title=Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Biggs Helped Plan January 6 Event, Lead Organizer Says|url=https://theintercept.com/2021/01/11/capitol-plot-andy-biggs-paul-gosar/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111234259/https://theintercept.com/2021/01/11/capitol-plot-andy-biggs-paul-gosar/|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=The Intercept}}
• {{cite news |last1=Kuznia |first1=Rob |last2=Devine |first2=Curt |last3=Bronstein |first3=Scott |last4=Ortega |first4=Bob |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171231/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=January 11, 2021 |title='Stop the Steal' Organizer in Hiding After Denying Blame for Riot |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/stop-the-steal-organizer-in-hiding-after-denying-blame-for-riot |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045255/https://www.thedailybeast.com/stop-the-steal-organizer-in-hiding-after-denying-blame-for-riot |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |newspaper=The Daily Beast}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Anglen|first1=Robert|last2=Hansen|first2=Ronald J.|date=January 10, 2021|title=Reps. Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs credited in video with organizing Trump crowd in DC on day of riot|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/01/10/paul-gosar-andy-biggs-credited-video-organizing-trump-crowd-dc/6603721002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210317202318/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/01/10/paul-gosar-andy-biggs-credited-video-organizing-trump-crowd-dc/6603721002/|archive-date=March 17, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=The Arizona Republic}}

On December 23, Roger Stone's group Stop the Steal posted plans to "occupy just outside" the Capitol with promises to "escalate" if opposed by police.{{#invoke:cite web||last=McEvoy|first=Jemima|date=January 7, 2021|title=Capitol Attack Was Planned Openly Online For Weeks – Police Still Weren't Ready|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/07/capitol-attack-was-planned-openly-online-for-weeks-police-still-werent-ready/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045903/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/07/capitol-attack-was-planned-openly-online-for-weeks-police-still-werent-ready/|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=Forbes}} Stone recorded a video for his "Stop The Steal Security Project" to raise funds "for the staging, the transportation and most importantly the security" of the event.{{#invoke:cite web||title=Stop The Steal Security Project|url=https://stopthesteal.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101185316/https://donorbox.org/stop-the-steal-3|archive-date=January 1, 2021}} The event was largely funded by Trump donor Julie Fancelli, heiress to the Publix supermarket fortune, who budgeted $3 million forand spent at least $650,000.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/22/publix-heiress-jan-6-financing/ |title=Publix heiress was willing to spend $3 million on Jan. 6 rally, documents show |newspaper=The Washington Post |last1=Stanley-Becker |first1=Isaac |last2=Reinhard |first2=Beth |date=December 22, 2022 |access-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401040154/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/22/publix-heiress-jan-6-financing/ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Shalini |last2=Berzon |first2=Alexandra |last3=Ballhaus |first3=Rebecca |date=February 1, 2021 |title=Jan. 6 Rally Funded by Top Trump Donor, Helped by Alex Jones, Organizers Say |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jan-6-rally-funded-by-top-trump-donor-helped-by-alex-jones-organizers-say-11612012063 |access-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130162400/https://www.wsj.com/articles/jan-6-rally-funded-by-top-trump-donor-helped-by-alex-jones-organizers-say-11612012063 |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |first1=Beth |last1=Reinhard |first2=Jacqueline |last2=Alemany |first3=Josh |last3=Dawsey |first4=Alice |last4=Crites |first5=Andrew Ba |last5=Tran |date=December 8, 2021 |title=Low-profile heiress who 'played a strong role' in financing Jan. 6 rally is thrust into spotlight |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/publix-heiress-capitol-insurrection-fancelli/2021/12/08/5144fe1c-5219-11ec-8ad5-b5c50c1fb4d9_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210020324/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/publix-heiress-capitol-insurrection-fancelli/2021/12/08/5144fe1c-5219-11ec-8ad5-b5c50c1fb4d9_story.html |url-status=live}} Fancelli's funding, via conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, was used to reserve the Ellipse. With Fancelli's funding, a robocall campaign urged people to "march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal".{{cite web |last=Corey, Jamie / |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Republican Attorneys General Dark Money Group Organized Protest Preceding Capitol Mob Attack |url=https://documented.net/2021/01/republican-attorneys-general-dark-money-group-organized-protest-preceding-capitol-mob-attack/ |access-date=January 24, 2021 |website=Documented |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127222102/https://documented.net/2021/01/republican-attorneys-general-dark-money-group-organized-protest-preceding-capitol-mob-attack/ |url-status=live}} Jones claimed the White House asked him to lead the march to the Capitol.{{cite news |last=Graziosi |first=Graig |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Alex Jones says he paid $500,000 for rally that led to Capitol riot |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/alex-jones-paid-rally-capitol-riot-b1784603.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114161541/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/alex-jones-paid-rally-capitol-riot-b1784603.html |archive-date=January 14, 2021}}

On January 2, Trump announced plans to speak at the "March to Save America" rally on January{{spaces}}6.{{efn|Multiple notes:

• Amy Kremer of Women for Trump had been granted a permit the day prior.
• Other organizations taking part in the event included: Black Conservatives Fund, Eighty Percent Coalition, Moms For America, Peaceably Gather, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, Rule of Law Defense Fund, Stop The Steal, Turning Point Action, Tea Party Patriots, Women For America First, and Wildprotest.com.}}{{cite web |last1=Mihalopoulos |first1=Dan |title=Chicago-Area Billionaire Gave Millions To 'Patriots' Group That Backed Pro-Trump Rally |url=https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-area-billionaire-gave-millions-to-patriots-group-that-backed-pro-trump-rally/a5ea9afa-e58f-4987-a698-7d847c244189 |website=WBEZ Chicago |access-date=February 12, 2021 |language=en |date=January 12, 2021 |quote=The funding sources for last Wednesday's rally against President Donald Trump's reelection loss are not publicly documented ... On the website for the rally ... 11 groups listed as 'participating in the March to Save America' as part of the '#StopTheSteal coalition'. |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212061242/https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-area-billionaire-gave-millions-to-patriots-group-that-backed-pro-trump-rally/a5ea9afa-e58f-4987-a698-7d847c244189 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |work=March to Save America |url=https://marchtosaveamerica.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106065452/https://marchtosaveamerica.com/ |title=Join President Donald J. Trump outside the White House on January 6 |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Tanfani |first1=Joseph |last2=Berens |first2=Michael |last3=Parker |first3=Ned |date=January 11, 2021 |title=How Trump's pied pipers rallied a faithful mob to the Capitol |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-organizers-insight/how-trumps-pied-pipers-rallied-a-faithful-mob-to-the-capitol-idUSKBN29G2UP |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115231555/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-organizers-insight/how-trumps-pied-pipers-rallied-a-faithful-mob-to-the-capitol-idUSKBN29G2UP |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=January 17, 2021 |work=Reuters}} On January 4, Steve Bannon said he was part of "the bloodless coup".{{#invoke:cite web|| title=CNN Transcripts | website=CNN | date=July 15, 2022 | url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/nday/date/2022-07-15/segment/05 | access-date=July 20, 2022 | archive-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725194322/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/nday/date/2022-07-15/segment/05 | url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Peltz |first=Madeline |title=Leading up to January 6, Steve Bannon publicly bragged about his behind-the-scene role fomenting the insurrection |website=Media Matters for America |date=October 29, 2021 |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/leading-january-6-steve-bannon-publicly-bragged-about-his-behind-scene-role-fomenting |access-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-date=July 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718045513/https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/leading-january-6-steve-bannon-publicly-bragged-about-his-behind-scene-role-fomenting |url-status=live}}

{{main|Planning of the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

On November 5, two days after the election, leaders of the Oath Keepers began communicating about a "civil war". On November 9, the leaders held a members-only online conference in which leader Stewart Rhodes outlined a plan to stop the transfer of power, including preparations for using force. The Oath Keepers planned to store "an arsenal" with a "Quick Reaction Force" (QRF) in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. The leaders planned to procure boat transportation so bridge closures could not prevent their entry into D.C.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/member-oath-keepers-indicted-conspiracy-and-other-offenses-related-us-capitol-breach |title=Member of Oath Keepers Indicted for Conspiracy and Other Offenses Related to U.S. Capitol Breach |date=June 24, 2022 |website=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |access-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-date=August 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825033935/https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/member-oath-keepers-indicted-conspiracy-and-other-offenses-related-us-capitol-breach |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Oath Keepers indictment |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1514871/download |date=June 22, 2022 |website=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |access-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722170607/https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1514871/download |url-status=live}}{{cite news |first=Sarah N. |last=Lynch |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/a-bloody-desperate-fight-us-prosecutors-release-oath-keepers-communications-2022-01-13/ |title='A bloody and desperate fight:' U.S. Prosecutors release Oath Keepers' communications |newspaper=Reuters |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907055914/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/a-bloody-desperate-fight-us-prosecutors-release-oath-keepers-communications-2022-01-13/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/politics/jan-6-oath-keepers-trial.html |title=Prosecution Says Oath Keepers 'Concocted a Plan for Armed Rebellion' |work=The New York Times |date=October 3, 2022 |last1=Feuer |first1=Alan |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118113500/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/politics/jan-6-oath-keepers-trial.html |url-status=live}}}}

On December 12, about 200 Proud Boys joined a march near Freedom Plaza and the Trump International Hotel dressed in combat fatigues and ballistic vests.{{cite news |first1=Jonathan |last1=Landay |first2=Timothy |last2=Gardner |first3=David |last3=Lawder |date=December 13, 2020 |title=Pro-Trump protests decry president's election loss, opposing groups clash in Washington |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/13/pro-trump-protests-decry-election-loss-violence-in-washington.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109153141/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/13/pro-trump-protests-decry-election-loss-violence-in-washington.html |url-status=live}} In scuffles between protesters and counter-protesters, four people were stabbed and at least 23 arrested.{{cite news |url=https://time.com/5921156/stabbing-trump-rally-washington/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213170242/https://time.com/5921156/stabbing-trump-rally-washington/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |title=Four People Stabbed and At Least 23 Arrested at Pro-Trump Rally in D.C. |last=Khalil |first=Ashraf |date=December 13, 2020 |magazine=Time |access-date=December 13, 2020}} Three days later, Proud Boy members were being photographed wearing apparel featuring the antisemitic, Neo-Nazi slogan "6MWE" (6{{spaces}}million wasn't enough), referring to the number of Jewish Holocaust victims. The slogan was accompanied by an Eagle and fasces symbol used by the Italian Fascists.{{#invoke:cite web||title=Is 6MWE an Anti-Semitic Proud Boys Slogan? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/proud-boy-6mwe/|access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=Snopes |first=Alex |last=Kasprak |date=December 18, 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201226170235/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/proud-boy-6mwe/ |url-status=live}} The image, which spread on Twitter, prompted the Anti-Defamation League to declare that the "Proud Boys' Bigotry is on Full Display".{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/proud-boys-bigotry-full-display |url-status=live |title=Proud Boys' Bigotry is on Full Display |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212210759/https://www.adl.org/blog/proud-boys-bigotry-is-on-full-display |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |work=Anti-Defamation League |date=December 24, 2020 }}

On December 19, Oath Keepers leader Kelly Meggs called Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnyGEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |title=The January 6th Report: Findings from the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol |date=January 10, 2023 |publisher=Random House Publishing |isbn=9780593597286 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906094139/https://books.google.com/books?id=dnyGEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |url-status=live}} One Proud Boy leader posted a message saying, "I am assuming most of the protest will be at the capital{{sic}} building given what's going on inside".{{#invoke:cite web|| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/proud-boys-leader-arrested-capitol-riot-conspiracy-rcna19164 | title=New charges say Proud Boys discussed plan to attack U.S. Capitol | website=NBC News | date=March 9, 2022 | access-date=November 25, 2023 | archive-date=July 24, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724002856/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/proud-boys-leader-arrested-capitol-riot-conspiracy-rcna19164 | url-status=live }} The Proud Boys leadership encouraged members to attend the January 6 event. Leaders used a crowdfunding website to raise money and purchase paramilitary equipment such as concealed tactical vests and radio equipment in preparation for the attack. Chapter leadership spent the days prior to, and morning of January 6, planning the attack.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22053672/jan-6-tarrio-et-al-superseding-indictment.pdf|title=Indictment of Proud Boys leaders |date=June 6, 2022 |website=justice.gov|access-date=September 20, 2023|archive-date=June 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606212226/https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22053672/jan-6-tarrio-et-al-superseding-indictment.pdf|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-oath-keepers-found-guilty-seditious-conspiracy-related-us-capitol-breach|title=Office of Public Affairs | Four Oath Keepers Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy Related to U.S. Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice|date=January 23, 2023|website=justice.gov|access-date=August 26, 2023|archive-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524014659/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-oath-keepers-found-guilty-seditious-conspiracy-related-us-capitol-breach|url-status=live}} On December 29, leaders announced plans to be "incognito" on January 6, by not wearing their traditional black and yellow garb.{{#invoke:cite web|| url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/31/proud-boys-trial-parler-messages-path-jan-6/11153687002/ |first=Ella |last=Lee |title='New Years Revolution': What the Proud Boys said on Parler ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot |website=USA Today |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907055919/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/31/proud-boys-trial-parler-messages-path-jan-6/11153687002/ |url-status=live }} On December 30, the leadership received a document titled "1776 Returns", which called for the occupation of "crucial buildings" on January 6 and argued for supporters to "Storm the Winter Palace" in a reference to an attack on the Capitol.{{cite news |first=Will |last=Carless |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/15/1776-returns-proud-boys-enrique-tarrio-zachary-rehl/7640565001/ |title='Devastating piece of evidence': Filing reveals a Proud Boys plan to storm buildings Jan. 6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829140412/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/15/1776-returns-proud-boys-enrique-tarrio-zachary-rehl/7640565001/ |archive-date=August 29, 2023 |work=USA Today |date=June 15, 2022}} On January 3 and 4, Proud Boys leadership explicitly discussed "storming" the Capitol.

On January 3, Rhodes departed home, having spent $6,000 on a rifle and other firearms equipment in Texas, and $4,500 in Mississippi, en route to D.C. On January 5, leaders began unloading weapons for the "QRF". Leaders drove into D.C. on a "reconnaissance mission". On January 4, Tarrio was arrested by D.C. police in connection with a prior destruction-of-property charge. Fearing the police would access Tarrio's messaging apps, leadership deleted the group chat and created a new one. Tarrio was released on January 5 and ordered to leave the city. Rather than immediately comply, he traveled to a parking garage to meet with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/14/oath-keepers-leader-charges-armed-plot-us-capitol-attack |title=Guns, ammo ... even a boat: How Oath Keepers plotted an armed coup |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 14, 2022 |last1=Olmos |first1=Sergio |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929164739/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/14/oath-keepers-leader-charges-armed-plot-us-capitol-attack |url-status=live}}

File:January 6 Committee exhibit - Still of January 5, 2021 meeting between Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.jpg (center) and Stewart Rhodes (far right) participated in a January 5 meeting between the leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, held in a parking garage.]]

The night of January 5, Proud Boys leaders divided members into teams, passed out radios, and programmed them to specific channels in preparation. Orders were issued to assemble at 10 a.m. at the Washington Monument. Leadership warned members to avoid police and not in public.{{#invoke:cite web|| url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/01/proud-boys-capitol-472012 | title=Prosecutors fill in details of Proud Boys assault on Capitol | website=Politico | date=March 2021 | access-date=November 25, 2023 | archive-date=May 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528025735/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/01/proud-boys-capitol-472012 | url-status=live }} On January 6, about 100 plainclothes members assembled at the Washington Monument and were led to the Capitol to participate in the attack.

{{main|Predictions of violence ahead of the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

The weeks preceding January 6 were filled with predictions of violence by Trump supporters. The attack was later said to be "planned in plain sight", with postings on social media even planning for violence on January 6. In response to widespread predictions of violence, D.C. food and lodging establishments with a history of being patronized by the Proud Boys announced temporary closures in an attempt to protect public safety, and the mayor advised residents to stay away from areas near the Mall that might see violence. Members of Congress interfaced with law enforcement to ensure preparations were being made for any upcoming violence.

{{external media|image1=[https://archive.org/download/thedonald.winselectposts/11RO2jsYsq_map.png Preliminary plan of the January 6 Capitol attack posted on December 28, 2020]

A map of the Capitol complex and its underground tunnels was posted to TheDonald.win on December 28, 2020, and widely shared. The image came to the attention of the Norfolk field office of the FBI, which alerted higher authorities to the possibility of organized violence on January 6.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/planned-plain-sight-senate-report-finds-intel-agencies-failed-lead-jan-rcna91166 |first1=Ryan |last1=Nobles |first2=Ryan J. |last2=Reilly |title='Planned in plain sight': Senate report finds intel agencies failed in the lead-up to Jan. 6 |website=NBC News |date=June 27, 2023 |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901131724/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/planned-plain-sight-senate-report-finds-intel-agencies-failed-lead-jan-rcna91166 |url-status=live }}{{cite report |url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23861777/hsgac-majority-report_jan-6-intel.pdf |work=United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |title=Planned in Plain Sight: Review of the Intelligence Failures in Advance of January 6th, 2021 |date=June 2023 |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-date=June 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627153013/https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23861777/hsgac-majority-report_jan-6-intel.pdf |url-status=live}} In 2023, Congress would discuss the image in its report "Planned in Plain Sight" about the failures to adequately prepare for the attack despite extensive predictions of violence.}}

Commentators had long feared that Trump might provoke violence after an electoral loss.{{efn|In 2019, Kara Swisher speculated Trump might encourage supporters to "rise up in armed insurrection to keep him in office".}} For weeks before January 6, there were over one million mentions of storming the Capitol on social media, including calls for violence against Congress, Pence, and the police.{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Lytvyenko|first1=Jane|last2=Hensley-Clancy|first2=Molly|date=January 6, 2021|title=The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/trump-rioters-planned-online|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106235519/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/trump-rioters-planned-online|archive-date=January 6, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=BuzzFeed News}}{{cite news |last=Frenkel |first=Sheera |date=January 6, 2021 |title=The storming of Capitol Hill was organized on social media |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106220539/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} On December 28, a map was posted showing entrances and exits to the Capitol and tunnels that connect it to House and Senate office buildings. Black X's represented forces that would be "ready for action" if Congress tried to certify the election.{{cite web |last1=Dilanian |first1=Ken |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |date=April 20, 2021 |title=Feds aren't using posts about plans to attack the Capitol as evidence |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/we-found-hundreds-posts-about-plans-attack-capitol-why-aren-n1264291 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514175711/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/we-found-hundreds-posts-about-plans-attack-capitol-why-aren-n1264291 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |access-date=May 15, 2021 |website=NBC News}} On January 1, the operator of a website about the tunnels noticed a traffic spike, prompting him to notify the FBI of a likely attack.{{cite web |first1=Scott |last1=MacFarlane |first2=Rick |last2=Yarborough |first3=Steve |last3=Jones |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/dc-tunnel-history-site-flagged-suspicious-activity-before-capitol-insurrection/2775341/ |title=DC Tunnel History Site Flagged Suspicious Activity Before Capitol Insurrection |date=August 17, 2021 |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826121148/https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/dc-tunnel-history-site-flagged-suspicious-activity-before-capitol-insurrection/2775341/ |work=NBC Washington |url-status=live}}

From December 29 to January 5, the FBI and its field offices warned of armed protests at every state capitol and reported plans by Trump supporters that included violence.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Zachary |last2=Wild |first2=Whitney |date=January 12, 2021 |title=FBI warns 'armed protests' being planned at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/fbi-bulletin-armed-protests-state-us-capitol/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112211419/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/fbi-bulletin-armed-protests-state-us-capitol/index.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last=Dickson|first=Caitlin|date=January 11, 2021|title=Exclusive: FBI warns of potential boogaloo violence during Jan. 17 rallies|url=https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-fbi-warns-of-potential-boogaloo-violence-during-jan-17-rallies-170801569.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112004610/https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-fbi-warns-of-potential-boogaloo-violence-during-jan-17-rallies-170801569.html|archive-date=January 12, 2021|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=news.yahoo.com}}
• {{cite news |last1=Long |first1=Colleen |last2=Balsamo |first2=Michael |last3=Kunzelman |first3=Michael |date=January 11, 2021 |title=FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests next week |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-inaugurations-capitol-siege-ec75b26289166b4afd30c15b0dd2ded5 |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111195351/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-inaugurations-capitol-siege-ec75b26289166b4afd30c15b0dd2ded5 |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.pilotonline.com/government/nation/vp-nw-fbi-norfolk-warning-20210112-or2kkxpnxbeoln7ysza4z3ac6a-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114163545/https://www.pilotonline.com/government/nation/vp-nw-fbi-norfolk-warning-20210112-or2kkxpnxbeoln7ysza4z3ac6a-story.html |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |date=January 12, 2021 |title='Go there ready for war': FBI's Norfolk office sent warning ahead of Capitol violence, report says |first=Katherine |last=Hafner |website=pilotonline.com }}
• {{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Devlin |last2=Hsu |first2=Spencer |last3=Davis |first3=Aaron |title='Be ready to fight': FBI probe of U.S. Capitol riot finds evidence detailing coordination of an assault |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 30, 2021 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fbi-capitol-riot-coordination-planning/2021/01/30/c5ef346e-6258-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html |access-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130165136/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fbi-capitol-riot-coordination-planning/2021/01/30/c5ef346e-6258-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Devlin |last2=Zapotosky |first2=Matt |date=January 12, 2021 |title=FBI report warned of 'war' at Capitol, contradicting claims there was no indication of looming violence |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-fbi-intelligence/2021/01/12/30d12748-546b-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113235301/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-fbi-intelligence/2021/01/12/30d12748-546b-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last=Dilanian|first=Ken|date=January 12, 2021|title=FBI has opened 160 case files for crimes committed during Capitol riot|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/mind-blowing-number-crimes-committed-during-capitol-riot-160-case-n1253961|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113054004/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/mind-blowing-number-crimes-committed-during-capitol-riot-160-case-n1253961|archive-date=January 13, 2021|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=NBC News}} On December 30, one popular comment was posted, saying, "I'm thinking it will be literal war on that day. Where we'll storm offices and physically remove and even kill all the D.C. traitors and reclaim the country".{{cite news |last=Blake |first=Aaron |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Who could have predicted the Capitol riot? Plenty of people – including Trump allies. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/28/who-could-have-predicted-capitol-siege-plenty-people/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212032218/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/28/who-could-have-predicted-capitol-siege-plenty-people/ |url-status=live}} That comment was highlighted in a January 2 article by The Daily Beast which reported protesters were discussing bringing guns, breaking into federal buildings, and attacking law enforcement.{{cite news |last1=Sommer |first1=Will |last2=Suebsaeng |first2=Asawin |date=January 2, 2021 |title=Trump Plans to Fight the Election Even After 'Stop the Steal' Rally Ends |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-plans-to-fight-the-election-even-after-stop-the-steal-rally-ends |url-status=live |work=The Daily Beast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102041424/https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-plans-to-fight-the-election-even-after-stop-the-steal-rally-ends |archive-date=January 2, 2021}} In the days leading up to the attack, organizations, including ones that monitor online extremism, issued warnings about the event.Multiple sources:
• {{cite news |last1=Kuznia |first1=Rob |last2=Devine |first2=Curt |last3=Bronstein |first3=Scott |last4=Ortega |first4=Bob |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171231/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}
• {{cite news |date=January 4, 2021 |title=Extremists and Mainstream Trump Supporters Plan to Protest Congressional Certification of Biden's Victory |work=Anti-Defamation League |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045853/https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||date=January 4, 2021|title=January 2021 Washington, D.C., Security Outlook: Intelligence Report, Part Three|url=https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115172718/https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=G4S}}

On January 5, the media published stories about widespread predictions of violence, and D.C. mayor Bowser called for residents to avoid the downtown area where protesters would march.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/violent-threats-ripple-through-far-right-internet-forums-ahead-protest-n1252923 |first1=Brandy |last1=Zadrozny |first2=Ben |last2=Collins |title=Violent threats ripple through far-right internet forums ahead of protest |website=NBC News |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110233442/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/violent-threats-ripple-through-far-right-internet-forums-ahead-protest-n1252923 |url-status=live }} Members of Congress reached out to law enforcement charged with protecting the Capitol against violence and were assured Capitol Police were prepared.{{cite news |last1=Demirjian |first1=Karoun |last2=Leonnig |first2=Carol D. |last3=Kane |first3=Paul |last4=Davis |first4=Aaron C. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Inside the Capitol siege: How barricaded lawmakers and aides sounded urgent pleas for help as police lost control |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-capitol-siege/2021/01/09/e3ad3274-5283-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110032733/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-capitol-siege/2021/01/09/e3ad3274-5283-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |url-status=live}}

Three days before the Capitol attack, the Capitol Police intelligence unit circulated a memo warning that Trump supporters see the day of the Electoral College vote count "as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election" and could use violence against "Congress itself" on that date.{{cite news |last=Leonnig |first=Carol |date=January 15, 2021 |title=Capitol Police intelligence report warned three days before attack that 'Congress itself' could be targeted |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-police-intelligence-warning/2021/01/15/c8b50744-5742-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116004540/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-police-intelligence-warning/2021/01/15/c8b50744-5742-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |access-date=January 16, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

{{main|Law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Preparations for January 6}}

{{Multiple images

| perrow = 2

| total_width = 230px

| image1 = Donald Trump official portrait (cropped wide).jpg

| image2 = Christopher C. Miller official portrait (cropped wide).jpg

| image3 = Ryan McCarthy-Acting Secretary of the Army (cropped wide).jpg

| image4 = Mag. Gen. William J. Walker, commander, District of Columbia National Guard.png

| footer = The Chain of Command to the D.C. National Guard at the time of the attack; from Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump to the recently appointed Acting-Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller, to Acting-Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy to General William Walker the commander of the District of Columbia National Guard.

}}

On November 9, Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and replaced him with Christopher C. Miller.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Schmitt |first2=Eric |title=Trump Fires Mark Esper, His Defense Secretary |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/us/politics/esper-defense-secretary.html |access-date=November 9, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109181103/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/us/politics/esper-defense-secretary.html |url-status=live}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/nctc-who-we-are/director-nctc |title=Director NCTC|website=Director of National Intelligence |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109190023/https://www.dni.gov/index.php/nctc-who-we-are/director-nctc |url-status=live}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/Biographies/Biography/Article/2111192/christopher-c-miller/|title=Christopher C. Miller|website=defense.gov|access-date=November 9, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109183146/https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/Biographies/Biography/Article/2111192/christopher-c-miller/|url-status=live}}
• {{cite tweet |last=Trump |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Trump |user=realDonaldTrump |number=1325859406349799424 |date=November 9, 2020 |title=I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately. |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901022618/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325859406349799424 |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |url-status=live}} In response, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Gina Haspel told Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley "we are on the way to a right-wing coup".{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.businessinsider.com/haspel-said-trump-was-like-six-year-old-tantrum-book-2021-9 |first=Grace |last=Panetta |date=September 16, 2021 |title=Then-CIA Director Gina Haspel said Trump's post-election behavior was 'insanity' and he was 'acting out like a 6-year-old with a tantrum,' book says |website=Business Insider |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006183849/https://www.businessinsider.com/haspel-said-trump-was-like-six-year-old-tantrum-book-2021-9 |url-status=live }} On December 18, Miller unilaterally terminated the Department of Defense's transition to the incoming administration, falsely claiming it was a mutually-agreed pause for the holidays.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-trump-transition-pentagon-dispute/2020/12/18/d8142d94-415f-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html |title=Trump administration and Biden team at odds about presidential transition in the Pentagon |first=Dan |last=Lamothe |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224314/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-trump-transition-pentagon-dispute/2020/12/18/d8142d94-415f-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html |date=December 18, 2020 |url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||first1=Mike |last1=Allen |first2=Jonathan |last2=Swan |title=Acting Pentagon chief halts Biden transition briefings |url=https://www.axios.com/pentagon-biden-transition-briefings-123a9658-4af1-4632-a6e6-770117784d60.html |date=December 18, 2020 |access-date=December 18, 2020 |website=Axios |language=en |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224313/https://www.axios.com/pentagon-biden-transition-briefings-123a9658-4af1-4632-a6e6-770117784d60.html |url-status=live}}

On January 2, Republican senator Mitt Romney – who himself had lost the 2012 presidential election against Barack Obama, and conceded in an orderly manner – contacted Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, predicting reinforcements would be denied, "... a senior official at the Pentagon... reports that they are seeing very disturbing social media traffic regarding the protests planned on the 6th. There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol. I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator—the President—is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Robertson |first=Nick |date=September 13, 2023 |title=McConnell didn't reply to Romney's text warning about Jan. 6: book |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4202800-mcconnell-didnt-reply-to-romneys-text-warning-about-jan-6-book/ |access-date=September 15, 2023 |website=The Hill |language=en-US |archive-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914040326/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4202800-mcconnell-didnt-reply-to-romneys-text-warning-about-jan-6-book/ |url-status=live }}

On January 3, all ten living former defense secretaries released an open letter in which they expressed concerns about a potential coup to overturn the election, mentioning Christopher Miller by name.{{Cite news |first1=Ashton |last1=Carter |first2=Dick |last2=Cheney |first3=William |last3=Cohen |first4=Mark |last4=Esper |first5=Robert |last5=Gates |first6=Chuck |last6=Hagel |first7=James |last7=Mattis |first8=Leon |last8=Panetta |first9=William |last9=Perry |first10=Donald |last10=Rumsfeld |title=All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/10-former-defense-secretaries-military-peaceful-transfer-of-power/2021/01/03/2a23d52e-4c4d-11eb-a9f4-0e668b9772ba_story.html |access-date=January 5, 2021 |date=January 3, 2021 |author-link=Ashton Carter |author-link2=Dick Cheney |author-link3=William Cohen |author-link4=Mark Esper |author-link5=Robert Gates |author-link6=Chuck Hagel |author-link7=James Mattis |author-link8=Leon Panetta |author-link9=William J. Perry |author-link10=Donald Rumsfeld |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106223350/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/10-former-defense-secretaries-military-peaceful-transfer-of-power/2021/01/03/2a23d52e-4c4d-11eb-a9f4-0e668b9772ba_story.html |url-status=live }} That day, Trump ordered Miller to "do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators" on January 6.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Fink|first=Jenni|url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-told-christopher-miller-do-whatever-necessary-protect-demonstrators-ahead-capitol-riot-1590993|url-status=live|title=Trump told Christopher Miller: Do 'whatever is necessary' to protect demonstrators ahead of Capitol riot|work=Newsweek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512215739/https://www.newsweek.com/trump-told-christopher-miller-do-whatever-necessary-protect-demonstrators-ahead-capitol-riot-1590993|archive-date=May 12, 2021|date=May 12, 2021}} The next day, Miller signed a memo severely limiting the ability of the D.C. National Guard to deploy without his permission. Since his appointment in 2018, D.C. National Guard commanding major general William J. Walker had standing orders to respond to civil disturbances in the district, but on January 5, Walker received new orders from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy forbidding him to respond to a civil disturbance without explicit prior approval from McCarthy and Miller. Previously, he had authority to respond without seeking permission.{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Sonne |date=January 26, 2021 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/dc-guard-capitol-riots-william-walker-pentagon/2021/01/26/98879f44-5f69-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html |title=Pentagon restricted commander of D.C. Guard ahead of Capitol riot |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204180637/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/dc-guard-capitol-riots-william-walker-pentagon/2021/01/26/98879f44-5f69-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html |url-status=live}} After the attack, Walter described the order as "unusual", noting "It required me to seek authorization from the secretary of the Army and the secretary of defense to essentially protect my guardsmen".

On January{{spaces}}4, D.C. mayor Bowser announced that the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) would lead law enforcement in the district, and would coordinate with the Capitol Police, the U.S. Park Police, and the Secret Service.{{cite news |last=Myre |first=Greg |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Where Was Security When A Pro-Trump Mob Stormed The Capitol? |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954349992/where-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110113309/https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954349992/where-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol |archive-date=January 10, 2021}} Jurisdictionally, the Metropolitan Police Department is responsible for city streets of the National Mall and Capitol area, whereas the Park Police are responsible for the Ellipse, the Secret Service is responsible for the vicinity of the White House, and the Capitol Police is responsible for the Capitol complex itself. During a meeting with a representative of the Capitol Police, the Mayor asked, "[W]here does your perimeter start?" At that point, the individual left the room, and stopped participating in the conference. The mayor later recalled, "[T]hat should have been like a trigger to me. Like these people, they don't want to answer questions about their preparation".{{cite report |title=Final Report |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/pdf/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf |date=December 22, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729165626/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/pdf/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |page=732 |work=United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack |access-date=February 16, 2024}}

On January 6, under "orders from leadership", the Capitol Police deployed without "less lethal" arms such as sting grenades. The Capitol Police armory was not properly maintained, riot shields had been improperly stored at the wrong temperature, rendering them ineffective, while ammunition stores were expired.

{{multiple images|perrow=2|total_width=230px

|image1=Michael T Flynn.jpg

|image2=Roger Stone by Gage Skidmore.jpg

|footer=On January 5, Michael Flynn (left) and Roger Stone (right) spoke at a Trump rally near the Capitol. Both had received presidential pardons in the past month.}}

On January 5, events related to overturning the election occurred on or near the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at places such as Freedom Plaza, the North Inner Gravel Walkway between 13th and 14th Streets, Area{{spaces}}9 across from the Russell Senate Office Building, and near the United States Supreme Court.Multiple sources:

• {{#invoke:cite web||title=Eight Percent Coalition|url=https://eightypercentcoalition.com/|access-date=January 5, 2021|website=Eight Percent Coalition|quote=Fight To Save America|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105014117/https://eightypercentcoalition.com/|url-status=dead}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||title=Save The Republic Rally|url=https://www.momsforamerica.us/save-the-republic-rally/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110012524/https://www.momsforamerica.us/save-the-republic-rally/|archive-date=January 10, 2021|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=Moms For America|date=January 5, 2021}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last=O'Gorek, Elizabeth|date=January 6, 2021|title=Where Are Wednesday's Pro-Trump Protests?|url=https://www.hillrag.com/2021/01/06/where-are-wednesdays-pro-trump-protests/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122021841/https://www.hillrag.com/2021/01/06/where-are-wednesdays-pro-trump-protests/|archive-date=January 22, 2021|access-date=January 15, 2021|website=Hill Rag}}
• {{cite news |work=foxcarolina.com |date=April 18, 2018 |title=James Epley (R) |url=https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/james-epley-r/article_011d2d33-802f-5a84-98c5-c8c572301c9a.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311193752/https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/james-epley-r/article_011d2d33-802f-5a84-98c5-c8c572301c9a.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 11, 2021}}
• {{cite news |publisher=13newsnow.com |date=January 7, 2021 |title=This man erected a 15-foot Constitution on the National Mall the same day rioters stormed the Capitol |first=Eliana |last=Block |url=https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/15-foot-constitution-on-the-national-mall-same-day-rioters-stormed-the-capitol/65-43b9f8e1-bb22-4947-b222-1d9346ab3f62 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016030921/https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/15-foot-constitution-on-the-national-mall-same-day-rioters-stormed-the-capitol/65-43b9f8e1-bb22-4947-b222-1d9346ab3f62 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 16, 2021}} On the night of January{{spaces}}5 and into the morning of January 6, at least ten people were arrested, several on weapons charges.{{cite web |last=Ramirez |first=Stephanie |date=January 5, 2021 |title=Several arrested on gun charges as pro-Trump rallies begin in DC |url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/several-arrested-on-gun-charges-as-pro-trump-rallies-begin-in-dc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107005621/https://www.fox5dc.com/news/several-arrested-on-gun-charges-as-pro-trump-rallies-begin-in-dc |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021 |website=FOX 5 DC}}

On January 5, Ray Epps, an individual with a history in the Arizona Oath Keepers, was filmed during two street gatherings urging people to go into the Capitol the next day, "peacefully", he said at one of the gatherings.{{#invoke:cite web||first=Samantha |last=Putterman |title=There's still no evidence the FBI incited the Jan. 6 riot, despite claims otherwise |date=November 18, 2021 |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2021/11/18/theres-still-no-evidence-the-fbi-incited-the-jan-6-riot-despite-claims-otherwise/ |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221041534/https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2021/11/18/theres-still-no-evidence-the-fbi-incited-the-jan-6-riot-despite-claims-otherwise/|archive-date=December 21, 2021|access-date=December 21, 2021|website=Tampa Bay Times}}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/us/jan-6-ray-epps-evidence.html|title=New Evidence Undercuts Jan. 6 Instigator Conspiracy Theory|date=May 5, 2022|access-date=May 13, 2022|work=The New York Times|first=Alan|last=Feuer|quote=Aside from the clip with Mr. Samsel, Mr. Epps was caught on video standing in a crowd of Trump supporters on the night of Jan. 5, 2021, urging his compatriots to 'go into the Capitol' the next day.|archive-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616081637/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/us/jan-6-ray-epps-evidence.html|url-status=live}} Epps was filmed on January 6 telling people to "go to the Capitol". Epps had texted his nephew that he was "orchestrating" the flow into the Capitol building.{{cite web |first=Alan |last=Feuer |title=There's still no evidence the FBI incited the Jan. 6 riot, despite claims otherwise |date=July 13, 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/politics/jan-6-conspiracy-theory-ray-epps.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713145025/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/politics/jan-6-conspiracy-theory-ray-epps.html |archive-date=July 13, 2022 |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=The New York Times}} Epps later claimed that he had been boasting about "directing" people towards the Capitol.{{cite web |first=Bill |last=Whitaker |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ray-epps-jan-6-capitol-protest-60-minutes-transcript-2023-04-23/ |title=Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 protester now at the center of a far-right conspiracy, says he relives the Capitol riot every day |website=CBS News |date=April 23, 2023 |access-date=April 24, 2023 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620040042/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ray-epps-jan-6-capitol-protest-60-minutes-transcript-2023-04-23/ |url-status=live}}

From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on January 5, a series of Trump rallies were held at Freedom Plaza.Multiple sources:

• {{cite magazine |magazine=Washingtonian |date=January 5, 2021 |title=Here's What We Know About the Pro-Trump Rallies That Have Permits |first=Andrew |last=Beaujon |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/01/05/heres-what-we-know-about-the-pro-trump-rallies-that-have-permits/ |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114031533/https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/01/05/heres-what-we-know-about-the-pro-trump-rallies-that-have-permits/ |url-status=live}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||website=scribd.com|date=January 6, 2021|title=Public Gathering Permit 21-0278|publisher=National Capitol Region, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/489866008/21-0278-Women-for-America-First-Ellispse-Amendment-A2-Redacted|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311193720/https://www.scribd.com/document/489866008/21-0278-Women-for-America-First-Ellispse-Amendment-A2-Redacted|url-status=live}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||date=January 4, 2021|title=Public Gathering Permit 21-0274|publisher=National Park Service|url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/21-0274-Rally-to-Revival-Freedom-Plaza-permit_Redacted.pdf|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210215609/https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/21-0274-Rally-to-Revival-Freedom-Plaza-permit_Redacted.pdf|url-status=live}} Notable speakers included Alex Jones, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Roger Stone.Multiple sources:
• {{cite news |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |date=January 12, 2021 |title=What Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Said in the Lead Up to the Capitol Riot |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/what-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-said-in-the-lead-up-to-the-capitol-riot/ |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907195914/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/what-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-said-in-the-lead-up-to-the-capitol-riot/ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 7, 2021 |title=US Capitol breach |first=Rory |last=Carroll |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/baked-alaska-the-qanon-shaman-who-led-the-storming-of-the-capitol |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045854/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/baked-alaska-the-qanon-shaman-who-led-the-storming-of-the-capitol |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |work=ABC News |date=January 15, 2021 |title=Longtime Trump advisers connected to groups behind rally that led to Capitol attack |first1=Will |last1=Steakin |first2=Matthew |last2=Mosk |first3=James Gordon |last3=Meek |first4=Ali |last4=Dukakis |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/longtime-trump-advisers-connected-groups-rally-led-capitol/story?id=75261028 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311160326/https://abcnews.go.com/US/longtime-trump-advisers-connected-groups-rally-led-capitol/story?id=75261028 |url-status=live}}
• {{cite AV media |date=January 11, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu5BJY-tG-c |title=Flynn, Papadopoulos address pro-Trump rally in DC |publisher=AP Archive |via=YouTube |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123063943/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu5BJY-tG-c |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |newspaper=Ekathimerini |date=January 19, 2021 |title=Trump was not responsible for Jan 6 violence, ex-campaign aide tells Kathimerini |first=Marianna |last=Kakaounaki |url=https://www.ekathimerini.com/261292/article/ekathimerini/community/trump-was-not-responsible-for-jan-6-violence-ex-campaign-aide-tells-kathimerini |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204071510/https://www.ekathimerini.com/261292/article/ekathimerini/community/trump-was-not-responsible-for-jan-6-violence-ex-campaign-aide-tells-kathimerini |url-status=live}}
• {{cite magazine |magazine=Mother Jones |date=January 27, 2021 |title=Roger Stone Did Something Wrong |first=Dan |last=Friedman |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/roger-stone-did-something-wrong/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311224537/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/roger-stone-did-something-wrong/ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |work=Bloomberg |date=January 5, 2021 |title=Roger Stone Addresses Pro-Trump Rally in Washington, D.C. |via=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhSx3qpxws |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119213159/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhSx3qpxws |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |url-status=dead}}

Flynn and Stone had received presidential pardons in prior weeks. On December 8, Trump pardoned retired US Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to "willfully and knowingly" making false statements to the FBI about communications with the Russian ambassador. Flynn, a prominent QAnon proponent, participated in the D.C. events on January 5, while his brother, U.S. Army general Charles Flynn, would participate in a conference call on January 6 when he would refuse permission to deploy the National Guard after the breach of the Capitol.{{cite web |url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/roger-stone-michael-flynn-trump-january-6-capitol-insurrection-20210207.html |title=Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, and the criminal conspiracy case of U.S. v. Donald Trump |first=Will |last=Bunch |website=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=February 7, 2021 |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826063052/https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/roger-stone-michael-flynn-trump-january-6-capitol-insurrection-20210207.html |url-status=live}} On December 23, Trump pardoned Roger Stone, who had been found guilty at trial of witness tampering, making false statements to Congress, and obstruction. Stone, who had longtime ties to the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, employed Oath Keepers as security on January 5.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/22/roger-stone-capitol-attack-investigation-far-right |title=Roger Stone faces fresh scrutiny as Capitol attack investigation expands |date=March 22, 2021 |website=The Guardian |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513142024/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/22/roger-stone-capitol-attack-investigation-far-right |first=Peter |last=Stone |url-status=live}} Stone's Oath-Keeper driver was later convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in plotting and executing the following day's attack.{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencings-7a826241ad3a667cfec9a8c4538c36b2 |title=Oath Keeper who guarded Roger Stone before Jan. 6 attack gets more than 4 years in prison |date=June 1, 2023 |website=Associated Press |first1=Michael |last1=Kunzelman |first2=Alanna Durkin |last2=Richer |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826001538/https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencings-7a826241ad3a667cfec9a8c4538c36b2 |url-status=live}}

In the evening of January 5, Trump's closest allies, including Michael Flynn, Corey Lewandowski, Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville, and Trump's sons Donald{{nbsp}}Jr. and Eric, met at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://sethabramson.substack.com/p/january-5-meeting-at-trump-international|title=January 5 Meeting at Trump International Hotel Could Hold the Key to the January 6 Insurrection|first=Seth|last=Abramson|website=sethabramson.substack.com|date=January 26, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205065356/https://sethabramson.substack.com/p/january-5-meeting-at-trump-international|url-status=live}} Tuberville has since said that he did not attend the meeting,{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.alreporter.com/2021/01/26/trump-appointee-says-tuberville-raga-director-met-with-trump-family-top-advisors-on-eve-of-capitol-attack/|title=Trump appointee says Tuberville met with Trump family, advisers on eve of Capitol attack|first=Eddie|last=Burkhalter|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205065349/https://www.alreporter.com/2021/01/26/trump-appointee-says-tuberville-raga-director-met-with-trump-family-top-advisors-on-eve-of-capitol-attack/|url-status=live}} despite having been photographed in the hotel's lobby.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Pierce|first=Charles P.|title=Tommy Tuberville Denied Insurrection Eve Meeting at Trump Hotel Despite Photos|website=Esquire|date=January 28, 2021|url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a35355342/tommy-tuberville-january-6-insurrection-trump/|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130174046/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a35355342/tommy-tuberville-january-6-insurrection-trump/|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.alreporter.com/2021/01/27/photos-posts-put-tuberville-in-trumps-hotel-on-jan-5-despite-him-denying-meeting/|title=Photos put Tuberville in Trump's hotel on Jan. 5 despite denying meeting|first=Eddie|last=Burkhalter|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205065411/https://www.alreporter.com/2021/01/27/photos-posts-put-tuberville-in-trumps-hotel-on-jan-5-despite-him-denying-meeting/|url-status=live}} According to Charles Herbster, who said he attended the meeting himself, attendees included Tuberville, Adam Piper, and Peter Navarro. Daniel Beck wrote that "Fifteen of us spent the evening with Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Lindell, Peter Navarro, and Rudy Giuliani".{{#invoke:cite web ||last=Whitmire |first=Kyle |title=What have you done now, Tommy Tuberville? |work=Al.com |date=January 28, 2021 |url=https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/what-have-you-done-now-tommy-tuberville.html |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429153517/https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/what-have-you-done-now-tommy-tuberville.html |url-status=live}} Herbster claimed to be standing "in the private residence of the President at Trump International with the following patriots who are joining me in a battle for justice and truth". He added David Bossie to the list of attendees.

{{external media|image1=[https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/suspected-pipe-bombs-in-washington-dc FBI images of bomb suspect]}}

File:Seeking Information Pipe Bombs in Washington D.C. wfo-poi-010521.webm compilation of bombs being placed{{#invoke:cite web||title=Seeking Information: Pipe Bombs in Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/wfo-poi-010521.mp4/view|access-date=October 20, 2021|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|language=en-us|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021143643/https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/wfo-poi-010521.mp4/view|url-status=live}}]]

At 7:40{{spaces}}p.m. on January 5, someone was filmed carrying a bag through a neighborhood on South Capitol Street. At 7:52{{spaces}}p.m., the individual was recorded sitting on a bench outside the DNC; the next day, a pipe bomb was discovered there, under a bush. In the footage, the suspect appears to zip a bag, stand and walk away. At 8:14, the suspect was filmed in an alley near the RNC, where a second pipe bomb was found the following day.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-releases-images-dc-pipe-bomb-suspect/story?id=76341036 |access-date=June 20, 2021 |first=Jack |last=Date |date=March 9, 2021 |title=New images released of suspect in pipe bombs found at RNC, DNC before Capitol riot |website=ABC News |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716155629/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-releases-images-dc-pipe-bomb-suspect/story?id=76341036 |url-status=live }} Both bombs were placed within a few blocks of the Capitol.{{cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |last3=Schmidt |first3=Michael S. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=An explosive device is found at the R.N.C., and the D.N.C. is evacuated. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote#pipe-bomb-rnc |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106201215/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote#pipe-bomb-rnc |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Cassidy |last2=Triay |first2=Andres |last3=Herridge |first3=Catherine |date=March 9, 2021 |title=FBI releases new video of suspected pipe bomber walking near RNC and DNC headquarters |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-new-video-pipe-bombs-outside-rnc-dnc-headquarters/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311031619/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-new-video-pipe-bombs-outside-rnc-dnc-headquarters/ |url-status=live}} Nearing the second anniversary of the incident, a reward of $500,000 was offered,{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Rabinowitz |first1=Hannah |last2=Cole |first2=Devan |last3=Lybrand |first3=Holmes |title=FBI, ATF and DC police increase reward for information on pipe bombs found near RNC and DNC headquarters to $500,000 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/fbi-pipe-bombs-suspect-reward-rnc-dnc/index.html |website=CNN |date=January 4, 2023 |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106232213/https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/fbi-pipe-bombs-suspect-reward-rnc-dnc/index.html |url-status=live }} but no suspects have been named.Multiple sources:

• {{Cite web |last1=Richer |first1=Alanna Durkin |last2=Kunzelman |first2=Michael |date=2024-01-06 |title=Major Jan. 6 Mystery Still Unsolved As Hundreds Of Rioters Convicted |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/major-jan-6-mystery-still-unsolved-as-hundreds-of-rioters-convicted_n_659975d3e4b0f9f6621cde0f |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107120409/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/major-jan-6-mystery-still-unsolved-as-hundreds-of-rioters-convicted_n_659975d3e4b0f9f6621cde0f |url-status=live }}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Barr |first1=Luke |title=2 years later, Jan. 6 pipe bomber remains a mystery |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/reward-climbs-500k-information-suspect-pipe-bombs-day/story?id=96184838 |date=4 January 2023 |website=ABC News |publisher=ABC News Internet Ventures |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106210501/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/reward-climbs-500k-information-suspect-pipe-bombs-day/story?id=96184838 |url-status=live }}
• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.insider.com/capitol-riot-hearings-fbi-pipe-bombs-investigation-mystery-2022-6 |title=As the January 6 hearings focus attention on the Capitol riot, one huge mystery remains |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |website=Insider.com |date=June 16, 2022 |access-date=June 17, 2022 |language=en| archive-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622003624/https://www.insider.com/capitol-riot-hearings-fbi-pipe-bombs-investigation-mystery-2022-6 |url-status=live}}

=== January 6 Trump rally ===

On January{{spaces}}6, the "Save America" rally (or "March to Save America", promoted as a "Save America March"){{#invoke:cite web||title='Save America' Rally: Pro-Trump protesters march in Washington, DC|website=San Mateo Daily Journal|date=January 6, 2021|url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/save-america-rally-pro-trump-protesters-march-in-washington-dc-live/video_bdcdaf80-5052-11eb-8b02-2f6c1ea64b7d.html|access-date=February 22, 2021|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204050511/https://www.smdailyjournal.com/save-america-rally-pro-trump-protesters-march-in-washington-dc-live/video_bdcdaf80-5052-11eb-8b02-2f6c1ea64b7d.html|url-status=live}}
{{#invoke:cite web||title=Trump supporters gather in DC for peaceful Save America March before some storm Capitol|website=The Christian Post|date=January 6, 2021|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-supporters-gather-in-dc-for-peaceful-save-america-march-before-some-storm-capitol.html|first=Ryan|last=Foley|access-date=February 22, 2021|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224090608/https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-supporters-gather-in-dc-for-peaceful-save-america-march-before-some-storm-capitol.html|url-status=live}} took place on the Ellipse within the National Mall just south of the White House. The permit granted to Women for America First scheduled a first amendment rally "March for Trump", with speeches running from 9:00{{spaces}}a.m. to 3:30{{spaces}}p.m., with an additional hour for the conclusion of the rally and dispersal of participants.

{{Multiple images

| align = right

| perrow = 1

| image1 = Rudy Giuliani (49279860108).jpg

| image2 = John C. Eastman 2013.jpg

| footer = Speakers at the "Save America" rally included Rudy Giuliani (top) and John Eastman.

}}

Trump supporters gathered on the Ellipse to hear speeches from Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others, such as Chapman University School of Law professor John Eastman, who spoke, at least in part, based on his memorandums, which have been described as an instruction manual for a coup d'état.{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Margaret |title=A Trump lawyer wrote an instruction manual for a coup. Why haven't you seen it on the news? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/sullivan-eastman-memo/2021/09/29/68d93000-211f-11ec-9309-b743b79abc59_story.html |date=September 30, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 30, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331004049/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/sullivan-eastman-memo/2021/09/29/68d93000-211f-11ec-9309-b743b79abc59_story.html |url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Hayes|first=Rob|date=January 11, 2021|title=Faculty call for firing of Chapman University professor who spoke at pro-Trump rally|url=https://abc7.com/9568820/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115172716/https://abc7.com/9568820/|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=ABC7 Los Angeles}} In a February court filing, Jessica Watkins, a member of the Oath Keepers, claimed she had acted as "security" at the rally in collaboration with the Secret Service. The Secret Service denied this,{{#invoke:cite web||last=Polantz|first=Katelyn|date=February 22, 2021|title=Oath Keeper claims she was VIP security at Trump rally before riot and says she met with Secret Service agents|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/oath-keepers-vip-security-capitol-riot/index.html|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=CNN|archive-date=February 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228092034/https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/oath-keepers-vip-security-capitol-riot/index.html|url-status=live}} with Watkins later changing her story;{{#invoke:cite web||last=Polantz|first=Katelyn|date=February 23, 2021|title=Oath Keeper now says she didn't meet with Secret Service around the January 6 rally|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/politics/oath-keepers-watkins-changed-story/index.html|access-date=February 23, 2021|website=CNN|archive-date=March 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301133420/https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/politics/oath-keepers-watkins-changed-story/index.html|url-status=live}} in 2023, she was sentenced to {{frac|8|1|2}} years in prison.{{Cite news |last= |date=May 26, 2023 |title=Oath Keeper sentenced to eight and a half years for role in Capitol attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/26/oath-keepers-jessica-watkins-sentenced-capitol-attack |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214114528/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/26/oath-keepers-jessica-watkins-sentenced-capitol-attack |archive-date=December 14, 2024 |access-date=December 14, 2024 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Reuters |language=en-GB }}

Mo Brooks was a featured speaker at the rally and spoke around 9 a.m., where he said, "Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass". And later, "Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?"{{cite news |last=Gattis |first=Paul |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Mo Brooks: Today patriots start 'kicking ass' in fighting vote results |work=AL.com |url=https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/mo-brooks-today-patriots-start-kicking-ass-in-fighting-vote-results.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107164211/https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/mo-brooks-today-patriots-start-kicking-ass-in-fighting-vote-results.html |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}{{cite news |work=The New York Times |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Before Capitol Riot, Republican Lawmakers Fanned the Flames |first1=Catie |last1=Edmondson |first2=Luke |last2=Broadwater |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/republicans-capitol-riot.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112010206/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/republicans-capitol-riot.html |url-status=live |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |url-access=limited}}

Representative Madison Cawthorn said, "This crowd has some fight".{{cite news |last=Pellicer |first=Lauren |date=January 6, 2021 |title=NC Congressional Delegates React To Violence As Pro-Trump Mob Storms US Capitol |work=Blue Ridge Public Radio |url=https://www.bpr.org/post/nc-congressional-delegates-react-violence-pro-trump-mob-storms-us-capitol#stream/0 |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107230941/https://www.bpr.org/post/nc-congressional-delegates-react-violence-pro-trump-mob-storms-us-capitol#stream/0 |url-status=live}} Women for America First founder Amy Kremer told attendees, "it is up to you and I to save this Republic" and called on them to "keep up the fight". Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, along with Eric's wife Lara Trump, also spoke, naming and verbally attacking Republican congressmen and senators who were not supporting the effort to challenge the Electoral College vote, and promising to campaign against them in future primary elections.{{cite news |last=Graziosi |first=Graig |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Trump's sons declare war on GOP |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-jr-eric-trump-election-protest-b1783318.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212530/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-jr-eric-trump-election-protest-b1783318.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} Donald Jr. said of Republican lawmakers, "If you're gonna be the zero and not the hero, we're coming for you".{{cite news |last=da Silva |first=Chantal |author-link=Chantal Da Silva |date=November 6, 2020 |title='Reckless' and 'stupid': Trump Jr calls for 'total war' over election results |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-jr-election-results-war-b1634841.html |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114193722/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-jr-election-results-war-b1634841.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |work=Politico |date=January 6, 2021 |title='I'm going to be in your backyard': Trump sons threaten primaries for GOP lawmakers |first=Quint |last=Forgey |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/trump-threat-primaries-gop-lawmakers-455366 |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208132138/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/trump-threat-primaries-gop-lawmakers-455366 |url-status=live}}

Rudy Giuliani repeated conspiracy theories that voting machines used in the election were "crooked" and at 10:50 called for "trial by combat".{{cite news |last=Palma |first=Bethania |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Did Rudy Giuliani Call for 'Trial By Combat' Before Trump Mob Broke Into Capitol? |work=Snopes |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/giuliani-rally-speech/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210109191543/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/giuliani-rally-speech/ |archive-date=January 9, 2021}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Flaherty|first=Colleen|date=January 11, 2021|title=Chapman Faces Pressure to Fire Professor Who Spoke at Trump Rally|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/01/11/chapman-faces-pressure-fire-professor-who-spoke-trump-rally|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111095329/https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/01/11/chapman-faces-pressure-fire-professor-who-spoke-trump-rally|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=Inside Higher Ed}} Eastman asserted that balloting machines contained "secret folders" that altered voting results.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/chapman-university-will-not-fire-john-eastman |access-date=June 20, 2022 |first=Nina |last=Agrawal |title=Chapman University will not fire law professor who spoke at pro-Trump Capitol rally |date=January 13, 2021 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615044758/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/chapman-university-will-not-fire-john-eastman |url-status=live}}{{efn|A week later, he retired.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/chapman-professor-spoke-pre-riot-trump-rally-retire |access-date=October 27, 2021 |title=Chapman professor will retire after uproar over his speaking at Trump rally |date=January 14, 2021 |first1=Nina |last1=Agrawal |first2=Matthew |last2=Ormseth |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219150921/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/chapman-professor-spoke-pre-riot-trump-rally-retire |url-status=live}}}} At 10:58, a Proud Boys contingent left the rally and marched toward the Capitol Building.Video* "How the Proud Boys led the assault – and who was in the pro-Trump mob", in: {{#invoke:cite web||last=Zurcher|first=Anthony|date=February 13, 2021|title=Trump impeachment trial: What verdict means for Trump, Biden and America|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56057849|access-date=February 17, 2021|website=BBC News|archive-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217032721/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56057849|url-status=live}} *[video has been removed for 'rights reasons' ]

On January 6, the "Wild Protest" was organized by Stop The Steal and took place in Area{{spaces}}8, across from the Russell Senate Office Building.{{#invoke:cite web||title=WildProtest.com|url=https://wildprotest.com/#about|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106005050/https://wildprotest.com/#about|archive-date=January 6, 2021}} On January 6, the "Freedom Rally" was organized by Virginia Freedom Keepers, Latinos for Trump, and United Medical Freedom Super PAC at 300 First Street NE, across from the Russell Senate Office Building.{{#invoke:cite web||title=Freedom Rally 2021|url=https://freedomrally2021.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210111143722/https://freedomrally2021.com/|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=Freedom Rally 2021}}

File:2021 United States Capitol VOA 1 (cropped).jpg delivering his rally speech from behind a bulletproof shield was projected onto this screen at the rally|alt=People holding their phones up to take photos and videos of Donald Trump delivering a speech. Trump is not directly visible, but rather a large screen behind the stage shows him.]]

Starting at 11:58, from behind a bulletproof shield, President Trump gave a speech, declaring that he would "never concede" the election, criticizing the media, and calling for Pence to overturn the election results.{{cite news |last=Nickeas |first=Peter |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Pro-Trump supporters have flooded DC to protest president's election loss |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/pro-trump-supporters-dc-protest/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106202325/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/pro-trump-supporters-dc-protest/index.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last=Haberman |first=Maggie |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Trump, speaking to protesters, declares 'we will never concede.' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106201215/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} His speech contained many falsehoods and misrepresentations that inflamed the crowd.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last1=Liptak |first1=Kevin |last2=Stracqualursi |first2=Veronica |last3=Malloy |first3=Allie |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Trump publicly acknowledges he won't serve a second term a day after inciting mob |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-biden-us-capitol-electoral-college-insurrection/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109065602/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-biden-us-capitol-electoral-college-insurrection/ |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |first=David Z. |last=Morris |url=https://fortune.com/2021/01/07/trump-speech-capitol-attack-riots-pence-we-will-never-concede-maga-rally/ |title='We will never concede': How Donald Trump incited an attack on America |work=Fortune |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111202133/https://fortune.com/2021/01/07/trump-speech-capitol-attack-riots-pence-we-will-never-concede-maga-rally/ |url-status=live |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |first=Philip |last=Rucker |date=January 6, 2021 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-rioters-incite/2021/01/06/0acfc778-5035-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |title=Trump's presidency finishes in 'American carnage' as rioters storm the Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109151645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-rioters-incite/2021/01/06/0acfc778-5035-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |url-status=live |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |title=Trump's Falsehood-Filled 'Save America' Rally |first1=Eugene |last1=Kiely |first2=Robert |last2=Farley |first3=D'Angelo |last3=Gore |first4=Lori |last4=Robertson |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2021/01/trumps-falsehood-filled-save-america-rally/ |work=FactCheck.org |publisher=Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111033555/https://www.factcheck.org/2021/01/trumps-falsehood-filled-save-america-rally/ |url-status=live |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |first1=Shelly |last1=Tan |first2=Youjin |last2=Shin |first3=Danielle |last3=Rindler |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/capitol-insurrection-visual-timeline/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 9, 2021 |title=How one of America's ugliest days unraveled inside and outside the Capitol |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111195537/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/capitol-insurrection-visual-timeline/ |url-status=live |ref=none}} Trump did not call on his supporters to use violence or enter the Capitol,{{cite news |last=Blake |first=Aaron |date=January 11, 2021 |title=What Trump said before his supporters stormed the Capitol, annotated |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/annotated-trump-speech-jan-6-capitol/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114075737/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/annotated-trump-speech-jan-6-capitol/ |archive-date=January 14, 2021}} but his speech was filled with violent imagery.{{cite news |last=Savage |first=Charlie |date=January 10, 2021 |title=Incitement to Riot? What Trump Told Supporters Before Mob Stormed Capitol |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/trump-speech-riot.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113220220/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/trump-speech-riot.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021}} On social media, Trump was suggesting that his supporters had the power to prevent Biden from taking office. One of his tweets, posted on January 6, 2021, at 5:43 a.m., was "Get smart Republicans. FIGHT". The same afternoon, Pence released a letter to Congress, in which he said he could not challenge Biden's victory.{{cite news |last1=Glantz, Aaron |last2=The Center for Investigative Reporting |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Read Pence's full letter saying he can't claim 'unilateral authority' to reject electoral votes |work=PBS NewsHour |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-pences-full-letter-saying-he-cant-claim-unilateral-authority-to-reject-electoral-votes |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106190245/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-pences-full-letter-saying-he-cant-claim-unilateral-authority-to-reject-electoral-votes |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}

Although the initial plan for the rally called for people to remain at the Ellipse until the counting of electoral slates was complete, the White House said they should march to the Capitol, as Trump repeatedly urged during his speech. Trump called for his supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" 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". He told the crowd that he would be with them, but he ultimately did not go to the Capitol. As to counting Biden's electoral votes, Trump said, "We can't let that happen" and suggested Biden would be an "illegitimate president". Referring to the day of the elections, Trump said, "most people would stand there at 9:00 in the evening and say, 'I want to thank you very much,' and they go off to some other life, but I said, 'Something's wrong here. Something's really wrong. [It] can't have happened.' And we fight. We fight like Hell and if you don't fight like Hell, you're not going to have a country anymore".{{#invoke:cite web||date=January 6, 2021|title=Trump's 1/6/2021 Speech|url=https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-speech-save-america-rally-transcript-january-6|via=rev.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115200039/https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-speech-save-america-rally-transcript-january-6|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 13, 2021}}{{rp|01:11:44}} He said the protesters would be "going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give [Republicans] the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Andersen|first=Travis|date=January 6, 2021|title=Before mob stormed US Capitol, Trump told them to 'fight like hell'|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/06/metro/heres-what-trump-told-his-supporters-before-many-them-stormed-capitol-wednesday/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210107014042/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/06/metro/heres-what-trump-told-his-supporters-before-many-them-stormed-capitol-wednesday/|archive-date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 7, 2021|website=The Boston Globe}} Trump also said, "you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated".

Trump denounced Representative Liz Cheney, saying, "We've got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world".{{cite news |last=Kranish |first=Michael |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Before riot, Trump said 'we got to get rid' of Rep. Liz Cheney |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cheney-trump-house-impeach/2021/01/12/648c677a-54d2-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113082812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cheney-trump-house-impeach/2021/01/12/648c677a-54d2-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021}} He called upon his supporters to "fight much harder" against "bad people"; told the crowd that "you are allowed to go by very different rules"; said that his supporters were "not going to take it any longer"; framed the moment as the last stand; suggested that Pence and other Republican officials put themselves in danger by accepting Biden's victory; and told the crowd he would march with them to the Capitol (but was prevented from doing so by his security detail).{{cite news |last=Bustillo |first=Ximena |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108301900/witness-recalls-trump-lunging-for-the-wheel-when-told-he-couldnt-go-to-the-capit |url-status=live |title=Witness recalls being told Trump grabbed the wheel when he couldn't go to the Capitol |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902094858/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108301900/witness-recalls-trump-lunging-for-the-wheel-when-told-he-couldnt-go-to-the-capit |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |work=NPR |date=June 22, 2021 |access-date=December 18, 2022}} In addition to the twenty times he used the term "fight", Trump once used the term "peacefully", saying, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard".

During Trump's speech, his supporters chanted "Take the Capitol", "Taking the Capitol right now", "Invade the Capitol", "Storm the Capitol" and "Fight for Trump".{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2021/2/10/senate-section/article/s615-4 |access-date=June 20, 2022 |title=Trial of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States |work=Congressional Record |volume=167 |number=25 |date=February 10, 2021 |archive-date=March 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303190904/https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2021/2/10/senate-section/article/s615-4 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |first1=Ryan |last1=Goodman |first2=Justin |last2=Hendrix |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/74335/fight-for-trump-video-evidence-of-incitement-at-the-capitol/ |title='Fight for Trump': Video Evidence of Incitement at the Capitol |work=Just Security |date=January 25, 2021 |access-date=February 16, 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212031455/https://www.justsecurity.org/74335/fight-for-trump-video-evidence-of-incitement-at-the-capitol/ |url-status=live}} Before Trump had finished speaking at 1:12{{spaces}}p.m., the Proud Boys had begun their attack on the Capitol and breached the outer perimeter of the Capitol grounds; the two pipe bombs had been discovered nearby.{{cite news |last=Mogelson |first=Luke |title=Among the Insurrectionists |magazine=The New Yorker |issue=January 15, 2021 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/25/among-the-insurrectionists |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118180312/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/25/among-the-insurrectionists |date=January 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 18, 2021}}

File:USCP Radio Samples on January 6, 2021 during attack.mp3 traffic during the attack]]

Just before the Proud Boys attacked the Capitol, pipe bombs were discovered near the complex.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/15/957371206/planned-coordinated-attack-former-capitol-police-chief-on-the-insurrection |date=January 15, 2021 |first=Claudia |last=Grisales |title='Planned, Coordinated Attack': Former Capitol Police Chief On The Insurrection |publisher=NPR |work=All Things Considered |access-date=May 17, 2021 |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427052127/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/15/957371206/planned-coordinated-attack-former-capitol-police-chief-on-the-insurrection |url-status=live}} Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other attackers besieged and ultimately breached the Capitol. Members of the Congress barricaded themselves in the chamber, and one attacker was fatally shot by police while attempting to breach a barricade.{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Wu|first1=Nicholas|last2=Tully-McManus|first2=Katherine|date=August 26, 2021|title=Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd speaks out on fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/26/capitol-police-officer-byrd-ashli-babbitt-506971|access-date=August 30, 2021|website=Politico|language=en|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106015641/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/26/capitol-police-officer-byrd-ashli-babbitt-506971|url-status=live}}

After officials at the Pentagon delayed deployment of the National Guard, citing concerns about optics, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser requested assistance from the governor of Virginia. By 3:15, Virginia State Police began arriving in D.C. After Vice President Pence and the Congress were evacuated to secure locations, law enforcement cleared and secured the Capitol.

File:January 6 attack map.png, with unaffiliated Trump supporters surrounding the Capitol but concentrated on the west side.
(1) Beginning at 9 a.m., a rally was held at the White House Ellipse.
(2) Proud Boys assembled at the Washington Monument at 10 a.m. and departed for the Capitol around 10:30.
(3) About 12:40 p.m., a bomb was discovered outside the RNC.
(4) Minutes later, at 12:53 p.m., a crowd of Trump supporters, encouraged by the Proud Boys, breached a barricade on the outer perimeter in the west, gaining entry to Capitol grounds. Similar breaches on the same front would happen within minutes of each other.
(5) At 1:07 p.m., a second bomb was discovered outside the DNC.
(6) At 2:10 p.m., the Proud Boys-led mob breach the Capitol by breaking through windows on the west terrace with a stolen police riot shield and wooden beams.
(7) Oath Keepers marched up Capitol steps in a stack formation, amidst a crowd of Trump supporters attempting to enter on the east side; at 2:39 p.m., the mob breached the Capitol through a door to the rotunda.

]]

At 10:30, over a hundred Proud Boys left the Washington Monument, led by Ethan Nordean and Joe Biggs. By 11:52, the group had reached the Capitol and proceeded to walk around the building before doubling back to the west side, which allowed them to assess building defenses and to look for weaknesses.{{#invoke:cite web|| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jan-6-committees-evidence-spoke-justice-department-listening-rcna32906 |first=Jonanthan |last=Allen |title=Analysis: The Jan. 6 committee's evidence spoke for itself. Is the Justice Department listening? |website=NBC News |date=June 10, 2022 |access-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904003413/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jan-6-committees-evidence-spoke-justice-department-listening-rcna32906 |url-status=live }}{{YouTube|id=AAYUj3iwqLY|time=3h4m3s|title=Jan. 6 committee holds first public hearing in series of eight – 6/9 (Full Live Stream) }}

Enroute, comments from one of the Proud Boys served as an early indicator of a plan to attack the Capitol, according to a documentary filmmaker who was on scene:

{{Blockquote|text=There's only one moment where that{{snd}}the sort of facade of marching and protesting might have fallen, which is there was a{{snd}}one of the Proud Boys called Milkshake and Eddie Block on his livestream catches Milkshake saying, well, let's go storm the Capitol with Nordean{{snd}}Rufio{{snd}}one of the leaders of the Proud Boys saying, you could keep that quiet, please, Milkshake. And then we continued on marching.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/10/1104291172/documentary-footage-from-filmmaker-shows-evidence-that-jan-6-was-a-planned-attac |first=Lauren |last=Hodges |title=Documentary footage from filmmaker shows evidence that Jan. 6 was a planned attack |work=NPR |date=June 10, 2021 |access-date=August 22, 2022 |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823022015/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/10/1104291172/documentary-footage-from-filmmaker-shows-evidence-that-jan-6-was-a-planned-attac |url-status=live}}}}

Around 12:30, a crowd of about 300 assembled east of the Capitol. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a leader of the group of lawmakers who vowed to challenge the Electoral College vote, greeted these protesters with a raised fist as he passed by on his way to Congress's joint session in the early afternoon.{{cite web |last=Bernard|first=Katie|date=January 7, 2021|title=A photographer and a fist pump. The story behind the image that will haunt Josh Hawley|url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article248354085.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108023024/https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article248354085.html|archive-date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=The Kansas City Star}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Regnier|first=Chris|date=January 7, 2021|title=Senator Hawley criticized for acknowledging Capitol protesters with fist pump|url=https://fox2now.com/news/senator-hawley-criticized-for-acknowledging-capitol-protesters-with-fist-pump/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108191337/https://fox2now.com/news/senator-hawley-criticized-for-acknowledging-capitol-protesters-with-fist-pump/|archive-date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=KTVI}} At 12:52, a group of Oath Keepers, wearing black hoodies with prominent logos, left the rally at the Ellipse and changed into Army Combat Uniforms, with helmets, on their way to the Capitol.

Shortly before 12:53, Nordean and Biggs marched the group of 200–300 Proud Boys to a barricade on the west side of the Capitol grounds near the Peace Monument. Biggs used a megaphone to lead the crowd in chants.

{{#invoke:Excerpt|main|Law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Bombs discovered near Capitol Complex}}

{{external media

| float = right

|headerimage=File:DOJ exhibit of Ryan Samsel breaching Capitol Grounds on January 6.png

|caption= At 12:54, just after interacting with Proud Boy leader Joe Biggs, a man later identified as Ryan Samsel (boxed in red) was the first to breach the restricted Capitol grounds.

| video1 = [https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000008392796/rile-up-the-normies-how-proud-boys-breached-the-capitol.html "Proud Boys Led Major Breaches of Capitol on Jan. 6, Video Investigation Finds"]. The New York Times, June 2022

}}

The Proud Boys contingent reached the west perimeter of the Capitol grounds, which was protected only by a sparse line of police in front of a temporary fence. Other Trump supporters arrived, adding to a growing crowd. The Proud Boys tactically coordinated their attacks "from the first moment of violence to multiple breaches of the Capitol while leaving the impression that it was just ordinary protesters leading the charge".{{YouTube|id=-DfLbrUa5Ng|title=How the Proud Boys Breached the Capitol {{!}} Visual Investigations {{!}} The New York Times}} Proud Boys targeted an access point and began to rile up the previously-peaceful crowd. In a "tipping point" moment, a man later identified as Ryan Samsel approached Joe Biggs and talked with him, even embracing him. Samsel later told the FBI that Biggs "encouraged him to push at the barricades and that when he hesitated, the Proud Boys leader flashed a gun, questioned his manhood and repeated his demand to move upfront and challenge the police", according to The New York Times.{{cite news |last=Feuer |first=Alan |date=2021-10-07 |title=Dispute Over Claim That Proud Boys Leader Urged Attack at Capitol |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/us/politics/proud-boys-capitol-riot.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030134906/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/us/politics/proud-boys-capitol-riot.html |url-status=live}} Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola recalled seeing Biggs flash a handgun and goading Samsel, telling him to "defend his manhood" by attacking the police line, but later tried to retract this statement.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Cheney |first=Kyle |date=2023-04-20 |title=Pezzola testimony sheds light on a lingering Jan. 6 mystery — and a critical lie |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/20/pezzola-jan-6-trial-testimony-00093176 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Politico |language=en |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030134901/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/20/pezzola-jan-6-trial-testimony-00093176 |url-status=live }} Samsel also talked to Oath Keeper Ray Epps in the same time frame, with Samsel and Epps stating that Epps was attempting to calm Samsel down and dissuade him from attacking police as Biggs was encouraging him to do. Samsel later changed his story.{{cite news |date=2 February 2024 |title=Jan. 6 rioters who U.S. says 'ignited' path for Capitol attack convicted |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/02/jan-6-capitol-riot-samsel/}}{{cite news |date=2 February 2024 |title=Ryan Samsel, Jan. 6 defendant who instigated breach, convicted of multiple felonies |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/02/ryan-samsel-jan-6-defendant-00139344 |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203012514/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/02/ryan-samsel-jan-6-defendant-00139344 |url-status=live }} Shortly after speaking to Epps and Biggs, Samsel became the first to violently attack Capitol Police. Capitol police officer Caroline Edwards described the attack:

{{Blockquote

|text=Ms. Edwards described how a Proud Boys leader named Joseph Biggs encouraged another man to approach the bike rack barricade where she was posted. That man, Ryan Samsel, she said, pushed the bike rack over, causing her to hit her head and lose consciousness.

But before she blacked out, Ms. Edwards recalled seeing "a war scene" playing out in front of her. Police officers were bleeding and throwing up, she recalled. "It was carnage", she said. "It was chaos".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/jan-6-proud-boys-capitol-police.html |first=Alan |last=Feuer |title=Three Characters at the Heart of an Unsettling Jan. 6 Narrative |work=The New York Times |date=June 9, 2022 |access-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612202946/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/jan-6-proud-boys-capitol-police.html |url-status=live}}

}}

Video showed Officer Edwards being pushed back behind a bicycle rack as Proud Boys pushed barricades towards her, knocking her off her feet and causing her to hit her head on the concrete steps.{{YouTube|id=AAYUj3iwqLY|time=3h6m58s|title=Jan. 6 committee holds first public hearing in series of eight – 6/9 (Full Live Stream) }}

File:Bodycam video taken at US Capitol, January 6, 2021.webm on January 6]]

The Proud Boys led the charge toward the Capitol, to the next police line, repeating the same set of tactics: identifying building access points, riling up other protesters, and sometimes directly joining in the violence. When met with resistance, leaders of the group reassessed, and teams of Proud Boys targeted new entry points to the Capitol.

Around 1:00{{nbsp}}p.m., hundreds of Trump supporters clashed with a second thin line of officers and pushed through barriers erected along the perimeter of the Capitol.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Lee|first=Jessica|date=January 8, 2021|title=Did Trump Watch Capitol Riots From a Private Party Nearby?|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/capitol-riots-private-party/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210110040907/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/capitol-riots-private-party/|archive-date=January 10, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=Snopes}} The crowd swept past barriers and officers, with some members of the mob spraying officers with chemical agents or hitting them with lead pipes.{{cite news |last1=Greenberg |first1=Jon |last2=Kim |first2=Noah Y. |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Black Lives Matter protests and the Capitol assault: Comparing the police response |work=PolitiFact |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jan/08/black-lives-matter-protests-and-capitol-assault-co/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109014952/https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jan/08/black-lives-matter-protests-and-capitol-assault-co/ |archive-date=January 9, 2021}} Many rioters walked up the external stairways, while some resorted to ropes and makeshift ladders.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Harrison |last2=Olivo |first2=Antonio |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Rioters use ropes, makeshift ladders to invade Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/#link-FPWYI3GZLFFBFORZYPBSQ7B76M |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106194011/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/#link-FPWYI3GZLFFBFORZYPBSQ7B76M |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 |url-status=live }} Police blocked the entrance to a tunnel at the lower west terrace, where rioters waged a three-hour fight to enter.{{cite web |last=Schneider |first=Jessica |title=New Jan. 6 tape shows 3-hour battle in Capitol tunnel |date=December 24, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/12/24/january-6-video-capitol-riot-schneider-ath-vpx.cnn |work=CNN |access-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227041101/https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/12/24/january-6-video-capitol-riot-schneider-ath-vpx.cnn |url-status=live}} To gain access to the Capitol, several rioters scaled the west wall.{{cite news |title=Scenes From an American Insurrection |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/photos-trump-supporters-storm-capitol/617577/ |work=The Atlantic |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-date=August 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802202229/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/photos-trump-supporters-storm-capitol/617577/ |url-status=live}} Representative Zoe Lofgren (D–CA), aware that rioters had reached the Capitol steps, could not reach Capitol police chief Steven Sund by phone; House sergeant-at-arms Paul D. Irving told Lofgren the doors to the Capitol were locked and "nobody can get in".

Telephone logs released by Capitol Police show that Sund had been coordinating additional resources from various agencies. Sund's first call was to the D.C. Metropolitan Police, who arrived within 15 minutes.{{cite news |last=Hermann |first=Peter |date=January 14, 2021 |title='We got to hold this door' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/14/dc-police-capitol-riot/ |access-date=January 16, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220162042/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/14/dc-police-capitol-riot/?arc404=true |url-status=live}} Sund called Irving and Stenger at 12:58 and asked them for an emergency declaration required to call in the National Guard; they told Sund they would "run it up the chain", but formal approval to request the Guard was withheld for over an hour.

According to testimony from White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, shortly after his speech concluded at 1:00{{nbsp}}p.m. Trump ordered his Secret Service detail to drive him to the Capitol. When they refused, Trump reportedly assaulted his Secret Service driver, lunging for the man's throat.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Friedman |first=Dan |date=28 June 2022 |title=Trump allegedly attacked his own Secret Service agent. That's not even the most explosive news from Tuesday's hearing |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/06/trump-hutchinson-secret-service-attack-january-6/ |website=Mother Jones |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829234428/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/06/trump-hutchinson-secret-service-attack-january-6/ |url-status=live }}

File:January 6 Proud-Boys lead tip of the spear to breach Capitol Building.png and other Proud Boys led the "tip of the spear" to breach the Capitol building. The LA Times noted that "whether by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge", attackers ran past 15 reinforced windows, "making a beeline" for the recessed area near the Senate where two unreinforced windows and two doors with unreinforced glass were the only protection from attack.]]

Around 1:12{{nbsp}}p.m., reinforcements from the MPD, equipped with crowd control gear, arrived on the lower west terrace.{{cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1593886/download |title=Case 1:23-mj-00208-MAU: Complaint with Arrest Warrant |access-date=September 12, 2023 |work=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918005353/https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1593886/download |url-status=live}} From 1:25 to 1:28, three different groups of Proud Boys leaders were recorded marching in stack formations away from the newly-reinforced police line. After about fifteen minutes of observing, the Proud Boys went back on the attack, targeting two new access points that were poorly defended. Ronald Loehrke and other Proud Boys led a contingent to the east side of the Capitol; once there, Proud Boys again used distraction and teamwork to remove barricades, prompting the previously-peaceful crowd on the east side to overrun barriers along the entire police line.

Meanwhile, on the west side, Joe Biggs led a team of Proud Boys that targeted the stairs covered by a temporary scaffolding. Within two minutes of Biggs's arrival, a team of over a dozen Proud Boys approached the entrance to the scaffolding and attacked police. Proud Boy Daniel "Milkshake" Scott led the charge, and a 20-minute battle for the scaffolding ensued.

At 1:50{{nbsp}}p.m., the on-scene MPD incident commander declared a riot. At 1:58, Capitol Police officers removed a barricade on the northeast side of the Capitol, allowing hundreds of protestors to stream onto the grounds.{{cite news |last1=Leatherby |first1=Lauren |last2=Ray |first2=Arielle |last3=Singhvi |first3=Anjali |last4=Triebert |first4=Christiaan |last5=Watkins |first5=Derek |last6=Willis |first6=Haley |date=January 12, 2021 |title=How a Presidential Rally Turned Into a Capitol Rampage |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/12/us/capitol-mob-timeline.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112112452/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/12/us/capitol-mob-timeline.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021}}

{{multiple images|perrow=1|total_width=230px

|image1=FBI exhibit Jan 6 attack - Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola smashes a Capitol window with a police riot shield.png

|image2=Initial breach of the Capitol during January 6 attack as recorded by security camera.png

|image3=Capitol_Police_Office_Eugene_Goodman_saves_Senate_by_lightly_shoving_attacker_Doug_Jensen.png

|footer=Proud Boy leader Dominic Pezzola (top) using a stolen police riot shield to breach the Capitol at 2:11, allowing attackers including Pezzola, Doug Jensen, Joe Biggs and others to stream into the building (middle).

A lone Capitol Police officer (bottom), Eugene Goodman, realizing he was steps away from the still-unsealed Senate chamber doors, shoved attacker Doug Jensen, leading the mob away from the Senate and towards a line of waiting Capitol Police reinforcements.}}

Just before 2:00{{spaces}}p.m., attackers reached the doors and windows of the Capitol and began attempts to break in. The Los Angeles Times observed that "whether by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge", the first attackers to break through the police line onto the upper west terrace ran past 15 reinforced windows, "making a beeline" for the recessed area near the Senate where two unreinforced windows and two doors with unreinforced glass were the only protection from attack. At 2:11, Proud Boy leader Dominic Pezzola used a stolen police riot shield to smash one of those un-reinforced windows on the west side of the Capitol, breaching the building itself. By 2:13, the Capitol was officially breached.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Stella |last2=Engelbrecht |first2=Cora |last3=Hill |first3=Evan |last4=Triebert |first4=Christiaan |last5=Willis |first5=Haley |title=Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol | Visual Investigations |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJVMoe7OY0&t=1097s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819040609/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJVMoe7OY0&t=1097s |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=August 19, 2021 |work=The New York Times |via=YouTube |date=July 2, 2021 |time=18:17}}Multiple sources:

• {{cite web |last1=Lang |first1=Brent |last2=Littleton |first2=Cynthia |date=January 6, 2021 |title=U.S. Capitol on Lockdown, Pro-Trump Protestors Breach Police Lines |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/election-certification-pence-trump-biden-election-1234879411/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106134043/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/election-certification-pence-trump-biden-election-1234879411/ |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=Variety}}
• {{cite news |last1=Balsamo |first1=Michael |last2=Long |first2=Colleen |date=January 6, 2021 |title=The Latest: Schumer says Jan. 6, 2021, will live in infamy |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/ap-electoral-college-congress-7af85d3c702e070464d7713c42cf254a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107023031/https://apnews.com/article/ap-electoral-college-congress-7af85d3c702e070464d7713c42cf254a |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}
• {{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Woman dies after shooting in U.S. Capitol; D.C. National Guard activated after mob breaches building |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106194011/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/ |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |url-status=live |quote=A mob was able to breach security and successfully enter the building}}}} Although most of the Capitol's windows had been reinforced, attackers targeted those that remained as single-pane glass and could be broken easily.{{cite news |last=Wire |first=Sarah D. |date=October 4, 2021 |title=Jan. 6 rioters exploited little-known Capitol weak spots: A handful of unreinforced windows |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-10-04/jan-6-rioters-exploited-little-known-capitol-weak-spots-a-handful-of-unreinforced-windows |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004090558/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-10-04/jan-6-rioters-exploited-little-known-capitol-weak-spots-a-handful-of-unreinforced-windows |archive-date=October 4, 2021}} Joe Biggs and other Proud Boy leaders had entered the Capitol by 2:14. A news crew from British broadcaster ITV followed the rioters into the Capitol, the only broadcaster to do so.{{cite web |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Watch ITV News report from inside US Capitol as Trump supporters storm building |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-06/watch-itv-news-eyewitness-report-from-inside-the-us-capitol-as-protesters-storm-building |access-date=November 15, 2022 |website=ITV News |language=en |quote= |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114115919/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-06/watch-itv-news-eyewitness-report-from-inside-the-us-capitol-as-protesters-storm-building |url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Kanter |first=Jake |date=January 7, 2021 |title=ITV News Journalist Goes Viral, Wins Praise After Extraordinary Report Following Trump Mob Into Capitol |url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/robert-moore-report-itv-news-capitol-donald-trump-1234666355/ |access-date=November 15, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=November 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115203417/https://deadline.com/2021/01/robert-moore-report-itv-news-capitol-donald-trump-1234666355/ |url-status=live }}

At 2:13, Pence was removed from the Senate chamber by a Secret Service agent, who brought him to a nearby office about {{convert|100|ft|m}} from the landing. Pence's wife Karen Pence, daughter Charlotte Pence Bond, and brother, Representative Greg Pence, were in the Capitol at the time it was attacked.{{cite news |last1=Acosta |first1=Jim |last2=Brown |first2=Pamela |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Trump pressured Pence to engineer a coup, then put the VP in danger, source says |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-pence-riot/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110010531/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-pence-riot/index.html |archive-date=January 10, 2021}} As Pence and his family were being escorted from the Senate chamber to a nearby hideaway, they came within a minute of being visible to rioters on a staircase {{convert|100|ft|m}} away.{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Ashley |last2=Leonnig |first2=Carol D. |last3=Kane |first3=Paul |last4=Brown |first4=Emma |date=January 15, 2021 |title=How the rioters who stormed the Capitol came dangerously close to Pence |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-rioters-capitol-attack/2021/01/15/ab62e434-567c-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115151454/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-rioters-capitol-attack/2021/01/15/ab62e434-567c-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |archive-date=January 15, 2021}}

Unaccompanied by other officers, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman confronted the mob. He has been cited for heroism in baiting and diverting the rioters away from the Senate chamber in the minutes before the chamber could be safely evacuated. As the crowd of rioters reached a landing from which there was an unimpeded path to the chamber, Goodman pushed the lead attacker, Doug Jensen, and then deliberately retreated away from the chamber, enticing the crowd to chase him in another direction.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |title=How a lone Capitol Police officer lured rioters away from the Senate chambers |first=Scottie |last=Andrew |work=CNN |date=January 12, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/us/capitol-police-eugene-goodman-riots-senate-chambers-trnd/index.html |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113062137/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/us/capitol-police-eugene-goodman-riots-senate-chambers-trnd/index.html |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |title=Black officer seen risking his life to lead Capitol mob away from Senate chamber hailed as a hero |work=CBS News |first=Caitlin |last=O'Kane |date=January 12, 2021 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eugene-goodman-us-capitol-riots-police-officer-senate-chamber/ |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114205921/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eugene-goodman-us-capitol-riots-police-officer-senate-chamber/ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |title=Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman hailed as 'a hero' |work=BBC News |date=January 13, 2021 |first=Holly |last=Honderich |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55623752 |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112000235/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55623752 |url-status=live}} One media report described his actions as follows:

In short, he tricked them, willingly becoming the rabbit to their wolf pack, pulling them away from the chambers where armed officers were waiting, avoiding tragedy and saving lives. Lives which include their own.{{cite news |title=A lone Black officer faced down violent US Capitol mob, fooled them to save lives {{!}} Reese's Final Thought|publisher=WUSA9|first=Randolph Terrance|last=Sturdivant |date=January 11, 2021|url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/get-up-dc/eugene-goodman-capitol-police-reese-waters-final-thought/65-47d56320-126f-46ed-a348-4fe7a2b64bc4|access-date=January 15, 2021|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114020301/https://www.wusa9.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/get-up-dc/eugene-goodman-capitol-police-reese-waters-final-thought/65-47d56320-126f-46ed-a348-4fe7a2b64bc4|url-status=live}}

Those present at the time of the event, including Democratic and Republican legislators and members of the press, praised Goodman for his quick thinking and brave actions.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |title=Congressional lawmakers share 'frightening' insight into Capitol riot, how a police officer saved lives |publisher=WFAA |first1=Adam |last1=Longo |first2=Nick |last2=Boykin |date=January 11, 2021 |url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/timeline-capitol-riot-capitol-police-officer-saves-lives-gallego-sinema/65-9dd12212-4b66-4a8c-98ad-d1ab851a2b04 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112124149/https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/timeline-capitol-riot-capitol-police-officer-saves-lives-gallego-sinema/65-9dd12212-4b66-4a8c-98ad-d1ab851a2b04 |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |title='He's a Hero!': Capitol Officer Could Receive Congressional Gold Medal |publisher=NBC Washington |date=January 14, 2021 |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/eugene-goodman-capitol-police-officer-could-receive-congressional-gold-medal/2541844/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115001029/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/eugene-goodman-capitol-police-officer-could-receive-congressional-gold-medal/2541844/ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |title=Capitol officer Eugene Goodman must not fade into history — it's happened before |work=TheGrio |first=Jason |last=Johnson |author-link=Jason Johnson (professor) |date=January 15, 2021 |url=https://thegrio.com/2021/01/15/capitol-officer-eugene-goodman-black-heroes-history/ |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115175641/https://thegrio.com/2021/01/15/capitol-officer-eugene-goodman-black-heroes-history/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Sasse |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sasse |title=QAnon Is Destroying the GOP From Within |work=The Atlantic |date=January 16, 2021 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/conspiracy-theories-will-doom-republican-party/617707/ |access-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117000855/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/conspiracy-theories-will-doom-republican-party/617707/ |url-status=live}} Republican senator Ben Sasse credited Goodman with having "single-handedly prevented untold bloodshed".{{cite news |title=Capitol Police officer being hailed as a hero for drawing angry mob away from Senate floor |work=USA Today |first=John |last=Bacon |date=January 11, 2021 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/11/capitol-police-officer-praised-drawing-angry-mob-away-senate/6619883002/ |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113202158/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/11/capitol-police-officer-praised-drawing-angry-mob-away-senate/6619883002/ |url-status=live}} Goodman's actions were captured in video footage taken by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic.{{cite news |title=Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman is being hailed as a hero for facing down an angry mob of Trump supporters and drawing them away from the Senate chamber |first=Kelly |last=McLaughlin |work=Business Insider |date=January 11, 2021 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-police-officer-eugene-goodman-hailed-hero-riot-2021-1 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111205125/https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-police-officer-eugene-goodman-hailed-hero-riot-2021-1 |url-status=live}} Bobic's footage of Goodman went viral on the internet, receiving more than 10 million views.{{#invoke:cite web||title=He went viral for saving the Senate, but Army vet Eugene Goodman 'was a hero long before'|website=Daily Kos|first=Aysha|last=Qamar|date=January 14, 2021|url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/1/14/2009189/-He-went-viral-for-saving-the-Senate-but-Army-vet-Eugene-Goodman-was-a-hero-long-before|access-date=January 14, 2021|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114234611/https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/1/14/2009189/-He-went-viral-for-saving-the-Senate-but-Army-vet-Eugene-Goodman-was-a-hero-long-before|url-status=live}} A second video of Goodman's confrontation with the crowd was published by ProPublica on January 15.{{#invoke:cite web||title='Where They Countin' the Votes?!': New Video Details Tense Moments as Capitol Mob Sought Out Lawmakers |website=ProPublica |first=Jack |last=Gillum |date=January 15, 2021 |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/capitol-eugene-goodman|access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116161701/https://www.propublica.org/article/capitol-eugene-goodman |url-status=live }} Goodman was later awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Rachel and Alexandra Hutzler |date=January 6, 2023 |title=Biden, lawmakers honor officers who defended Capitol on Jan. 6 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lawmakers-biden-honoring-officers-defended-capitol-jan-6/story?id=96237709 |access-date=January 7, 2024 |website=ABC News |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107091214/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lawmakers-biden-honoring-officers-defended-capitol-jan-6/story?id=96237709 |url-status=live }}

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| width = 220

| image1 = US Senate goes into recess after protestors breach the Capitol.webm

| caption1 = C-SPAN broadcast of the Senate going into recess after Capitol is breached

| image2 = Mike Pence being evacuated from U.S. Capitol.webm

| caption2 = Surveillance video of Mike Pence being evacuated from the Capitol

| image3 = 2020 presidential election US electoral college certificates.jpg

| caption3 = Congressional staffers removed the Electoral College certificates from the Senate floor as it was evacuated

| alt3 = A table with brown boxes.

}}

At 2:13, the Senate recessed,{{cite web|title=Recess Subject to the Call of the Chair; Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 4, S18|url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-167/issue-4/senate-section/article/S18-1|access-date=November 15, 2024|archive-date=April 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420155016/https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-167/issue-4/senate-section/article/S18-1|url-status=live}} and the doors were locked. A minute later, the rioters reached the doors to the gallery above the chamber.{{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Sen. Lankford interrupted while speaking before Senate as rioters enter Capitol |work=Tulsa World |url=https://tulsaworld.com/video/news/sen-lankford-interrupted-while-speaking-before-senate-as-protesters-enter-capitol/video_46aad766-0726-5c89-92af-1a56739bfba5.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112043043/https://tulsaworld.com/video/news/sen-lankford-interrupted-while-speaking-before-senate-as-protesters-enter-capitol/video_46aad766-0726-5c89-92af-1a56739bfba5.html |archive-date=2021-01-12}} Banging could be heard from outside as rioters attempted to break through the doors. Meanwhile, in the House chamber, Speaker Pelosi was escorted out of the chamber.{{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Watch the moment House floor forced into recess as protesters enter Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/watch-the-moment-house-floor-forced-into-recess-as-protesters-enter-capitol/2021/01/06/5bc75687-a0e8-4954-9b50-28065f67dc59_video.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119205214/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/watch-the-moment-house-floor-forced-into-recess-as-protesters-enter-capitol/2021/01/06/5bc75687-a0e8-4954-9b50-28065f67dc59_video.html |archive-date=January 19, 2021}}

A police officer carrying a semi-automatic weapon appeared on the floor and stood between then–Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and then–Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Michael |last2=Mishanec |first2=Nora |last3=Li |first3=Roland |last4=Fracassa |first4=Dominic |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Live updates: Twitter says users discussing second attack on U.S. Capitol on Jan. 17 |work=Laredo Morning Times |url=https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/Live-updates-U-S-Capitol-on-lockdown-as-Trump-15850771.php |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108185502/https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/Live-updates-U-S-Capitol-on-lockdown-as-Trump-15850771.php |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} Senator Mitt Romney exasperatedly threw up his hands and directly criticized fellow Republicans challenging Biden's electoral votes, yelling to them, "This is what you've gotten, guys".{{cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Schaff |first2=Erin |last3=Cochrane |first3=Emily |date=January 7, 2021 |title='Senate Being Locked Down': Inside a Harrowing Day at the Capitol |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/capitol-lockdown.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112113553/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/capitol-lockdown.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021}} Members of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough's staff carried the boxes of Electoral College votes and documentation out of the chamber to hidden safe rooms within the building.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Harvey|first=Olivia|date=January 7, 2021|title=The Photos of These Women Saving the Ballot Boxes Belong in History Books|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/photos-women-saving-ballot-boxes-152742454.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112130221/https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/photos-women-saving-ballot-boxes-152742454.html|archive-date=January 12, 2021|access-date=January 10, 2021|website=Yahoo Finance}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Pramuk|first=Jacob|date=January 6, 2021|title=Senate salvages Electoral College ballots before rioters break into the chamber|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/electoral-college-ballots-saved-during-capitol-riots.html|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=CNBC|quote=Electoral college ballots rescued from the Senate floor. If our capable floor staff hadn't grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob.|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112064822/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/electoral-college-ballots-saved-during-capitol-riots.html|url-status=live}}

{{quote box

| align = right

| width = 20em

| quote = Due to security threat inside: immediately, move inside your office, take emergency equipment, lock the doors, take shelter.

| source = —Capitol Police alert

}}

At 2:26, Pence's Secret Service detail evacuated him and his family from their hideaway near the Senate downstairs towards a more secure location. After his evacuation, Pence's detail wanted to move him away from the Capitol building, but Pence refused to get in the car. Addressing the agent in charge of his detail, Tim Giebels, Pence said, "I trust you, Tim, but you're not driving the car. If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. I'm not getting in the car".{{cite web |last=Blake |first=Aaron |title=Analysis – A top Democrat ties Pence's 'I'm not getting in the car' to Jan. 6 'coup' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 26, 2022 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/26/pence-car-raskin-comments/ |access-date=October 16, 2022 |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013224115/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/26/pence-car-raskin-comments/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |work=Esquire |first=Charles P. |last=Pierce |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a39814795/mike-pence-january-6-jamie-raskin-secret-service/ |title=Who Was Mike Pence's Secret Service Detail Working for on January 6? |date=April 25, 2022 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-date=August 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831024806/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a39814795/mike-pence-january-6-jamie-raskin-secret-service/ |url-status=live}}

All buildings in the complex were subsequently locked down, with no entry or exit allowed. Capitol staff were asked to shelter in place; those outside were advised to "seek cover".{{#invoke:cite web||date=January 6, 2021|title= Protesters Swarm US Capitol Steps as Congress Counts Electoral Votes|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/president-trumps-supporters-to-protest-in-dc-as-congress-certifies-electoral-college-vote/2530914/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212606/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/president-trumps-supporters-to-protest-in-dc-as-congress-certifies-electoral-college-vote/2530914/|archive-date=January 6, 2021|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=NBC4 Washington}} As the mob roamed the Capitol, lawmakers, aides, and staff took shelter in offices and closets. Aides to Mitch McConnell, barricaded in a room just off a hallway, heard a rioter outside the door "praying loudly", asking for "the evil of Congress [to] be brought to an end". The rioters entered and ransacked the office of the Senate Parliamentarian.{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Seren |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Video of Senate Office Ransacked in Capitol Chaos Viewed Over 5 Million Times |work=Newsweek |url=https://www.newsweek.com/video-senate-office-ransacked-capitol-chaos-viewed-5million-times-1559688 |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020716/https://www.newsweek.com/video-senate-office-ransacked-capitol-chaos-viewed-5million-times-1559688 |archive-date=January 8, 2021}}

With senators still in the chamber, Trump called Senator Tommy Tuberville and told him to do more to block the counting of Biden's electoral votes, but the call had to be cut off when the Senate chamber was evacuated at 2:30.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite news |last=Romboy |first=Dennis |date=January 7, 2021 |title=How President Trump misdialed Utah Sen. Mike Lee while the Capitol was under siege |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/1/7/22218897/donald-trump-mike-lee-misdial-capitol-siege-congress-electoral-insurrection-moore-curtis-stewart |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110010521/https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/1/7/22218897/donald-trump-mike-lee-misdial-capitol-siege-congress-electoral-insurrection-moore-curtis-stewart |archive-date=January 10, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Serfaty |first1=Sunlen |last2=Cole |first2=Devan |last3=Rogers |first3=Alex |date=January 8, 2021 |title=As riot raged at Capitol, Trump tried to call senators to overturn election |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/mike-lee-tommy-tuberville-trump-misdialed-capitol-riot/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110051520/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/mike-lee-tommy-tuberville-trump-misdialed-capitol-riot/index.html |archive-date=January 10, 2021}}{{cite news |last=Kane |first=Paul |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Inside the assault on the Capitol: Evacuating the Senate |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/reporter-senate-evacuated/2021/01/06/3e7d5456-5061-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107021023/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/reporter-senate-evacuated/2021/01/06/3e7d5456-5061-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}}} After evacuation, the mob briefly took control of the chamber, with some armed men carrying plastic handcuffs and others posing with raised fists on the Senate dais Pence had left minutes earlier.{{cite news |last=Kois |first=Dan |date=January 8, 2021 |title=They Were Out for Blood |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/was-there-a-plan-for-hostages-or-killings-at-the-capitol.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108170349/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/was-there-a-plan-for-hostages-or-killings-at-the-capitol.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} Staff and reporters inside the building were taken by secure elevators to the basement and then to a bunker constructed following the attempted attack on the Capitol in 2001. Evacuees were redirected while en route after the bunker was also infiltrated by the mob.

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, Michael C. Stenger, accompanied a group of senators, including Lindsey Graham and Joe Manchin, to a secure location in a Senate office building. Once safe, the lawmakers were "furious" with Stenger; Graham asked him, "How does this happen? How does this happen?" and added that they "[are] not going to be run out by a mob".

File:US v Marroquin - Capitol police officer on the floor points gun during January 6 attack.png officer on the House floor points his sidearm towards an attacker]]

Meanwhile, the House recessed at 2:18.{{cite web|title=Counting Electoral Votes--Joint Session of the House and Senate Held Pursuant to the Provisions of Senate Concurrent Resolution 1; Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 4, H85, Col. 1|url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-167/issue-4/house-section/article/H76-4|access-date=November 15, 2024|archive-date=December 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212141833/https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-167/issue-4/house-section/article/H76-4|url-status=live}} Amid the security concerns, Representative Dean Phillips yelled, "This is because of you!" at his Republican colleagues.{{cite news |last1=Hensley-Clancy |first1=Molly |last2=Nashrulla |first2=Tasneem |last3=Baird |first3=Addy |last4=Jamieson |first4=Amber |last5=Namako |first5=Tom |last6=Hall |first6=Ellie |last7=McLeod |first7=Paul |last8=Baer |first8=Stephanie K. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Trump Launched A Deadly Attempted Coup, Encouraging A Mob To Breach The US Capitol Building Because He Lost The Presidential Election |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/trump-dc-maga-election-protests-capitol |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107211007/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/trump-dc-maga-election-protests-capitol |archive-date=January 7, 2021}} At this same time, according to her book, Oath and Honor, "[t]he C-SPAN cameras captured [Representative Cheney] as [she] pointed at [Representative Jason Smith] and said 'You did this.' [She] was angry. 'You did this.{{'"}}{{Cite book |last=Cheney |first=Liz |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/on1377423118 |title=Oath and honor: a memoir and a warning |date=2023 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |isbn=978-0-316-57206-4 |edition=First |location=New York |oclc=on1377423118}} The House resumed debate at 2:26. After Gosar finished, the House again went into recess at 2:29 after rioters entered the House wing and were attempting to enter the Speaker's Lobby just outside the chamber. Lawmakers were still inside and being evacuated, with Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, and a few others taken to a secure location.{{cite web |last1=Caygle |first1=Heather |last2=Ferris |first2=Sarah |date=January 12, 2021 |title=Inside Pelosi's push to impeach Trump: This time it's personal |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/12/nancy-pelosi-trump-impeachment-personal-riots-457779 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112105912/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/12/nancy-pelosi-trump-impeachment-personal-riots-457779 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Politico}} With violence breaking out, Capitol security advised members of Congress to take cover.{{cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Cochrane |first2=Emily |last3=Sullivan |first3=Eileen |last4=Thrush |first4=Glenn |last5=Kanno-Youngs |first5=Zolan |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Pence and lawmakers evacuated as protesters storm the Capitol, halting Congress's counting of electoral votes. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106201215/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/electoral-vote |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} Members of Congress inside the House chamber were told to don gas masks as law enforcement began using tear gas within the building.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite news |last1=Kanno-Youngs |first1=Zolan |last2=Tavernise |first2=Sabrina |last3=Cochrane |first3=Emily |date=January 7, 2021 |title=As House Was Breached, a Fear 'We'd Have to Fight' to Get Out |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-breach-trump-protests.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107065257/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-breach-trump-protests.html |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}{{cite news |title=Violent pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-us-2020-55558355 |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106232353/https://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-us-2020-55558355 |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last=Chowdhury |first=Maureen |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Lawmaker says staff were able to remove electoral ballots before rioters breached Senate floor |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_54d83f1c965ed437e20ebda36839bd14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106230313/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_54d83f1c965ed437e20ebda36839bd14 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2024 }}}}

ABC News reported that shots were fired within the Capitol.{{#invoke:cite web ||last=Berge |first=Clint |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Armed standoff inside US Capitol, shots fired|url=https://wqow.com/2021/01/06/happening-now-armed-standoff-inside-us-capitol-shots-fired/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212531/https://wqow.com/2021/01/06/happening-now-armed-standoff-inside-us-capitol-shots-fired/|archive-date=January 6, 2021|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=WQOW}}{{#invoke:cite web ||last1=Winsor |first1=Morgan |last2=Pereira |first2=Ivan |last3=Mansell |first3=William |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Updates: Capitol breached by protesters, shots reported fired inside |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/capitol-breached-protesters/story?id=75081629 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212039/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/capitol-breached-protesters/story?id=75081629 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=ABC News}} An armed standoff took place at the front door of the chamber of the House of Representatives: as the mob attempted to break in, federal law enforcement officers inside drew their guns and pointed them toward the chamber doors, which were barricaded with furniture.{{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Police draw guns inside the Capitol. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests#police-draw-guns-inside-the-capitol |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106222936/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests/police-draw-guns-inside-the-capitol |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} In a stairway, one officer fired a shot at a man coming toward him.{{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol, with one woman killed and tear gas fired |first1=Rebecca |last1=Tan |first2=Peter |last2=Jamison |first3=Carol D. |last3=Leonnig |first4=Meagan |last4=Flynn |first5=John Woodrow |last5=Cox |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trump-supporters-storm-capitol-dc/2021/01/06/58afc0b8-504b-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106232624/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trump-supporters-storm-capitol-dc/2021/01/06/58afc0b8-504b-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Photographer Erin Schaff said that, from the Capitol Rotunda, she ran upstairs, where rioters grabbed her press badge. Police found her, and because her press pass had been stolen, held her at gunpoint before colleagues intervened.

The chief of staff for Representative Ayanna Pressley claimed that when the congresswoman and staff barricaded themselves in her office and attempted to call for help with duress buttons that they had previously used during safety drills, "[e]very panic button in my office had been torn out{{snd}}the whole unit".{{cite news |last1=Ulloa |first1=Jasmine |last2=Annear |first2=Steve |date=January 12, 2021 |title='It was like looking at evil': The Capitol attack through the eyes of the Massachusetts delegation |work=The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/13/nation/it-was-like-looking-evil-capitol-attack-through-eyes-massachusetts-delegation/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173614/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/13/nation/it-was-like-looking-evil-capitol-attack-through-eyes-massachusetts-delegation/ |archive-date=January 15, 2021}} Subsequently, a Democratic aide to the House Administration Committee emailed Greg Sargent of The Washington Post claiming the missing buttons were likely due to a "clerical screw-up" resulting from Pressley's swapping offices.{{cite news |last=Sargent |first=Greg |date=February 8, 2021 |title=One mystery involving the insurrection may be close to getting solved |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/08/one-mystery-involving-insurrection-may-be-close-getting-solved/ |access-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212124322/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/08/one-mystery-involving-insurrection-may-be-close-getting-solved/ |url-status=live}} Representative Jamaal Bowman tweeted that there were no duress buttons in his office, but acknowledged he was only three days into his term and that the buttons were installed a week later.{{cite news |last=Kavi |first=Aishvarya |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Lawmakers recount feeling unsafe because of colleagues' behavior during Capitol siege |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/lawmakers-capitol-aoc-boebert.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115135313/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/lawmakers-capitol-aoc-boebert.html |archive-date=January 15, 2021}}

Multiple rioters, using the cameras on their cell phones, documented themselves occupying the Capitol and the offices of various representatives,Multiple sources:

• {{#invoke:cite web ||last=Chung |first=Gabrielle |date=January 6, 2021|title=Nancy Pelosi's Office Occupied by Pro-Trump Rioters amid Chaos at U.S. Capitol|url=https://people.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-office-occupied-by-pro-trump-rioters-amid-chaos-at-us-capitol/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107212531/https://people.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-office-occupied-by-pro-trump-rioters-amid-chaos-at-us-capitol/|archive-date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=People}}
• {{#invoke:cite web ||last=Lee|first=Timothy B.|date=January 6, 2021|title=Pro-Trump reporter gloats over access to fleeing Hill staffer's computer|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/pro-trump-reporter-gloats-over-access-to-fleeing-hill-staffers-computer/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108005509/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/pro-trump-reporter-gloats-over-access-to-fleeing-hill-staffers-computer/ |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Ars Technica}}
• {{#invoke:cite web ||title=Arkansas man admits to storming Capitol, sitting at Nancy Pelosi's desk |url=https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-man-storms-capitol-pelosi/91-41abde60-a390-4a9e-b5f3-d80b0b96141e|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107023041/https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-man-storms-capitol-pelosi/91-41abde60-a390-4a9e-b5f3-d80b0b96141e |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=thv11.com |date=January 7, 2021}} vandalizing the offices of Speaker Pelosi,{{cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |last3=Schmidt |first3=Michael S. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Live Updates: Pro-Trump Mob Breaches Capitol, Halting Vote Certification |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106202204/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Schaff |first1=Erin |last2=Tavernise |first2=Sabrina |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Marauding protesters vandalize Speaker Pelosi's office. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/marauding-protesters-vandalize-speaker-pelosis-office.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106210311/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/marauding-protesters-vandalize-speaker-pelosis-office.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021}} accessing secure computers, and stealing a laptop.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Brewster |first=Thomas |title=Capitol Hill Mob Accessed Congressional Computers – 'Consider Them All Compromised' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-mob-accessed-congressional-computers---consider-them-all-compromised/ |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111130146/https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-mob-accessed-congressional-computers---consider-them-all-compromised/ |date=January 7, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |website=Forbes}}

File:Oath Keepers Stack Formation during January 6 attack.png march in stack formation up the east steps of the Capitol on their way to breaching the Rotunda]]

Shortly after 2:00, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes arrived on the restricted Capitol grounds. At 2:30, a team of Oath Keepers ("Stack One", which included Meggs, Harrelson, Watkins, Hackett, and Moerschel), clad in paramilitary clothing, marched in a stack formation up the east steps of the Capitol to join the mob already besieging the Capitol. At 2:38, those doors to the Capitol Rotunda were breached, and "Stack One" entered the building alongside other attackers. A second group ("Stack Two") entered the Capitol through those same doors at 3:15. Throughout the attack, Oath Keepers maintained a "Quick reaction Force" ready to deliver an arsenal to the group if called upon.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/15/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-sedition/ |date=15 January 2022 |title=We're training our own insurrectionists: Extremists like the Oath Keepers use their military skills to advance their plots |first=Clint |last=Watts |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226192723/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/15/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-sedition/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2022/01/13/founder-oath-keepers-charged-seditious-conspiracy/6514514001/ |title=Seditious conspiracy: 11 Oath Keepers charged in Jan. 6 riot |access-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904232953/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2022/01/13/founder-oath-keepers-charged-seditious-conspiracy/6514514001/ |work=Detroit News |first1=Michael |last1=Balsamo |first2=Colleen |last2=Long |first3=Alanna Durkin |last3=Richer |agency=Associated Press |url-status=live}}

Meanwhile, also at 2:38, Proud Boy founder Enrique Tarrio made a public social media post writing, "Don't fucking leave". In response to a member who asked "Are we a militia yet?", Tarrio replied, "Yep... Make no mistake... We did this..."

{{main|Killing of Ashli Babbitt}}

{{External media

|headerimage=200px

|caption=After Zachary Jordan Alam (circled in red, bottom right) smashed the window with his helmet, Ashli Babbitt (circled in red, top left) attempted to breach the Speaker's Lobby by climbing through a window toward the fleeing congress

|video1=[https://archive.org/details/nYiFQbNc65jwFYCWY?start=1993 Footage] of attempted breach of the Speaker's Lobby and subsequent shooting of Babbitt.

}}

At 2:44{{nbsp}}p.m., law enforcement near the House Chamber was trying to "defend two fronts", and "a lot of members [of Congress] and staff that were in danger at the time".{{cite web |date=April 10, 2021 |title='Clear the Capitol', Pence pleaded, timeline of riot shows |url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-army-racial-injustice-riots-only-on-ap-480e95d9d075a0a946e837c3156cdcb9 |first1=Lisa |last1=Mascaro |first2=Ben |last2=Fox |first3=Lolita C. |last3=Baldor |access-date=April 10, 2021 |website=Associated Press |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112074813/https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-army-racial-injustice-riots-only-on-ap-480e95d9d075a0a946e837c3156cdcb9 |url-status=live}} While some lawmakers remained trapped in the House gallery,{{#invoke:cite web||date=January 5, 2022 |first=Connie |last=Schultz |title='We Were Trapped': Trauma of Jan. 6 Lingers for Lawmakers |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-01-05/we-were-trapped-trauma-of-jan-6-lingers-for-lawmakers |agency=Associated Press |access-date=March 20, 2022 |website=U.S. News & World Report |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320173207/https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-01-05/we-were-trapped-trauma-of-jan-6-lingers-for-lawmakers |url-status=live }} House members and staff from the floor were being evacuated by Capitol Police, protected from the attackers by a barricaded door with glass windows.

As lawmakers evacuated, an attacker smashed a glass window beside the barricaded door.{{cite news |first1=Evan |last1=Perez |first2=Katelyn |last2=Polantz |first3=Paul |last3=LeBlanc |title=Investigators recommend no charges for US Capitol Police officer accused of killing pro-Trump rioter during insurrection, sources say |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/politics/us-capitol-police-shooting-insurrection/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113181024/https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/politics/us-capitol-police-shooting-insurrection/index.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |first=Don |last=Parker |url=https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-area-man-indicted-he-was-standing-next-to-ashli-babbitt-when-she-was-shot-in-capitol |title=DC-area man indicted. He was standing next to Ashli Babbitt when she was shot in Capitol. |publisher=WJLA-TV |date=March 11, 2021 |access-date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103194543/https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-area-man-indicted-he-was-standing-next-to-ashli-babbitt-when-she-was-shot-in-capitol |url-status=live}} Lieutenant Michael Byrd aimed his weapon, prompting attackers to repeatedly warn "he's got a gun".{{#invoke:cite web||last=King |first=Ledyard |title=Harrowing new footage shows how close the mob got to Pence, Congress and staff during Jan. 6 assault |date=February 10, 2021 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/10/trump-impeachment-trial-capitol-mob-videos-show-violence-jan-6/6712324002/ |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=USA Today |language=en-US |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925133400/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/10/trump-impeachment-trial-capitol-mob-videos-show-violence-jan-6/6712324002/ |url-status=live }} Police and Secret Service warned "Get back! Get down! Get out of the way!".{{cite AV media |date=January 7, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCuIxBzylyo |title='It could have been me but she went in first' {{!}} Pro-Trump rioter saw woman shot in Capitol |publisher=WUSA9 |via=YouTube |access-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208081910/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCuIxBzylyo |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |url-status=live}} 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, wearing a Trump flag as a cape, began to climb through the shattered window, prompting Lt. Byrd to fire a single shot, hitting the attacker in the shoulder.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Adams |first=Cheryle |date=April 7, 2021 |title=Medical examiner's statement |url=https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/JW-v-DC-Babbitt-July-2021-records-001710-pgs-667-668.pdf |access-date=January 29, 2023 |website=Judicial Watch |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321153222/https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/JW-v-DC-Babbitt-July-2021-records-001710-pgs-667-668.pdf |url-status=live }}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/report-capitol-police-officer-who-fatally-shot-ashli-babbitt-formally-exonerated|title=Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt formally exonerated|date=August 20, 2021|website=FOX 5 DC|access-date=September 5, 2023|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128082752/https://www.fox5dc.com/news/report-capitol-police-officer-who-fatally-shot-ashli-babbitt-formally-exonerated|url-status=live}}

Mob members immediately began to leave the scene, making room for a Capitol Police emergency response team to administer aid. Babbitt had entered the Capitol building through the breach on the upper west terrace.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/01/08/the-journey-of-ashli-babbitt/ |work=Bellingcat |title=The Journey of Ashli Babbitt |date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108085746/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/01/08/the-journey-of-ashli-babbitt/ |url-status=live }} She was evacuated to Washington Hospital Center where she later died of her injury. The shooting was recorded on cameras, and footage was circulated.{{cite news |last1=Wagner |first1=Dennis |last2=Daniels |first2=Melissa |last3=Hauck |first3=Grace |date=January 7, 2021 |title=California woman killed during Capitol riot was a military veteran and staunch Trump supporter |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/07/dc-riots-ashli-babbitt-killed-capitol-attack-military-veteran/6577488002/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173623/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/07/dc-riots-ashli-babbitt-killed-capitol-attack-military-veteran/6577488002/ |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |quote="she had been a staunch Trump supporter" "Babbitt served in the Air Force under the married name of Ashli Elizabeth McEntee." }}

File:Screenshot of Officer Daniel Hodges crushed during Jan 6 attack.png crushed in doorway of the Tunnel, {{Circa|3:15}}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1534756/download |title=Case 1:21-cr-00040-TNM: Document 102: Fourth Superseding Indictment |work=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |access-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-date=June 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627085743/https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1534756/download |url-status=live }}]]

Around 3:15, MPD officer Daniel Hodges was crushed in a door while defending the Capitol tunnel from attackers. One of his attackers was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.{{#invoke:cite web ||url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/selfless-connecticut-man-who-crushed-officer-in-doorframe-asks-for-lenient-sentence-patrick-mccaughey-daniel-hodges-ridgefield-capitol-riot-jan-6/65-e8e34355-3b0d-4bea-9ec8-80f5f9042120 |work=WUSA9 |title='Selfless' Connecticut man who crushed officer in doorframe sentenced to 7.5 years in prison |date=April 13, 2023 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |first=Jordan |last=Fischer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906100300/https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/selfless-connecticut-man-who-crushed-officer-in-doorframe-asks-for-lenient-sentence-patrick-mccaughey-daniel-hodges-ridgefield-capitol-riot-jan-6/65-e8e34355-3b0d-4bea-9ec8-80f5f9042120 |url-status=live }}

At 3:21, MPD officer Michael Fanone was pulled into the mob and assaulted—dragged down the Capitol steps, beaten with pipes, stunned with a Taser, sprayed with chemical irritants, and threatened with his own sidearm.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Boboltz |first=Sara |date=2022-10-27 |title=Jan. 6 Rioter Who Grabbed Mike Fanone And Screamed 'I Got One' Gets 7.5 Years |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/albuquerque-head-mike-fanone-sentenced_n_635ace0fe4b04dfacf7dfe1b |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501081822/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/albuquerque-head-mike-fanone-sentenced_n_635ace0fe4b04dfacf7dfe1b |url-status=live }} Fanone was carried unconscious back into the tunnel.{{#invoke:cite web||date=October 14, 2022 |title=Videos show Pelosi's reaction during the January 6 Capitol riot (1:58–2:07) |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/videos-show-pelosi-s-reaction-during-the-january-6-capitol-riot-150584901541 |access-date=October 14, 2022 |website=MSNBC.com |language=en |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014003143/https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/videos-show-pelosi-s-reaction-during-the-january-6-capitol-riot-150584901541 |url-status=live }} He suffered burns, a heart attack, traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.{{cite news |last=Hermann |first=Peter |date=December 20, 2021 |title=Fanone resigns from D.C. police force 11 months after battling rioters at Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/20/fanone-resigns-police-capitol-riot/ |access-date=December 21, 2021 |quote=Michael Fanone, the D.C. police officer who was dragged into a mob and beaten during the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol and later publicly excoriated lawmakers and others who downplayed the attack, said he submitted his resignation from the force Monday. |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220233014/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/20/fanone-resigns-police-capitol-riot/ |url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Polantz|first1=Katelyn|last2=Lybrand|first2=Holmes|last3=Rabinowitz|first3=Hannah|date=December 1, 2021|title=Capitol rioter describes his assault of police officer|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/01/politics/capitol-rioter-assault-michael-fanone/index.html|access-date=December 21, 2021|website=CNN|quote='This is not how we back the blue. And I tased one of them,' Rodriguez said in the interview. When asked what he would tell Fanone now, Rodriguez sobbed, then muttered, with his head down: 'I'm sorry he had to go through that. It's not right that he had to suffer like that. And it puts fear in him and worrying about his life. He was scared for his own life and thought about having to kill us. And he was willing to die because of his beliefs, too.'|archive-date=December 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221160121/https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/01/politics/capitol-rioter-assault-michael-fanone/index.html|url-status=live}} One of the men who attacked Fanone with a stun gun was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Lybrand |first=Holmes |date=2023-06-21 |title=Man who used a stun gun to attack Michael Fanone on January 6 sentenced to over 12 years in prison |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/politics/michael-fanone-daniel-rodriguez-january-6-sentenced/index.html |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628193252/https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/politics/michael-fanone-daniel-rodriguez-january-6-sentenced/index.html |url-status=live }}

By 3:39{{nbsp}}p.m., fully-equipped riot officers from Virginia had arrived at the Capitol and began defending the tunnel, using flashbang munitions to clear the area of attackers.

File:2021 storming of the United States Capitol 15.jpg

A combined force of Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police began a joint operation to clear the Capitol. By 2:49, the Crypt was cleared, and the mob outside the Speaker's Lobby was cleared by 2:57. At 3:25, law enforcement, including a line of MPD officers in full riot gear, proceeded to clear the Rotunda; and by 3:40, rioters had mostly been pushed out onto West Plaza.{{rp|ch 8}}

At 4:22 p.m., Trump issued a video message to supporters on social media, finally telling them to "go home". At 5:08, Army senior leaders relayed to Major General Walker the secretary of defense's permission to deploy the DC National Guard to the Capitol; The first contingent of 155 Guard members, dressed in riot gear, began arriving at the Capitol at 5:20. By 6 p.m., the building was cleared of rioters, and bomb squads swept the Capitol.

At 8:06 p.m., Pence called the Senate back into session, and at 9:02, Pelosi did the same in the House. Biden's victory was confirmed by Pence shortly before 03:40 a.m. on January 7, and the joint session was dissolved at 03:44.

{{further|Domestic reactions to the January 6 United States Capitol attack#President Trump}}

{{see also|False or misleading statements by Donald Trump#January 6 attack}}

File:Trump remarks on Capitol storming, January 6 2021 0417PM EST.webm

Trump was in the West Wing of the White House at the time of the attack.{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Ashley |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |last3=Rucker |first3=Philip |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump's failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mob-failure/2021/01/11/36a46e2e-542e-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112013022/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mob-failure/2021/01/11/36a46e2e-542e-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |url-status=live}} He was "initially pleased" and refused to intercede when his supporters breached the Capitol.{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Capitol Attack Leads Democrats to Demand That Trump Leave Office |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/trump-leave-office-resignation.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108030056/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/trump-leave-office-resignation.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} Staffers reported that Trump had been "impossible to talk to throughout the day".{{cite news |last=Acosta |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Acosta |date=January 6, 2021 |title=The Presidential Election Congress Counts the Vote |url=https://archive.org/details/CNNW_20210106_200000_The_Presidential_Election_Congress_Counts_the_Vote/start/13560/end/13620 |access-date=January 27, 2021 |work=CNN |issue= |agency=Internet Archive}} Concerned that Trump may have committed treason through his actions, White House counsel Pat Cipollone reportedly advised administration officials to avoid contact with Trump and ignore any illegal orders that could further incite the attack, in order to limit their prosecutorial liability under the Sedition Act of 1918.{{cite news |last=Sherman |first=Gabriel |author-link=Gabriel Sherman |date=January 7, 2021 |title='They're Being Told to Stay Away from Trump': After a Day of Violence and 25th Amendment Chatter, Trump's Allies are Jumping Ship |work=Vanity Fair |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/after-a-day-of-violence-and-25th-amendment-chatter-trumps-allies-jumping-ship |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109133440/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/after-a-day-of-violence-and-25th-amendment-chatter-trumps-allies-jumping-ship |archive-date=January 9, 2021}}

Shortly after 2:00 p.m. EST, as the attack was ongoing and after senators had been evacuated, Trump placed calls to Republican senators (first Mike Lee of Utah, then Tommy Tuberville of Alabama), asking them to make more objections to the counting of the electoral votes. Pence was evacuated by the Secret Service from the Senate chamber around 2:13.{{Cite tweet |number=1360652431605039115 |user=hugolowell |title=Sen. Lee call record clearly shows, per source, that Trump called at 2:46p – after Pence had been evacuated at 2:15p – and must have known that his VP was in danger before he tweeted attack at Pence. |author-link=Hugo Lowell |date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213181010/https://twitter.com/hugolowell/status/1360652431605039115 |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |access-date=5 January 2024 |last=Lowell |first=Hugo}} At 2:47 p.m., as Trump's supporters violently clashed with police at the Capitol, Trump's account tweeted, "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!";{{cite news |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Associated Press Timeline of events at the Capitol, 4 dead |website=WWSB |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/01/06/associated-press-timeline-events-capitol/ |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020626/https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/01/06/associated-press-timeline-events-capitol/ |url-status=live}} The Washington Post later reported that Trump did not want to include the words "stay peaceful". It later emerged that this message was sent by Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/special-counsel-probe-uncovers-new-details-trumps-inaction/story?id=106131854 |title=Special counsel probe uncovers new details about Trump's inaction on Jan. 6: Sources |website=ABC News |date=7 January 2024 |first1=Katherine |last1=Faulders |first2=Mike |last2=Levine |first3=Alexander |last3=Mallin |first4=Will |last4=Steakin |access-date=9 January 2024 |archive-date=January 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109062058/https://abcnews.go.com/US/special-counsel-probe-uncovers-new-details-trumps-inaction/story?id=106131854 |url-status=live }}

During the attack, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows received messages from Donald Trump Jr., as well as Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Brian Kilmeade, urging him to tell Trump to condemn the mayhem, or risk destroying his legacy.{{cite web |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |date=December 13, 2021 |title=Jan. 6 panel recommends contempt for Meadows, reveals panicked texts from Trump Jr., Fox hosts over riot |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/jan-6-panel-votes-for-house-to-hold-trump-aide-mark-meadows-in-contempt.html |access-date=December 14, 2021 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214024727/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/jan-6-panel-votes-for-house-to-hold-trump-aide-mark-meadows-in-contempt.html |url-status=live}} By 3:10, pressure was building on Trump to condemn supporters engaged in the attack. By 3:25, Trump tweeted, "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order{{snd}}respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue", but he refused to call upon the crowd to disperse. By 3:40, several congressional Republicans called upon Trump to more specifically condemn violence and to tell his supporters to end the occupation of the Capitol.{{cite news |first1=Alexandra |last1=Jaffe |first2=Kevin |last2=Freking |agency=Associated Press |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Amid violence, Trump says, 'Remember this day forever!' |url=https://www.kcbd.com/2021/01/06/trump-tells-backers-go-home-after-capitol-stormed/ |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=KCBD |language=en-US |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202162443/https://www.kcbd.com/2021/01/06/trump-tells-backers-go-home-after-capitol-stormed/ |url-status=dead}}{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Gangel|first1=Jamie|last2=Liptak|first2=Kevin|last3=Warren|first3=Michael|last4=Cohen|first4=Marshall|date=February 12, 2021|title=New details about Trump-McCarthy shouting match show Trump refused to call off the rioters|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/politics/trump-mccarthy-shouting-match-details/index.html|access-date=February 13, 2021|website=CNN}}

At some point on January 6, Trump formally withdrew his nomination of acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf, transmitting his withdrawal to the Senate.Multiple sources:

• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/22|title=PN22 – Chad F. Wolf – Department of Homeland Security|website=U.S. Congress|date=January 6, 2021|access-date=2021-01-07}}
• {{cite press release |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/three-nominations-one-withdrawal-sent-senate-010721/ |title=Three Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate |date=2021-01-07 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |access-date=2021-01-07 |archive-date=April 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407053022/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/three-nominations-one-withdrawal-sent-senate-010721/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |first=Oma |last=Seddiq |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-dhs/white-house-withdraws-nomination-of-wolf-to-head-dhs-idUSKBN29C2EG/ |title=White House withdraws nomination of Wolf to head DHS |date=2021-01-08 |website=Reuters |access-date=2021-01-08 |archive-date=April 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404142756/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-dhs/white-house-withdraws-nomination-of-wolf-to-head-dhs-idUSKBN29C2EG/ |url-status=live }}
• {{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.businessinsider.com/acting-dhs-secretary-chad-wolf-urges-trump-to-condemn-violence-2021-1/|title=Trump withdraws nomination for acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf, who had pushed the president to denounce the violence at the Capitol|date=2021-01-08|website=Reuters|access-date=2021-01-08}}

By 3:50 p.m., White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the National Guard and "other federal protective services" had been deployed. At 4:06 p.m. on national television, President-elect Biden called for President Trump to end the attack. At 4:22 p.m., Trump issued a video message on social media that Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube later took down. In it, he repeated his claims of electoral fraud, praised his supporters, and told them to "go home". At 6:25 p.m., Trump tweeted: "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" and then issued a call: "Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!".{{cite news |last1=Gearan |first1=Anne |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Trump issued a call to arms. Then he urged his followers 'to remember this day forever!' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-election-capitol-building/2021/01/06/3e9af194-5031-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210107015645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-election-capitol-building/2021/01/06/3e9af194-5031-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |archive-date=January 7, 2021}} At 7:00, Rudy Giuliani placed a second call to Lee's number and left a voicemail intended for Tuberville, urging him to make more objections to the electoral votes as part of a bid "to try to just slow it down".

During the "Save America" rally, Trump delivered a speech filled with violent imagery while knowing that some of his supporters were armed. He demanded that armed supporters be allowed to enter the rally, and later instructed the crowd to march on the US Capitol. In a December 21, 2021, statement, Trump falsely called the attack a "completely unarmed protest". The Department of Justice said in a January 2022 official statement that over 75 people had been charged, in relation to the attack, with entering a restricted area while armed with "a dangerous or deadly weapon", including some armed with guns, stun guns, knives, batons, baseball bats, axes, and chemical sprays.{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |last2=Cohen |first2=Marshall |title=Fact check: Five enduring lies about the Capitol insurrection |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/fact-check-capitol-insurrection-january-6-lies/index.html |agency=CNN |date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622093422/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/fact-check-capitol-insurrection-january-6-lies/index.html |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |url-status=live}} According to testimony from Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a Secret Service official had warned Trump that protestors were carrying weapons, but Trump wanted the magnetometers used to detect metallic weapons removed so armed supporters could enter the rally.{{cite news |last=Mayorquin |first=Orlando |title=What are 'mags,' and why did ex-Meadows aide bring them up at the Jan. 6 hearings? |website=USA Today |date=June 28, 2022 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/28/magnetometer-mags-definition-trump-january-6/7759067001/ |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826032606/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/28/magnetometer-mags-definition-trump-january-6/7759067001/ |url-status=live }} According to Hutchinson, when warned, Trump said:

{{blockquote|I don't fucking care that they have weapons, they're not here to hurt me. They're not here to hurt me. Take the fucking mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here, let the people in and take the mags away.{{cite news |last=Pengelly |first=Martin |title=Trump knew crowd at rally was armed yet demanded they be allowed to march |newspaper=The Guardian |date=June 28, 2022 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/28/trump-jan-6-rally-guns-capitol-attack |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826032606/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/28/trump-jan-6-rally-guns-capitol-attack |url-status=live }}}}

In June 2022, Cassidy Hutchinson testified that she was told by then-White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato that after Trump got into the presidential SUV following his rally, hoping to drive to the Capitol as his supporters marched there, his lead Secret Service agent Robert Engel told him it was too dangerous and informed him they were returning to the White House. Hutchinson said Ornato told her Trump became irate, attempted to grab the steering wheel of the vehicle, and lunged at Engel's clavicle.{{cite news |last1=Vogt |first1=Adrienne |last2=Hammond |first2=Elise |last3=Sangal |first3=Aditi |last4=Macaya |first4=Melissa |last5=Hayes |first5=Mike |date=June 28, 2022 |title=Jan. 6 committee holds sixth hearing |website=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/january-6-hearings-june-28/index.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810110633/https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/january-6-hearings-june-28/index.html |url-status=live }} She testified Engel was present with Ornato as he related the incident but never contradicted the account.{{cite news |last1=Beitsch |first1=Rebecca |title=Secret Service pledges response to Trump motorcade allegations |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/3541042-secret-service-pledges-response-to-trump-motorcade-allegations/ |work=The Hill |date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=5 January 2024 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715022217/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/3541042-secret-service-pledges-response-to-trump-motorcade-allegations/ |url-status=live }} Three days after Hutchinson's testimony, CNN reported that it had spoken with two Secret Service agents who had heard accounts of the incident from multiple other agents since February 2021, including Trump's driver. Although details differed, agents confirmed there was an angry confrontation, with one agent relating that Trump "tried to lunge over the seat{{snd}}for what reason, nobody had any idea", but no one asserted Trump attacked Engel. A separate Secret Service official told CNN that Engel denied that Trump grabbed at the steering wheel or lunged toward an agent on his detail, and that Ornato denied telling Hutchinson that.{{cite news |title=Accounts of Trump angrily demanding to go to Capitol on January 6 circulated in Secret Service over past year |url=https://us.cnn.com/2022/07/01/politics/secret-service-lunging-incident/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=5 January 2024 |date=July 1, 2022 |first1=Noah |last1=Gray |first2=Zachary |last2=Cohen |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810101401/https://us.cnn.com/2022/07/01/politics/secret-service-lunging-incident/index.html |url-status=live }} The same day, Politico reported that during an early 2022 deposition Engel told the committee that he had kept his full account of the incident from his Secret Service colleagues for at least fourteen months.{{cite news |last1=Cheney |first1=Kyle |title=The Secret Service agent at the center of that anecdote about a fuming Donald Trump didn't tell colleagues about his Jan. 6 experience for at least 14 months, he's testified |url=https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/07-1-2022/trump-engel-jan-6-testimony/ |access-date=5 January 2024 |work=Politico |date=July 1, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810101333/https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/07-1-2022/trump-engel-jan-6-testimony/ |url-status=live }} On July 14, 2022, CNN published a corroborating account by a Metropolitan Police officer in the motorcade, who told of the "heated exchange" Trump had with his Secret Service detail when they refused to take him to the Capitol following his rally on January 6.{{cite news |first1=Jamie |last1=Gangel |first2=Annie |last2=Grayer |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/trump-secret-service-january-6-metropolitan-police-officer/index.html |title=DC police officer in Trump Jan. 6 motorcade corroborates details of heated Secret Service exchange to committee |work=CNN |date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=5 January 2024 |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720114034/https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/trump-secret-service-january-6-metropolitan-police-officer/index.html |url-status=live }}

On January 5, after Vice President Mike Pence refused to participate in the fake electors plot, Trump warned that he would have to publicly criticize him. This prompted Pence's chief of staff to become concerned for Pence's safety and to alert Pence's Secret Service detail to the perceived threat.{{cite news |first=Margaret |last=Brennan |access-date=5 January 2024 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marc-short-alerted-secret-service-pence-risk-before-jan-6/ |title=Pence chief of staff alerted Secret Service of risk to Pence on eve of Jan. 6 |date=June 3, 2022 |website=CBS News |archive-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826042335/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marc-short-alerted-secret-service-pence-risk-before-jan-6/ |url-status=live }} At 3:23{{nbsp}}a.m. on the morning of January 6, QAnon leader Ron Watkins posted a tweet accusing Pence of orchestrating a coup against Trump and linked to a blog post which called for "the immediate arrest of [Pence], for treason".{{Cite episode |title=The Storm |series=Q: Into the Storm |series-link=Q Into the Storm |network=HBO |date=April 4, 2021 |number=6 |last=Hoback |first=Cullen |author-link=Cullen Hoback |time=48:30–50:00}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Gilbert|first=David|date=January 6, 2021|title=QAnon Supporters Are Calling for Violence at Pro-Trump Protests|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdqq7/qanon-supporters-are-calling-for-violence-at-pro-trump-protests|access-date=April 4, 2021|website=Vice|language=en}}{{cite tweet |first=Ron |last=Watkins |user=CodeMonkeyZ |number=1346779489645121536 |title='Rosenstein, together with Pence's knowledge and consent, went on to help engineer the entire coup attempt against President Trump [...] and promote Pence to the Presidency, at which point, Pence would turn around and appoint Rod Rosenstein as VP.' |date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107042732/https://twitter.com/CodeMonkeyZ/status/1346779489645121536 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=5 January 2024}}

At 2:24, while Pence was in hiding in the Capitol, Trump tweeted that Pence "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done".{{cite news |last=Evon |first=Dan |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Was 'Hang Mike Pence' Chanted at Capitol Riot? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hang-mike-pence-chant-capitol-riot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216132059/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hang-mike-pence-chant-capitol-riot/ |archive-date=February 16, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2021 |website=Snopes}} Trump followers on far-right social media called for Pence to be hunted down, and the mob began chanting, "Where is Pence?" and "Find Mike Pence!"Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last=Frenkel |first=Sheera |date=January 8, 2021 |title=The storming of Capitol Hill was organized on social media. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106220539/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |archive-date=January 6, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Marc |last2=Flynn |first2=Meagan |last3=Contrera |first3=Jessica |last4=Leonnig |first4=Carol D. |date=January 8, 2021 |title=The four-hour insurrection |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113010357/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/ |archive-date=January 13, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Barbaro |first=Michael |date=January 8, 2021 |title=How They Stormed Congress |work=The Daily (New York Times podcast) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/podcasts/the-daily/capitol-mob-police-social-media.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109162325/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/podcasts/the-daily/capitol-mob-police-social-media.html |archive-date=January 9, 2021}} Outside, the mob chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!", which some crowds continued to chant as they stormed the Capitol;{{cite news |last=Colvin |first=Jill |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Hurt feelings, anger linger after Pence, Trump clash |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/hurt-feelings-anger-linger-pence-trump-clash-75127167 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108174022/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/hurt-feelings-anger-linger-pence-trump-clash-75127167 |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} at least three rioters were overheard by a reporter as saying that they wanted to find Pence and execute him as a "traitor" by hanging him from a tree outside the building.{{cite news |last=Sheth |first=Sonam |date=January 8, 2021 |title=A Reuters photographer says he overheard pro-Trump insurrectionists saying they wanted to hang Mike Pence at the Capitol |work=Business Insider |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reuters-photographer-says-pro-trump-rioters-wanted-to-hang-pence-2021-1 |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108204207/https://www.businessinsider.com/reuters-photographer-says-pro-trump-rioters-wanted-to-hang-pence-2021-1 |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} One official recalled that: "The members of the [Vice President's Secret Service detail] at this time were starting to fear for their own lives... they're screaming and saying things like 'say goodbye to the family'".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Bobic |first=Igor |date=2022-07-22 |title=Mike Pence's Security Detail Feared For Their Lives During January 6 Capitol Riot |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/january-6-mike-pence-secret-service_n_62d9f860e4b03dbb9916f641 |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=HuffPost|language=en}} Alerted by a staffer to the threat against Pence, Trump reportedly replied "So what?".{{cite news | first1=Graig| last1=Graziosi| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-reaction-mike-pence-danger-capitol-riot-b2623005.html | title='So what': Trump's alleged reaction to news that Mike Pence was in danger on Jan 6 | website=Independent.co.uk | date=October 3, 2024| access-date=8 February 2025 }} According to witnesses, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told coworkers that Trump complained about Pence being escorted to safety and then stated something suggesting that Pence should be hanged.{{cite news |last1=Haberman |first1=Maggie |last2=Broadwater |first2=Luke |date=May 25, 2022 |title=Trump Said to Have Reacted Approvingly to Jan. 6 Chants About Hanging Pence |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/us/politics/trump-pence-jan-6.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525172027/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/us/politics/trump-pence-jan-6.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |quote=... told colleagues that President Donald J. Trump was complaining that the vice president was being whisked to safety. Mr. Meadows, according to an account provided to the House committee investigating Jan. 6, then told the colleagues that Mr. Trump had said something to the effect of, maybe Mr. Pence should be hanged. ... Another witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mr. Meadows who was present in his office when he recounted Mr. Trump's remarks, was asked by the committee about the account and confirmed it, according to the people familiar with the panel's work.}}{{cite news |last1=Alemany |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |title=Jan. 6 panel is told that Trump indicated support for hanging Pence during insurrection |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/25/jan-6-panel-is-told-that-trump-indicated-support-hanging-pence-during-insurrection/ |date=May 25, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=May 26, 2022}} Pence later argued that Trump's "reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day".{{cite news |first=Bethany |last=Dawson |date=March 12, 2023 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-pence-scorches-trump-endangered-my-family-january-6-riots-2023-3 |title=Former VP Mike Pence accuses 'reckless' Donald Trump of endangering his family during the January 6 riots |website=Business Insider |access-date=8 January 2024 }}

On April 3, 2025, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced Pence as the recipient of the JFK Profile in Courage Award "for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021".{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Jonathan J. |title=Pence will get the Profile in Courage Award from JFK Library Foundation for his actions on Jan. 6 |url=https://apnews.com/article/mike-pence-profile-courage-award-jfk-3b6b54ca2738575c2777a4b9ec4d7f1f |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=Associated Press |date=April 3, 2025}}

In a televised January 6 Attack congressional hearing on June 9, 2022, congresspersons Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney stated that Trump did nothing to stop the attack despite numerous urgent requests that he intervene. They described Trump's inaction as a "dereliction of duty".{{cite news |last=Gangel |first=Jamie |title=January 6 committee has 'firsthand' knowledge of Trump's behavior during the riot from multiple sources |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/politics/january-6-committee-firsthand-knowledge-trump-actions/index.html |date=January 3, 2022 |work=CNN News |access-date=January 3, 2022}} Cheney said that Trump had attempted to overturn a free and fair democratic election by promoting a seven-part conspiracy.{{cite news |last=Broadwater |first=Luke |title='Trump Was at the Center': Jan. 6 Hearing Lays Out Case in Vivid Detail |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/trump-jan-6-hearings.html |date=June 9, 2022 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 10, 2022}}{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Peter |title=Trump Is Depicted as a Would-Be Autocrat Seeking to Hang Onto Power at All Costs – As the Jan. 6 committee outlined during its prime-time hearing, Donald J. Trump executed a seven-part conspiracy to overturn a free and fair democratic election. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/trump-jan-6-hearing.html |date=June 9, 2022 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 10, 2022}} According to Representative Thompson, "Jan. 6 was the culmination of an attempted coup, a brazen attempt, as one rioter put it shortly after Jan. 6, to overthrow the government... The violence was no accident. It represents Trump's last stand, most desperate chance to halt the transfer of power". Trump, according to the committee, "lied to the American people, ignored all evidence refuting his false fraud claims, pressured state and federal officials to throw out election results favoring his challenger, encouraged a violent mob to storm the Capitol and even signaled support for the execution of his own vice president".

After the June 9 hearing, Congressman Tom Rice reiterated his long-held view of Trump's conduct, saying, "He watched it happen. He reveled in it. And he took no action to stop it. I think he had a duty to try to stop it, and he failed in that duty".{{cite news |date=June 11, 2022 |title=Trump 'failed in duty' on Jan. 6, 'reveled in' riot, says GOP Rep. Tom Rice |language=en |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-failed-duty-jan-6-reveled-riot-says-gop-rep-tom-rice-1714957 |work=Newsweek |first=Natalie |last=Colarossi |access-date=June 12, 2022}}

{{main|Law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

{{multiple images

| perrow = 2

| total_width = 230px

| image1 = Michael C. Stenger.jpg

| image2 = Paul D. Irving official photo (cropped).jpg

| image3 = Steven Sund.jpg

| footer = On January 6, the Capitol police were led by Michael C. Stenger (top left) the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate, Paul D. Irving (top right) the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives, and Steven Sund (bottom), the Chief of the Capitol Police. All three resigned in the wake of January 6

}}

Capitol Police leadership had not planned for a riot or attack, and on January 6, under "orders from leadership", the force deployed without riot gear, shields, batons, or "less lethal" arms such as sting grenades. Department riot shields had been improperly stored, causing them to shatter upon impact. Hundreds more Capitol Police could have been used, but they were not.

Concerned about the approaching mob, Representative Maxine Waters called Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who was not on the Capitol grounds but at the police department's headquarters. When asked what the Capitol Police were doing to stop the rioters, Sund told Waters, "We're doing the best we can" and then hung up on her. It was not until 2:10{{nbsp}}p.m. that the Capitol Police board granted Chief Sund permission to formally request deployment of the Guard.

In a February 2021 confidence vote organized by the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, the union representing Capitol Police officers, 92 percent voted that they had no confidence in leadership, writing: "Our leaders did not properly plan for the protest nor prepare officers for what they were about to face. This despite the fact they knew days before that the protest had the potential to turn violent. We still have no answers why leadership failed to inform or equip us for what was coming on January 6th".{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-police-officers-give-vote-of-no-confidence-in-leaders/ |url-status=live |title=Capitol Police officers give vote of no confidence in leaders |date=February 16, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |work=CBS News |first=Kathryn |last=Watson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216052037/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-police-officers-give-vote-of-no-confidence-in-leaders/ |archive-date=2021-02-16}}

{{multiple images

| perrow = 2

| total_width = 230px

| image1 = Christopher C. Miller official portrait.jpg

| image2 = Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt (3).jpg

| image3 = Gen. Charles A. Flynn (2).jpg

| image4 = GEN Daniel R. Hokanson.jpg

| footer = Acting-Secretary Christopher Miller (top left), whose appointment had prompted concerns of a right-wing military coup, failed to authorize the National Guard to deploy until after the Capitol had been secured and Trump had called for supporters to "go home". Walter E. Piatt (top right) and Charles Flynn (bottom left) participated in a 2:26 p.m. call denying deployment of the guard, though the military did not admit Flynn's role for weeks after the attack. Daniel R. Hokanson (bottom right) placed calls to ensure the Virginia and Maryland National Guard would not move until given explicit permission by the Pentagon

}}

On January 3, acting defense secretary Miller had been ordered by Trump to "do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators" on January 6. The following day, Miller issued orders which prohibited deploying D.C. Guard members with weapons, helmets, body armor, or riot control agents without his personal approval. Prior to the attack Trump had floated the idea with his staff of deploying 10,000 National Guardsmen, though not to protect the Capitol, but rather "to protect him and his supporters from any supposed threats by left-wing counterprotestors".Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last1=Kelety |first1=Josh |title=Trump did not sign an order to deploy 20,000 troops on Jan. 6 |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-order-national-guard-156055113284 |work=Associated Press |date=October 18, 2022 |access-date=5 January 2024}}
• {{cite news |last1=Lajka |first1=Arijeta |title=Pelosi did not block the National Guard from the Capitol on Jan. 6 |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-235651652542 |work=Associated Press |date=July 23, 2021 |access-date=5 January 2024}}
• {{cite news |last1=Paybarah |first1=Azi |title=Jan. 6 video undermines Trump's repeated efforts to blame Pelosi for Capitol security |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/14/trump-jan-6-pelosi-video/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 14, 2022 |access-date=5 January 2024}}
• {{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=The new Jan. 6 video, and the other baseless GOP claim about Pelosi |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 14, 2022 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/14/republicans-pelosi-jordan-banks/ |access-date=5 January 2024}}
• {{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Glenn |title=Jan. 6 committee yet again debunks Trump claim of 10,000 troops |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/04/jan-6-committee-yet-again-debunks-trump-claim-10000-troops/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 4, 2023 |access-date=5 January 2024}}

At 1:34 p.m., D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser had a telephone call with army secretary Ryan McCarthy in which she requested they deploy the Guard. At 2:10{{nbsp}}p.m., the Capitol Police board granted chief Sund permission to formally request deployment of the Guard.

At 2:26{{nbsp}}p.m., D.C.'s homeland security director Chris Rodriguez coordinated a conference call with Mayor Bowser, the chiefs of the Capitol Police (Sund) and Metropolitan Police (Contee), and D.C. National Guard (DCNG) commander Walker. As the DCNG does not report to a governor, but to the president, Walker patched in the Office of the Secretary of the Army, noting that he would need Pentagon authorization to deploy. Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, director of the Army Staff, noted that the Pentagon needed Capitol Police authorization to step onto Capitol grounds. Metro Police chief Robert Contee asked for clarification from Capitol Police chief Sund: "Steve, are you requesting National Guard assistance at the Capitol?" to which Sund replied, "I am making urgent, urgent, immediate request for National Guard assistance". According to Sund, Piatt stated, "I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background". Sund pleaded with Piatt to send the Guard, but Piatt stated that only Army secretary McCarthy had the authority to approve such a request and he could not recommend that Secretary McCarthy approve the request for assistance directly to the Capitol. The D.C. officials were subsequently described as "flabbergasted" at this message. McCarthy would later state that he was not in this conference call because he was already entering a meeting with senior department leadership.{{cite news |last1=Leonnig |first1=Carol D. |last2=Davis |first2=Aaron C. |last3=Hermann |first3=Peter |last4=Demirjian |first4=Karoun |title=Outgoing Capitol Police chief: House, Senate security officials hamstrung efforts to call in National Guard |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sund-riot-national-guard/2021/01/10/fc2ce7d4-5384-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 11, 2021 |date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113193359/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sund-riot-national-guard/2021/01/10/fc2ce7d4-5384-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |url-status=live}} General Charles A. Flynn, brother of General Michael Flynn, participated in the call.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/2368 |title=PN2368 — Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn — Army |website=U.S. Congress |date=December 20, 2020 |access-date=2020-12-21 }}

By 3:37 p.m., the Pentagon dispatched its own security forces to guard the homes of senior defense leaders, "even though no rioters or criminal attacks are occurring at those locations". Sund later opined, "This demonstrates to me that the Pentagon fully understands the urgency and danger of the situation even as it does nothing to support us on the Hill".

In response to the reluctance expressed by Department of Defense leaders during the 2:26 conference call, D.C. officials contacted the State of Virginia. The Public Safety secretary of Virginia, Brian Moran, dispatched the Virginia State Police to the U.S. Capitol, as permitted by a mutual aid agreement with D.C. At 3:46 p.m., after leaders of the Department of Defense learned that the Virginia National Guard may have mobilized, the head of the National Guard Bureau, General Hokanson, called the Virginia commander to verify that the Virginia Guard would not move without prior permission from the Pentagon. At 3:55, Hokanson made a similar call to the commander of the Maryland National Guard.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.newsweek.com/2021/01/08/exclusive-how-officials-fear-donald-trump-paralyzed-intelligence-agencies-led-capitol-riot-1563221.html |access-date=November 10, 2022 |title=Exclusive: How officials' fear of Donald Trump paralyzed intelligence agencies, led to Capitol riot|first=William M. |last=Arkin |date=January 21, 2021 |website=Newsweek}}

{{pb}}On January 6, Secretary Miller ultimately withheld permission to deploy the National Guard until 4:32 p.m., after assets from Virginia had already entered the district, FBI tactical teams had arrived at the Capitol, and Trump had instructed rioters to "go home".{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/ |title=Propublica Capitol Videos 12:53 |date=January 17, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124233004/https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/ |url-status=live }}{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-oversight-committee-chair-testify-government-unprepared-capitol/story?id=77639074 |date=May 13, 2021 |first1=Beatrice |last1=Peterson |first2=Morgan |last2=Winsor |title=Former acting defense secretary testifies he was trying to avoid another Kent State on Jan. 6|website=ABC News |access-date=January 2, 2024 }} Miller's permission would not actually be relayed to the commander of the National Guard until 5:08.{{cite news |first1=Alexander |last1=Mallin |first2=Beatrice |last2=Peterson |date=March 3, 2021 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lawmakers-grill-officials-jan-timeline-deploying-national-guard/story?id=76226030 |access-date=5 January 2024 |title=Lawmakers grill officials on Jan. 6 timeline for deploying National Guard to Capitol |website=ABC News}} Sund recalls a comment from the DC National Guard commander General Walker who said:

Steve, I felt so bad. I wanted to help you immediately, but I couldn't. I could hear the desperation in your voice, but they wouldn't let me come. When we arrived, I saw the New Jersey State Police. Imagine how I felt. New Jersey got here before we did!{{cite news |access-date=5 January 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/01/steven-sund-capitol-police-book-jan6/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Ex-Capitol police chief: FBI, DHS, Pentagon failed on Jan. 6 |first=Carol D. |last=Leonnig |date=January 1, 2023}}{{cite book |first=Steven |last=Sund |author-link=Steven Sund |title=Courage Under Fire: Under Siege and Outnumbered 58 to 1 on January 6 |isbn=9798200983520}}{{rp|Ch. 2}}

The Army falsely denied for two weeks that Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn{{snd}}the Army deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training{{snd}}was on the conference call requesting the National Guard. Flynn's role drew scrutiny in light of his brother Michael's recent calls for martial law and an election do-over that would be overseen by the military.{{cite news |last1=Lamothe |first1=Dan |last2=Sonne |first2=Paul |last3=Leonnig |first3=Carol D. |last4=Davis |first4=Aaron C. |title=Army falsely denied Flynn's brother was involved in key part of military response to Capitol riot |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/flynn-national-guard-call-riot/2021/01/20/7f4f41ba-5b4c-11eb-aaad-93988621dd28_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 21, 2021 |date=January 20, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121121557/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/flynn-national-guard-call-riot/2021/01/20/7f4f41ba-5b4c-11eb-aaad-93988621dd28_story.html |url-status=live}} Flynn testified that "he never expressed a concern about the visuals, image, or public perception of" sending the Guard to the Capitol; Col. Earl Matthews, who participated in the call and took contemporaneous notes, called Flynn's denial "outright perjury".{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/06/jan-6-generals-lied-ex-dc-guard-official-523777 |title='Absolute liars': Ex-D.C. Guard official says generals lied to Congress about Jan. 6 |website=Politico |date=December 6, 2021 |access-date=3 January 2024 |first1=Betsy Woodruff |last1=Swan |first2=Meridith |last2=McGraw}} Department of Defense leaders claim they called the D.C. National Guard commander at 4:30 to relay permission to deploy—leaders of the Guard deny this call ever took place.{{cite web |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a42805284/january-6-national-guard-defense-secretary-christopher-miller/ |title=Why Did the National Guard Take So Long to Get to the Capitol on January 6? |first=Jack |last=Holmes |work=Esquire |access-date=3 January 2024 |date=February 9, 2023}}

During the attack, Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) posted information about the police response and the location of members on Twitter, including the fact that Speaker Pelosi had been taken out of the chamber, for which she has faced calls to resign for endangering members.{{cite news |last=Graziosi |first=Graig |date=January 12, 2021 |title='QAnon Congresswoman' Lauren Boebert faces calls to resign after tweeting information about Nancy Pelosi during Capitol riot |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/qanon-lauren-boebert-nancy-pelosi-capitol-riot-b1785663.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113213524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/qanon-lauren-boebert-nancy-pelosi-capitol-riot-b1785663.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Katie |last2=Philipps |first2=Dave |date=January 13, 2021 |title=A Republican Lawmaker for Whom the Spectacle Is the Point |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/politics/lauren-boebert-republican.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114202518/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/politics/lauren-boebert-republican.html |archive-date=January 14, 2021}} Boebert responded that she was not sharing private information since Pelosi's removal was also broadcast on TV.

Representative Ayanna Pressley left the congressional safe room for fear of other members there "who incited the mob in the first place".

While sheltering for hours in the "safe room"{{snd}}a cramped, windowless room where people sat within arms' length of each other{{snd}}some Republican Congress members refused to wear face masks, even when their Democratic colleagues begged them to do so. During the following week, three Democratic members tested positive for COVID-19 in what an environmental health expert described as a "superspreader" event.{{cite news |last=Itkowitz |first=Colby |date=January 12, 2021 |title=The lockdown room was a safe space for lawmakers under siege. Now some say maskless Republicans made it a coronavirus hot spot. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-riot-coronavirus-lockdown-room-super-spreader/2021/01/12/db00d85c-54f8-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115072153/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-riot-coronavirus-lockdown-room-super-spreader/2021/01/12/db00d85c-54f8-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html |archive-date=January 15, 2021}}

As part of its investigation into the events of January 6, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General requested text messages from the Secret Service. In response, the messages were deleted.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/06/homeland-security-watchdog-secret-service-texts/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=6 April 2023 |title=Probe widens into federal watchdog over missing Jan. 6 Secret Service texts |first=Lisa |last=Rein |access-date=2 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Letter to Gary C. Peters and Bennie G. Thompson |first=Joseph V. |last=Cuffari |author-link=Joseph Cuffari |work=Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General |via=CNN |date=13 July 2022 |access-date=2 January 2024 |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/uploads/20220714-letter-to-house-select-committee.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404123159/https://www.cnn.com/interactive/uploads/20220714-letter-to-house-select-committee.jpg |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |url-status=live}} Text messages from Department of Homeland Security leaders Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli "are missing from a key period leading up to the January 6 attack".{{#invoke:cite web ||url=https://www.vox.com/23274533/secret-service-text-messages-january-6 |title=The Secret Service's deleted text message scandal, and the criminal investigation into it, explained |work=Vox |access-date=3 January 2024 |first=Ben |last=Jacobs |date=July 23, 2022 }} Wolf's nomination had been withdrawn by the White House sometime on January 6.{{cite news |access-date=5 January 2024 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/trump-withdraws-chad-wolf-nomination-to-lead-homeland-security.html |first=Amanda |last=Macias |title=Trump withdraws Chad Wolf nomination to lead Homeland Security hours after he urged president to condemn riot |website=CNBC |date=January 7, 2021}} A criminal investigation was opened into the deletion.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/us/politics/secret-service-criminal-inquiry-missing-texts.html |title=Watchdog Informs Secret Service of Criminal Inquiry into Missing Texts |work=The New York Times |date=July 21, 2022 |last1=Kanno-Youngs |first1=Zolan |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |access-date=5 January 2024}}

{{main|Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

By November 2023, over 1,200 defendants had been charged for their role in the attack. The attackers included some of Trump's longtime and most fervent supporters from across the United States.{{cite news |last1=Biesecker |first1=Michael |last2=Kunzelman |first2=Michael |last3=Flaccus |first3=Gillian |last4=Mustian |first4=Jim |date=January 10, 2021 |title=Records show fervent Trump fans fueled US Capitol takeover |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-trump-supporters-1806ea8dc15a2c04f2a68acd6b55cace |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111143844/https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-trump-supporters-1806ea8dc15a2c04f2a68acd6b55cace |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |quote=The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president's behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, and white supremacists. Records show that some were heavily armed and included convicted criminals, such as a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder.}} The mob included Republican Party officials, current and former state legislators and political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, conservative evangelical Christians,{{efn|Before the demonstrators entered the building, activist Jacob Chansley called out for them to pause and join him in prayer.}} and participants of the "Save America" Rally.{{cite news |last1=Jelten |first1=Tom |title=Militant Christian Nationalists Remain A Potent Force, Even After The Capitol Riot |date=January 19, 2021 |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/19/958159202/militant-christian-nationalists-remain-a-potent-force |newspaper=NPR |access-date=February 7, 2021}} According to the FBI, dozens of people on its terrorist watchlist were in D.C. for pro-Trump events on the 6th, with the majority being "suspected white supremacists".{{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Devlin |last2=Hsu |first2=Spencer S. |last3=Lang |first3=Marissa J. |title=Dozens of people on FBI terrorist watch list came to D.C. the day of Capitol riot |date=14 January 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/terror-watchlist-capitol-riot-fbi/2021/01/14/07412814-55f7-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115065511/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/terror-watchlist-capitol-riot-fbi/2021/01/14/07412814-55f7-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html |archive-date=January 15, 2021}} Some came heavily armed and some were convicted criminals, including a man who had been released from a Florida prison after serving a sentence for attempted murder.

Last Sons of Liberty,{{cite web |title=Who Are Boogaloos, Who Were Visible at the Capitol and Later Rallies? |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/01/27/who-are-boogaloos-who-were-visible-capitol-and-later-rallies |date=January 27, 2021 |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center}} Rod of Iron Ministries,{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Jordan |title='Good Way to Die': The Moonies and the Jan. 6 Insurrection |url=https://www.dcreport.org/2021/08/04/good-way-to-die-the-moonies-and-the-jan-6-insurrection/ |access-date=13 November 2021 |work=DC Report |date=4 August 2021}} and Groyper Army{{Cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Malachi |url=https://www.mlive.com/politics/2021/01/far-right-activist-who-encouraged-us-capitol-occupation-also-organized-stop-the-steal-rally-in-michigan.html |title=Far-right activist who encouraged U.S. Capitol occupation also organized 'stop the steal' rally in Michigan |date=January 7, 2021 |publisher=MLive.com |access-date=April 16, 2021}} were directly involved but non-conspiring groups. NSC-131{{cite journal |last1=Rapoport |first1=David C. |author-link=David C. Rapoport |date=2021 |title=The Capitol Attack and the 5th Terrorism Wave |journal=Terrorism and Political Violence |volume=33 |issue=5 |pages=912–916 |doi=10.1080/09546553.2021.1932338 }} and Super Happy Fun America{{cite web |last1=Hauslohner |first1=Abigail |title=After members were charged in the Capitol riot, one group says it's more popular than ever |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/after-members-were-charged-in-the-capitol-riot-one-group-says-its-more-popular-than-ever/ |date=April 8, 2021 |newspaper=Seattle Times |access-date=1 January 2024}} both were involved in the attack and allegedly conspired, though SHFA denies this.{{cite news |title=Capitol Protesters And Rioters From Mass. Vow To Increase Ranks |date=February 5, 2021 |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/02/05/super-happy-fun-neo-nazi-rioters-hate-massachusetts-insurrection |first1=Saurabh |last1=Datar |first2=Shannon |last2=Dooling |access-date=11 June 2022 |work=wbur.org |language=en}} Multiple factions of the Three Percenters were also involved in the attack, including "DC Brigade", "Patriot Boys of North Texas",{{Cite press release |date=2022-09-28 |title=Texas Man Sentenced to 52 Months in Prison For Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/texas-man-sentenced-prison-assaulting-law-enforcement-officers-during-jan-6-capitol |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |language=en}} and "B Squad". The B Squad and DC Brigade conspired with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.{{cite web |title=Summoning a mob to Washington, and knowing they were angry and armed, instructing them to march to the Capitol |url=https://j6.report/executive-summary/overview-of-the-evidence-developed/summoning-a-mob-to-washington-and-knowing-they-were-angry-and-armed-instructing-them-to-march-to-the-capitol |access-date=29 December 2023 |website=j6.report |publisher=January 6th Committee }}

{{multiple image

| perrow = 3

| total_width = 230

| image1 = Enrique Tarrio.jpg

| image2 = Ethan Nordean headshot cropped.png

| image3 = Proud Boy Joe Biggs - Seminole County Jail.png

| image4 = Zach Rehl - Leader of the Philly Proud Boys (50558087973) (cropped).jpg

| image5 = Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino wearing a Right Wing Death Squad (RWDS) patch in Raleigh (2020 Nov) (50658113573) (cropped).jpg

| footer = Proud Boys leaders who were guilty of leading a seditious conspiracy to stop the transfer of power: Chairman Enrique Tarrio of Florida (top left), Ethan "Rufio" Nordean of Washington State (top center), Joe Biggs (top right) of Florida, Zachary Rehl of Pennsylvania (bottom left) and Jeremy Bertino of South Carolina (bottom right). Bertino pleaded guilty, while the other four were found guilty at trial

}}

{{main|Proud Boys#Participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

{{see also|Planning of the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Proud Boys}}

The Proud Boys played a much greater role in planning and coordinating the attack than was publicly known in 2021. In 2022, new information appeared in testimony to the January 6th Committee and in a New York Times investigative video.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/us/politics/proud-boys-jan-6.html |first1=Natalie |last1=Reneau |last2=Cooper |first2=Stella |last3=Feuer |first3=Alan |last4=Byrd |first4=Aaron |title=Proud Boys Led Major Breaches of Capitol on Jan. 6, Video Investigation Finds |work=The New York Times |date=June 17, 2022 |access-date=August 18, 2022}} Another key revelation about the Proud Boys' plans came from an informant and concerned Mike Pence:

{{Blockquote

|text=According to an F.B.I. affidavit the panel highlighted ... a government informant said that members of the far-right militant group the Proud Boys told him they would have killed Pence 'if given the chance.' The rioters on January 6th almost had that chance, coming within forty feet of the Vice-President as he fled to safety.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/what-we-learned-about-trump-pence-and-the-january-6th-mob |first=Susan |last=Glasser |title=What We Learned About Trump, Pence, and the January 6th Mob |magazine=The New Yorker |date=June 16, 2022 |access-date=August 24, 2022}}}}

On July 7, 2023, Barry Bennet Ramey was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was connected to the Proud Boys and pepper-sprayed police in the face.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Boboltz |first=Sara |date=2023-07-07 |title=Rioter Linked To Proud Boys Sentenced For Attacking Cops On Jan. 6 |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/proud-boy-sentenced-jan-6-capitol-riot_n_64a81708e4b02fb0e6f83e30 |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=HuffPost |language=en}} Proud Boys leaders Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl were sentenced to 17 and 15 years respectively.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/proud-boy-leaders-joe-biggs-zachary-rehl-sentenced/story?id=102832655 |first=Alexander |last=Mallin |access-date=3 January 2024 |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Former Proud Boys leaders Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl sentenced for Jan. 6 sedition |website=ABC News }} Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, who breached the Capitol with a stolen police riot shield, was sentenced to 10 years.{{cite web |first1=Ryan J. |last1=Reilly |first2=Daniel |last2=Barnes |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/proud-boy-sentenced-rcna102857 |title=Proud Boy who smashed Capitol window with police shield sentenced to 10 years |website=NBC News |date=1 September 2023 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} Proud Boys founder Enrique Tarrio, described as the "ultimate leader" of the conspiracy, was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

{{main|Oath Keepers#Participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

{{see also|Planning of the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Oath Keepers}}

The Oath Keepers are an American far-right anti-government militiaSources:

• {{cite news |title=A Broadway actor was with Oath Keepers on Jan. 6, feds say. His Michael Jackson jacket gave him away. |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Timothy |last=Bella |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/11/24/capitol-jan6-james-beeks-oath-jackson/ |access-date=2021-11-24 |archive-date=November 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125151130/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/11/24/capitol-jan6-james-beeks-oath-jackson/ |date=24 November 2021 |url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |last=Tully |first=Tracey |date=2021-10-27 |title=An Oath Keeper Was at the Capitol Riot. On Tuesday, He's on the Ballot. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/nyregion/oath-keeper-nj-assembly.html |access-date=2021-11-24 |archive-date=November 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121052332/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/nyregion/oath-keeper-nj-assembly.html |url-status=live}} whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States constitution. It was incorporated in 2009 by founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, a lawyer and former paratrooper. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime.{{Cite web|last=Boboltz |first=Sara |date=2023-05-25 |title=Oath Keepers Founder Sentenced For Seditious Conspiracy Over Jan. 6 Capitol Riot |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oath-keeper-sentenced-capitol-riot_n_646e7bffe4b0047ed779251d |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=HuffPost|language=en}}

On January 13, 2022, 10 members of the Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes, were arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy.{{cite web |first1=Alan |last1=Feuer |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/us/politics/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113191215/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/us/politics/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes.html |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Oath Keepers Leader Charged With Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Investigation |date=January 13, 2021 |access-date=January 13, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en}} On November 29, a jury convicted Rhodes and Florida chapter Oath Keepers leader Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy. Three other members of the Oath Keepers were found not guilty of seditious conspiracy, but were convicted on other, related charges.{{cite news |first1=Spencer S. |last1=Hsu |first2=Tom |last2=Jackman |first3=Rachel |last3=Weiner |date=November 29, 2022 |title=Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/29/rhodes-oathkeepers-sedition-verdict-jan6/ |access-date=8 January 2024 }}{{cite news |date=November 29, 2022 |title=Oath Keepers: Two members of far-right militia guilty of US sedition |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63802649 |access-date=November 29, 2022 |first1=Max |last1=Matza |first2=Nadine |last2=Yousif}}

On May 23, 2023, Rhodes, age 57, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The Department of Justice announced plans to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for longer prison terms for Rhodes and his co-defendants. At sentencing, the court described Rhodes as dangerous, noting "The moment you are released, whenever that may be, you will be ready to take up arms against your government".{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-b3ed4556a3dec577539c4181639f666c |title=Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack |website=Associated Press |first1=Michael |last1=Kunzelman |first2=Alanna Durkin |last2=Richer |first3=Lindsay |last3=Whitehurst |date=May 25, 2023 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} Eight of Rhodes's militiamen were convicted for seditious conspiracy, among other charges. Meggs was sentenced to 12 years in prison.{{cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/court-sentences-two-oath-keepers-leaders-18-years-prison-seditious-conspiracy-and-other |title=Court Sentences Two Oath Keepers Leaders to 18 Years in Prison on Seditious Conspiracy and Other Charges Related to U.S. Capitol Breach |work=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |date=May 25, 2023 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} Jessica Watkins was sentenced to 8 years and six months, and Kenneth Harrelson was sentenced to four years in prison. Both convicts were members of the Oath Keepers, with Watkins's crimes including merging her local Ohio armed group with the Oath Keepers in 2020, and Harrelson's as serving as the right-hand man to Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida chapter.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/26/oath-keepers-jessica-watkins-sentencing-jan6/ |title=More Oath Keepers convicted with Rhodes for Jan. 6 attack are sentenced |last=Hsu |first=Spencer S. |access-date=8 January 2024 |date=May 26, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post }}

File:Government Exhibit in USA v Rhodes - Diagram of Oath Keeper Leadership.jpg

File:DOJ filing Jacob Chansley aka QAnon Shaman in Senate on Jan 6.png, the "QAnon Shaman", in the US Senate during the attack. He was later sentenced to 41 months in prison,{{cite web |first=Jacques |last=Billeaud |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/jan-6-rioter-known-as-qanon-shaman-sentenced-to-41-months |title=Jan. 6 rioter known as 'QAnon Shaman' sentenced to 41 months |website=PBS |date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} being released from halfway house in May 2023{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Jared |date=2023-05-25 |title='QAnon Shaman' released from halfway house |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4020891-qanon-shaman-released-from-halfway-house/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527210833/https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4020891-qanon-shaman-released-from-halfway-house/ |archive-date=May 27, 2023 |accessdate=2023-05-26 |work=The Hill}}]]

{{main|QAnon#Attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. election}}

QAnon is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017.{{cite news |last=Martineau |first=Paris |date=December 19, 2017 |title=The Storm Is the New Pizzagate – Only Worse |work=New York |url=https://nymag.com/selectall/2017/12/qanon-4chan-the-storm-conspiracy-explained.html |access-date=March 26, 2018 }} QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". Those claims have been relayed and developed by online communities and influencers. Their core belief is that a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic child molesters are operating a global child sex trafficking ring that conspired against Donald Trump.{{refn|Multiple sources:{{cite news |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |last2=Slevin |first2=Colleen |date=February 9, 2020 |title='QAnon' conspiracy theory creeps into mainstream politics |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/e230131513bf3df60c76bb1151bc6b7c |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819200201/https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-wisconsin-racine-e230131513bf3df60c76bb1151bc6b7c |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=October 9, 2020 |title=QAnon: The conspiracy theory embraced by Trump, several politicians, and some American moms. |work=Vox |url=https://www.vox.com/2020/10/9/21504910/qanon-conspiracy-theory-facebook-ban-trump |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014120005/https://www.vox.com/2020/10/9/21504910/qanon-conspiracy-theory-facebook-ban-trump |archive-date=October 14, 2020 |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Ethan |title=QAnon and the Emergence of the Unreal |journal=Journal of Design and Science |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=London, England |date=July 2019 |issue=6 |pages=1–5 |url=https://innovation.disi.unitn.it/ibict/2019/readings/mandatory/08%20Zuckerman%20%E2%80%94%20QAnon%20and%20the%20Unreal.pdf}}}} Watchdogs studied QAnon posts and warned of the potential for violence ahead of January 6, 2021.{{cite news |last1=Kuznia |first1=Rob |last2=Devine |first2=Curt |last3=Bronstein |first3=Scott |last4=Ortega |first4=Bob |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171231/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}{{cite news |date=January 4, 2021 |title=Extremists and Mainstream Trump Supporters Plan to Protest Congressional Certification of Biden's Victory |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045853/https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}{{#invoke:cite web||date=January 4, 2021|title=January 2021 Washington, D.C., Security Outlook: Intelligence Report, Part Three|url=https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115172718/https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=G4S}} Multiple QAnon-affiliated protesters participated in the attack.{{cite news |last=Culbertson |first=Alix |url=https://news.sky.com/story/us-capitol-from-neo-nazis-and-conspiracy-theorists-to-a-politician-who-stormed-the-capitol-12181628 |title=US Capitol: Q-Anon, Confederate flag man, and Baked Alaska – here are the people who stormed the building |work=Sky News |date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108011216/https://news.sky.com/story/us-capitol-from-neo-nazis-and-conspiracy-theorists-to-a-politician-who-stormed-the-capitol-12181628 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Venkataramakrishnan |first1=Siddharth |last2=Manson |first2=Katrina |url=https://www.ft.com/content/8ee1f26a-619a-46d2-98c2-be3eb34fcd5e |title=Who were the Capitol insurrectionists? |work=Financial Times |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107213041/https://www.ft.com/content/8ee1f26a-619a-46d2-98c2-be3eb34fcd5e |url-status=live}} One participant, whose attire and behavior attracted worldwide media attention, was Jacob Chansley, a QAnon supporter nicknamed the "QAnon Shaman".{{cite news |last=Ruelas |first=Richard |title=QAnon supporter from Arizona dressed in fur and horns joins storming of US Capitol |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/arizona-qanon-supporter-jake-angeli-joins-storming-us-capitol/6570514002/ |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=USA Today |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110111949/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/arizona-qanon-supporter-jake-angeli-joins-storming-us-capitol/6570514002/ |url-status=live}} Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was shot dead by police as she was trying to break into the Speaker's Lobby, was a committed follower of QAnon.{{cite news |work=Law & Crime |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/pro-trump-woman-shot-and-killed-at-u-s-capitol-retweeted-attorney-lin-woods-must-be-done-list-before-she-died/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=Pro-Trump Woman Shot and Killed at U.S. Capitol Retweeted Attorney Lin Wood's 'Must Be Done' List Before She Died |first=Aaron |last=Keller |date=January 6, 2021 |quote=A Twitter account linked to Babbitt, which was reviewed extensively by Law&Crime Wednesday night, indicates that Babbitt was a staunch QAnon follower who retweeted dozens of conspiracy-theory-laden missives originally posted by Georgia attorney L. Lin Wood. |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202063421/https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/pro-trump-woman-shot-and-killed-at-u-s-capitol-retweeted-attorney-lin-woods-must-be-done-list-before-she-died/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Zadrozny |first1=Brandy |author-link1=Brandy Zadrozny |last2=Gains |first2=Mosheh |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-killed-capitol-was-trump-supporter-who-embraced-conspiracy-theories-n1253285 |title=Woman killed in Capitol was Trump supporter who embraced conspiracy theories |publisher=NBC News |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020719/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-killed-capitol-was-trump-supporter-who-embraced-conspiracy-theories-n1253285 |url-status=live}} The day before the attack, she had tweeted: "the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours".{{cite news |title=Woman killed in siege of U.S. Capitol was veteran who embraced conspiracy theories |work=Reuters |first1=Daniel |last1=Trotta |first2=Gabriella |last2=Borter |first3=Jonathan |last3=Allen |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=3 January 2024 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-death-idUKKBN29C2NX/}}

Far-right emblematic gear was worn by some participants, including neo-Confederate, Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazi and Völkisch-inspired neopagan apparel, as well as a shirt emblazoned with references to the Auschwitz concentration camp and its motto, {{lang|de|Arbeit macht frei}} ("Work sets you free").{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite web |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Man in 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt at Capitol riot arrested |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/man-in-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-at-capitol-riot-arrested |first=Mike |last=Brest |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173614/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/man-in-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-at-capitol-riot-arrested |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |website=Washington Examiner}}}}

The anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi group NSC-131 was at the event, although it is unknown to what extent.{{#invoke:cite web||title=There Are White Supremacist Hate Groups Everywhere. Even In 'Blue' Mass.|url=https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2021/01/13/capitol-attack-massachusetts-right-wing-extremism-janelle-dempsey-erin-fowler-oren-sellstrom |first1=Janelle |last1=Dempsey |first2=Erin |last2=Fowler |first3=Oren |last3=Sellstrom |access-date=September 19, 2021|website=WBUR-FM |date=January 13, 2021 |language=en}}{{#invoke:cite web||title=Nationalist Social Club (NSC)|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/nationalist-social-club-nsc|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en}}{{efn|The group is more radical than other patriot movement groups who attended the rally. "NSC members consider themselves soldiers fighting a war against a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the white race." states the ADL.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Somos|first=Christy|date=January 8, 2021|title=These are some of the extremist groups responsible for the violence on Capitol Hill|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/these-are-some-of-the-extremist-groups-responsible-for-the-violence-on-capitol-hill-1.5259142|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=CTVNews|language=en}}}} Following the event, members of the group detailed their actions and claimed they were the "beginning of the start of White Revolution in the United States".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Makuch, Ben|date=January 7, 2021|title=Neo-Nazis Boast About Participation In Capitol Hill Invasion|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wnja/neo-nazis-boast-about-participation-in-capitol-hill-invasion|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020725/https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wnja/neo-nazis-boast-about-participation-in-capitol-hill-invasion|archive-date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=Vice}} After the attack, two white nationalists known for racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric streamed to their online followers a video posted on social media showing a man harassing an Israeli journalist seeking to conduct a live report outside the building.{{#invoke:cite web||agency=Associated Press|date=January 13, 2021|title=Anti-Semitism seen in Capitol insurrection raises alarms|url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20210113/news/301139930|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173613/https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20210113/news/301139930 |first=Elana |last=Schor |archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 14, 2021|website=Daily Herald}}

For the first time in U.S. history, a Confederate battle flag was displayed inside the Capitol.{{cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Eliott C. |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Before Wednesday, insurgents waving Confederate flags hadn't been within 6 miles of the US Capitol |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/capitol-confederate-flag-fort-stevens/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020738/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/capitol-confederate-flag-fort-stevens/index.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021}}

Some of the rioters carried American flags, Confederate battle flags,{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite news |last=Contreras |first=Russell |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Descendant of Robert E. Lee says Confederate flag at Capitol was 'treasonous' |url=https://www.axios.com/confederate-descendant-denounces-flag-capitol-903aa9d2-e1bc-40b2-92ad-8eeab3aa5756.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112133814/https://www.axios.com/confederate-descendant-denounces-flag-capitol-903aa9d2-e1bc-40b2-92ad-8eeab3aa5756.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |website=Axios}}{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Javonte |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Capitol riot images showing Confederate flag a reminder of country's darkest past |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/01/07/capitol-riot-images-confederate-flag-terror/6588104002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111084336/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/01/07/capitol-riot-images-confederate-flag-terror/6588104002/ |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |website=USA Today}}}} or Nazi emblems.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last=Tumlin |first=Remy |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Evening Briefing Special Edition: A Pro-Trump Mob Storms the Capitol |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/briefing/pro-trump-mob-storms-the-capitol.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020715/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/briefing/pro-trump-mob-storms-the-capitol.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Eddy |first=Melissa |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Amid the Rampage at the U.S. Capitol, a Sweatshirt Stirs Troubling Memories |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/world/europe/us-capitol-rampage-camp-auschwitz.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112230018/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/world/europe/us-capitol-rampage-camp-auschwitz.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last1=Devine |first1=Curt |last2=Bronstein |first2=Scott |date=January 10, 2021 |title=Man in 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt during Capitol riot identified |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/10/politics/man-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-capitol-riot-identified/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112211611/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/10/politics/man-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-capitol-riot-identified/index.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021}} A group of Indian American Trump supporters held an Indian flag.{{Cite web |title=Indian flag waved in the middle of mob at the attack on US Capitol building |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/indian-flag-waved-middle-mob-attack-us-capitol-building-141004 |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=The News Minute |date=January 7, 2021 |publisher=TNM}} Varun Gandhi, a senior parliamentarian from India's ruling BJP, expressed surprise and disapproval of the prominent display of the Indian flag by some of the protestors in one of his tweets; opposition Indian National Congress leader Shashi Tharoor equated the mentality of some Indians with that of Trump supporters.{{Cite news |title=Tharoor and Varun spat on Twitter over tricolour at Capitol |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tharoor-and-varun-spar-on-twitter-over-tricolour-at-capitol/articleshow/80163277.cms |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Times of India |date=January 8, 2021 |publisher=ToI}}

The laptop computer taken from Pelosi's office was taken by 22-year-old Capitol rioter Riley Williams, a member of the Atomwaffen Division and the Order of Nine Angles.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources.{{cite web|url=https://unicornriot.ninja/2024/sextortion-coms-inside-a-vile-child-exploitation-cult-run-by-nazi-linked-teens/|title=Sextortion Coms: Inside a Vile Child Exploitation Cult Run by Nazi-Linked Teens|date=13 March 2024|work=Unicorn Riot}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/02/24/woman-accused-of-stealing-nancy-pelosis-laptop-appears-in-video-making-nazi-salute/ |title=Woman Accused of Stealing Nancy Pelosi's Laptop Appears in Video Making Nazi Salute |last=Evans |first=Robert |date=August 16, 2022 |website=Bellingcat |access-date=August 16, 2022}}{{cite news |first=Hannah |last=Rabinowitz |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/07/politics/riley-williams-laptop-capitol-riot/index.html |title=Woman charged with stealing a laptop from Pelosi's office during US Capitol riot |work=CNN |date=October 7, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.wgal.com/article/harrisburg-woman-pleads-not-guilty-to-eight-charges-related-to-us-capitol-riot/38003576 |title=Harrisburg woman pleads not guilty to 8 charges related to U.S. Capitol riot |work=WGAL |date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019170837/https://www.wgal.com/article/harrisburg-woman-pleads-not-guilty-to-eight-charges-related-to-us-capitol-riot/38003576 |archive-date=2021-10-19 |url-status=live |access-date=3 January 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-rioter-suspected-of-stealing-nancy-pelosis-laptop-is-charged-2021-10 |title=Capitol rioter suspected of stealing laptop from Nancy Pelosi's office is charged. Her plot to sell it to Russian spies is still being investigated, says report |first=Alia |last=Shoaib |date=October 9, 2021 |work=Business Insider |access-date=October 27, 2021}}}} Williams' boyfriend, who tipped off police, said that she had intended to send the stolen laptop to a friend in Russia for sale to Russian intelligence. Williams was sentenced to 3 years in prison.{{cite web |work=Fox 43 |url=https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/harrisburg-riley-williams-sentenced-capitol-insurrection-riot-january-6/521-d4c9db48-36c8-4646-ac1a-dc06c56c9285 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323132158/https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/harrisburg-riley-williams-sentenced-capitol-insurrection-riot-january-6/521-d4c9db48-36c8-4646-ac1a-dc06c56c9285 |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |first=Cyera |last=Williams |access-date=3 January 2024 |url-status=live |title=Woman who stole Pelosi's laptop sentenced to 36 months in prison |date=March 23, 2023}}

The National Capital Region Threat Intelligence Consortium, a fusion center that aids the DHS and other federal national security and law enforcement groups, wrote that potentially violent individuals were joining the protest from the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division and Stormfront. Despite this information, the Secret Service released an internal memo that stated there was no concern.{{cite web |url=https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/the-secret-service-knew-about-jan-6-threat-they-dismissed-it/ |title=The Secret Service knew about Jan 6 threat. They dismissed it. |last=Libowitz |first=Jordan |date=August 16, 2022 |website=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington |access-date=August 16, 2022 |quote=Groups identified as coming with a potential to cause violence included the Oath Keepers, the 3%ers and neo-Nazi groups Atomwaffen and StormFront.}}

Although the anti-government Boogaloo movement mostly were opposed to Trump, a Boogaloo follower said groups under his command helped attack the Capitol, taking the opportunity to strike against the federal government.{{cite news |last1=Hesson |first1=Ted |last2=Parker |first2=Ned |last3=Harte |first3=Julia |date=January 8, 2021 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-extremists/us-capitol-siege-emboldens-motley-crew-of-extremists-idUSL1N2JJ0A0 |title=U.S. Capitol siege emboldens motley crew of extremists |work=Reuters |access-date=January 12, 2021}} Also present during the attack were parts of the National Anarchist Movement and the Blue Lives Matter movement, supporters of the America First Movement, the Stop the Steal movement and the Patriot Movement, remnants of the Tea Party movement, the Three Percenters, the Groyper Army, Christian nationalists, and other far-right organizations and groups. Shirts with references to the internet meme Pepe the Frog were also seen, alongside "1776" and "MAGA civil war 2021" shirts, NSC-131 stickers, and the valknut symbol.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/far-right-symbols-capitol-riot/ |title=Identifying far-right symbols that appeared at the U.S. Capitol riot |date=January 15, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=October 27, 2021}} Rioters were seen using the OK gesture, a gesture that had been famously co-opted as an alt-right symbol. Christian imagery, including a large "Jesus saves" banner, was seen in the crowd of demonstrators. Various other iconography was also on display, such as flags of other countries.{{efn|Witnesses reported seeing the national flags of Cuba, Romania, India, Israel, South Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Iran, Georgia, South Korea, Tonga, Mexico, Canada, and the United States (including an upside-down version); a U.S. Marines flag; the flag of the fictional country of "Kekistan"; Trump campaign flags such as "Release the Kraken", Second Amendment and America First flags; Pine tree, III Percenters and VDARE flags; altered versions of confederate, Gadsden, state, national and Gay Pride flags; as well as old American and Army flags such as the Betsy Ross flag, Irish Brigade flags, and others.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Emma |date=January 15, 2021 |title=The Many Flags That Flew During the US Capitol's Storming and What They Represent |url=https://thewire.in/world/us-capitol-storming-flag-india-militia-groups-nationalism |url-status=live |work=The Wire (India) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115083042/https://thewire.in/world/us-capitol-storming-flag-india-militia-groups-nationalism |archive-date=January 15, 2021}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Castronuovo|first=Celine|date=January 9, 2021|title=Flags, signs and other items left behind in Capitol riot to be preserved as historical artifacts|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/533475-flags-signs-and-other-items-left-behind-in-capitol-riot-to-be-preserved-as|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235324/https://thehill.com/homenews/news/533475-flags-signs-and-other-items-left-behind-in-capitol-riot-to-be-preserved-as|archive-date=January 9, 2021|access-date=January 10, 2021|website=The Hill|quote=Flags, signs and other items left throughout the Capitol by rioters who stormed the building Wednesday will be preserved as historical artifacts in the House and Senate collections and shared with national museums...Frank Blazich, a curator from the National Museum of American History, also collected signs and other items left at the scene of the chaos, including a sign that read, 'Off with their heads: Stop the steal'. }}

}}

Anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists were also present at the rally.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/politics/anti-vaxxers-stop-the-steal-invs/index.html |title=Leaders of the anti-vaccine movement used 'Stop the Steal' crusade to advance their own conspiracy theories |work=CNN |last1=Devine |first1=Curt |last2=Griffin |first2=Drew |date=February 4, 2021 |access-date=February 5, 2021}} Members of the right-wing Tea Party Patriots–backed group America's Frontline Doctors, including founder Simone Gold and its communications director, were arrested.{{cite news |last=Satija |first=Neena |date=January 12, 2021 |title='I do regret being there': Simone Gold, noted hydroxychloroquine advocate, was inside the Capitol during the riot |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/simone-gold-capitol-riot-coronavirus/2021/01/12/d1d39e84-545f-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112184002/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/simone-gold-capitol-riot-coronavirus/2021/01/12/d1d39e84-545f-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021 }}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Dazio |first=Staphsnie |date=January 19, 2021|title=Capitol photos, videos lead to California doctor's arrest|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/capitol-photos-videos-lead-california-doctors-arrest-75351374|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210121224731/https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/capitol-photos-videos-lead-california-doctors-arrest-75351374|archive-date=January 21, 2021|access-date=January 21, 2021|website=abcnews.go.com|publisher=ABC News}} She was later sentenced to 60 days in prison by a US federal court in Washington, D.C., for illegally entering the Capitol building.{{cite journal |vauthors=Dyer O |title=Founder of America's Frontline Doctors is sentenced to prison for role in Capitol riot |journal=BMJ |volume=377 |pages=o1533 |date=2022 |doi=10.1136/bmj.o1533 |pmid=35732330 }} West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, a state lawmaker, filmed himself entering the Capitol alongside rioters. On January{{spaces}}8, he was charged by federal authorities with entering a restricted area;{{cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Joe |title=W.Va. Delegate Derrick Evans has been federally charged |work=WDTV |url=https://www.wdtv.com/2021/01/08/wva-delegate-derrick-evans-has-been-federally-charged/ |date=January 8, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108191131/https://www.wdtv.com/2021/01/08/wva-delegate-derrick-evans-has-been-federally-charged/ |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} he resigned from the House of Delegates the next day and was ultimately sentenced to 90 days in jail.{{#invoke:cite web||last=McElhinny|first=Brad|date=January 9, 2021|title=Derrick Evans resigns W.Va. House after entering U.S. Capitol with mob|url=https://wvmetronews.com/2021/01/09/derrick-evans-resigns-w-va-house-after-entering-u-s-capitol-with-mob|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109205740/https://wvmetronews.com/2021/01/09/derrick-evans-resigns-w-va-house-after-entering-u-s-capitol-with-mob/|archive-date=January 9, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=West Virginia MetroNews}} Amanda Chase was censured by the Virginia State Senate for her actions surrounding the event.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/01/27/a-badge-of-shame-virginia-senate-votes-to-censure-amanda-chase/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129121853/https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/01/27/a-badge-of-shame-virginia-senate-votes-to-censure-amanda-chase/ |archive-date=January 29, 2021 |url-status=live |work=Virginia Mercury |first=Graham |last=Moomaw |title='A badge of shame': Virginia Senate votes to censure Amanda Chase|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2021}}

Politico reported that some rioters briefly showed their police badges or military identification to law enforcement as they approached the Capitol, expecting to be let inside; a Capitol Police officer told BuzzFeed News that one rioter had told him "[w]e're doing this for you" as he flashed a badge.{{cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Justice Department warns of national security fallout from Capitol Hill insurrection |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113193532/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178 |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Politico}} One former police officer, Laura Steele, was convicted for breaching the Capitol with fellow Oath Keepers.{{cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/member-oath-keepers-sentenced-role-jan-6-capitol-breach |title=Member of the Oath Keepers Sentenced for Role in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach |work=United States Attorney for the District of Columbia |access-date=3 January 2024 |date=September 15, 2023}}

A number of U.S. military personnel participated in the attack; the Department of Defense is investigating members on active and reserve duty who may have been involved.{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Meghann |last2=Shane III |first2=Leo |last3=South |first3=Todd |last4=Rempfer |first4=Kyle |date=January 11, 2021 |title=How many troops were involved in the Capitol riot? Figuring that out won't be easy |work=Military Times |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/01/11/how-many-troops-were-involved-in-the-capitol-riot-figuring-that-out-wont-be-easy/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112135210/https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/01/11/how-many-troops-were-involved-in-the-capitol-riot-figuring-that-out-wont-be-easy/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021}}{{cite news |last=Vanden Brook |first=Tom |date=January 11, 2021 |title=In wake of Capitol riot, active-duty Army officer under investigation |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/11/capitol-riot-calls-grow-pentagon-probe-troop-participation/6626102002/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114223510/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/11/capitol-riot-calls-grow-pentagon-probe-troop-participation/6626102002/ |archive-date=January 14, 2021}} Nearly 20% of defendants charged in relation to the attack, and about 12% of the participants in general, were current or former members of the U.S. military.{{cite news |last1=Driesbach |first1=Tom |last2=Anderson |first2=Meg |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Nearly 1 In 5 Defendants In Capitol Riot Cases Served In The Military |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/958915267/nearly-one-in-five-defendants-in-capitol-riot-cases-served-in-the-military |url-status=live |access-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121200545/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/958915267/nearly-one-in-five-defendants-in-capitol-riot-cases-served-in-the-military |archive-date=January 21, 2021}}{{#invoke:cite web||title=Veterans and Extremism: What We Know|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/veterans-and-extremism-what-we-know |date=16 June 2021 |access-date=January 11, 2022|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en}} A report from George Washington University and the Combating Terrorism Center said that "if anything{{nbsp}}... there actually is a very slight underrepresentation of veterans among the January 6 attackers". Police officers and a police chief from departments in multiple states are under investigation for their alleged involvement in the attack.{{cite news |last=Bellware |first=Kim |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Police departments across the U.S. open probes into whether their own members took part in the Capitol riot |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/01/09/investigating-police-rioters/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110033606/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/01/09/investigating-police-rioters/ |archive-date=January 10, 2021}} Two Capitol Police officers were suspended, one for directing rioters inside the building while wearing a Make America Great Again hat, and the other for taking a selfie with a rioter.{{cite news |last1=Stelloh |first1=Tim |last2=Moe |first2=Alex |last3=Talbot |first3=Haley |date=January 11, 2021 |title=2 Capitol police officers suspended, 1 possibly arrested over pro-Trump riot, congressman says |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/2-capitol-police-officers-suspended-one-possibly-arrested-over-pro-n1253822 |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111233135/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/2-capitol-police-officers-suspended-one-possibly-arrested-over-pro-n1253822 |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Nickeas |first1=Peter |last2=Grayer |first2=Annie |last3=Nobles |first3=Ryan |author-link3=Ryan Nobles |date=January 12, 2021 |title=2 Capitol Police officers suspended and at least 10 more under investigation for alleged roles in riot |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/capitol-police-officers-suspended-tim-ryan/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113193555/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/capitol-police-officers-suspended-tim-ryan/index.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021}}

File:2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC08970 (50827352796).jpg grounds|alt=A row of flags supporting Donald Trump are lined on a lawn in D.C.]]

In February 2021, an academic analysis in The Atlantic found that of the 193 persons so far arrested for invading the Capitol, 89 percent had no clear public connection to established far-right militias, known white-nationalist gangs, or any other known militant organizations. "The overwhelming reason for action, cited again and again in court documents, was that arrestees were following Trump's orders to keep Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the presidential-election winner". They were older than participants in previous far-right violent demonstrations and more likely to be employed, with 40% being business owners. The researchers concluded that these "middle-aged, middle-class insurrectionists" represented "a new force in American politics{{snd}}not merely a mix of right-wing organizations, but a broader mass political movement that has violence at its core and draws strength even from places where Trump supporters are in the minority".{{cite news |last1=Pape |first1=Robert A. |last2=Ruby |first2=Keven |date=February 2, 2021 |title=The Capitol Rioters Aren't Like Other Extremists |work=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/the-capitol-rioters-arent-like-other-extremists/617895/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202110451/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/the-capitol-rioters-arent-like-other-extremists/617895/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021}}

The Associated Press reviewed public and online records of more than 120 participants after the attack and found that many of them shared conspiracy theories about the election on social media and had believed other QAnon and "deep state" conspiracy theories. Several had threatened Democratic and Republican politicians before the attack. The event was described as "extremely online", with "pro-Trump internet personalities" and fans streaming live footage while taking selfies.{{#invoke:cite web||title=CNN's Elle Reeve: 'Donald Trump plus the Internet brings extremism to the masses'|url=https://www.weny.com/story/43149645/cnns-elle-reeve-donald-trump-plus-the-internet-brings-extremism-to-the-masses|url-status=dead |first=Brian |last=Stelter |date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111020731/https://www.weny.com/story/43149645/cnns-elle-reeve-donald-trump-plus-the-internet-brings-extremism-to-the-masses |archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=WENY-TV}}{{#invoke:cite web||last=Penzenstadler|first=Nick|title=Internet detectives swarmed the effort to ID Capitol riot mob, with mixed results|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/01/14/internet-detectives-swarm-effort-id-capitol-riot-mob/6643515002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121222221/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/01/14/internet-detectives-swarm-effort-id-capitol-riot-mob/6643515002/ |date=January 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=USA Today}}

According to the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism:

{{Blockquote

|text=The "ordinary people" argument misses, or at least obscures, the extent to which the Capitol rioters were linked to dangerous groups and ideas.... at least 280 of the individuals charged with committing crimes on Jan. 6 were associated with extremist groups or conspiratorial movements. This includes 78 defendants who had links to the Proud Boys, a group with a history of violence; 37 members of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia; 31 individuals who embraced the similarly anti-government and militant views of the Three Percenters movement; and 92 defendants who promoted aspects of QAnon....

These 280 individuals make up approximately 35 percent of the Capitol defendants. While it is true that they do not represent a majority of the more than 800 people who have been charged in connection with the riot, ... A 35 percent rate of participation in extremism among a collective of apparently "ordinary" individuals is an astounding number{{snd}}one that should shake us to our core.

}}

File:2021 storming of the United States Capitol 2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC09265-2 (50821579347).jpg shortly after Congress was evacuated|alt=A crowd of protestors moving towards the Capitol building.]]

Federal officials estimate that about ten thousand rioters entered the Capitol grounds,{{cite news |first=Karoun |last=Demirjian |title=Acting Capitol Police chief: More than 10,000 rioters came onto Capitol grounds and more than 800 breached the building |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/25/joe-biden-live-updates/#link-SASQGWOOPVHTJBSYQPIR2KSASQ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 25, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} and the Secret Service and FBI have estimated that from 2,000 to 2,500 ultimately entered the building. As of May 2024, about 1,400 people had been charged with federal crimes relating to the event, and 884 of those defendants had been sentenced, in many cases for nonviolent offenses.Goudie, Chuck et al. [https://abc7chicago.com/january-6-riot-us-capitol-insurrection-kane-county/14203882/ "Kane County Man's Plea Deal for U.S. Capitol Riot Shows How FBI is Going After Nonviolent Participants"], WLS-TV (Dec 19, 2023).Kinstler, Linda. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/opinion/jan-6-memory-memorial-forgetting.html "Jan. 6, America's Rupture and the Strange, Forgotten Power of Oblivion"], New York Times (Jun 15, 2024): "for every violent rioter justly tried and punished, there have been many nonviolent offenders summoned to court." Those who went inside the Capitol but were peaceful have been called "MAGA tourists".Lucas, Ryan. "[https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2022/01/06/1070736018/where-the-jan-6-insurrection-investigation-stands-one-year-later/ Where the Jan. 6 insurrection investigation stands, one year later]", NPR (6 Jan 2022): "In the past year, the FBI and the public have learned a lot about who the rioters were and what motivated them, and they fall into three general categories. The first are the so-called MAGA tourists. These are Trump supporters who entered the Capitol but didn't engage in violence or destroy property."

More than 800 video and audio files{{snd}}including D.C. Metropolitan Police radio transmissions, Capitol Police body-worn camera footage, and Capitol surveillance camera footage{{snd}}were later obtained as evidence in Trump's impeachment trial. The evidence showed that the assailants launched a large and coordinated attack. For example, "Security camera footage near the House chamber shows the rioters waving in reinforcements to come around the corner. Another video shows more than 150 rioters charging through a breached entrance in just a minute-and-a-half".{{#invoke:cite web ||first1=Whitney |last1=Wild |first2=Jeremy |last2=Herb |first3=Tom |last3=Foreman |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/15/politics/video-dispatches-capitol-riots/index.html |title=New radio and video footage from Capitol riot shows a coordinated attack and officers' restraint |work=CNN |date=February 15, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} While assaulting the Capitol, the crowd chanted "Fight, Fight"; "Stop the steal"; and "Fight for Trump".{{cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2021-02-11/pdf/CREC-2021-02-11-pt1-PgS645-2.pdf |title=Trial of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States |work=Congressional Record: Senate |volume=167 |issue=26 |date=February 11, 2021 |access-date=8 January 2024 }} As they were overrun by a violent mob, the police acted with restraint and pleaded for backup. Many of the attackers employed tactics, body armor, and technology (such as two-way radio headsets) similar to those of the very police they were confronting.{{#invoke:cite web ||last1=Biesecker |first1=Michael |last2=Bleiberg |first2=Jake |last3=Laporta |first3=James |date=January 15, 2021 |title=Capitol rioters included highly trained ex-military and cops |url=https://apnews.com/article/ex-military-cops-us-capitol-riot-a1cb17201dfddc98291edead5badc257 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115232707/https://apnews.com/article/ex-military-cops-us-capitol-riot-a1cb17201dfddc98291edead5badc257 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=January 16, 2021 |website=Associated Press }} Some rioters wore riot gear, including helmets and military-style vests. A pair of rioters carried plastic handcuffs, which they found on a table inside the Capitol.{{cite news |last=Loller |first=Travis |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Attorneys: Tennessee man in Capitol riot danger to community |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-tennessee-nashville-7cb13b8eb3ee02436a0df68a59070234 |url-status=live |access-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122071410/https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-tennessee-nashville-7cb13b8eb3ee02436a0df68a59070234 |archive-date=January 22, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Alund |first1=Natalie Neysa |last2=Timms |first2=Mariah |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Authorities found sniper rifle, handcuffs in home of accused 'zip tie guy' in Capitol riot |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/22/eric-munchel-court-documents-sniper-rifle-handcuffs-found-home/6668520002/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127213836/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/22/eric-munchel-court-documents-sniper-rifle-handcuffs-found-home/6668520002/ |archive-date=January 27, 2021}} In an analysis of later court documents, it was reported that at least 85 participants in the riot were charged with carrying or using a weapon—such as guns, knives, axes, chemical sprays, police gear, and stun guns—in the riots to assault others or break objects. It is illegal to possess weapons at the Capitol.{{#invoke:cite web ||last=Tillman |first=Zoe |date=November 8, 2021 |title=Guns, Knives, And A Skateboard: A Guide To The Weapons At The Capitol Riot |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/capitol-riot-weapons-charges |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}

{{Further|Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Casualties|Law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack#Suicides}}

{{see also|Killing of Ashli Babbitt|Death of Brian Sicknick}}

File:Brian Sicknick.jpg died the day after the attack.]]

Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was fatally shot in the upper chest by Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd while attempting to climb through the shattered window of a barricaded door.{{cite web |last1=Schapiro |first1=Rich |last2=Schecter |first2=Anna |last3=Damberg |first3=Chelsea |date=August 27, 2021 |title=Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt speaks after months in hiding: 'I saved countless lives' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827000715/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-during-capitol-riot-breaks-silence-n1277736 |archive-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-during-capitol-riot-breaks-silence-n1277736 |url-status=live |access-date=August 27, 2021 |work=NBC News |language=en}}{{efn|Some media reports have described Babbitt as "unarmed" at the time of the shooting;{{cite web|title=Justified shooting or fair game? Shooter of Ashli Babbitt makes shocking admission|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/569827-justified-shooting-or-fair-game-shooter-of-ashlii-babbitt-makes-shocking/ |access-date=9 January 2024 |website=The Hill |first=Jonathan |last=Turley |date=August 28, 2021 |language=en}} however, according to a January 11, 2021 crime scene examination report by the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, the police "recovered a 'Para Force' folding knife in Ms. Babbitt's pants pocket" after she was shot.{{cite web |url=https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/ashley-babbitts-knife/knife-ashley-babbitt/ |title=Knife (Ashley Babbitt) |date=November 12, 2021 |work=Judicial Watch |access-date=March 30, 2023 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/JW-v-DC-Babbitt-October-2021-001710.pdf |work=Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Internal Affairs Bureau |title=Investigative Report Concerning the Use of Force (Glock 22 .40 caliber service pistol) by United States Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd |date=June 16, 2021 |pages=240, 524 |access-date=March 30, 2023 |quote=Recovered a 'Para Force' folding knife in Ms. Babbitt's pants pocket; }}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/30/jeff-sharlet-undertow-fascism-far-right-religion-trump |date=March 30, 2023 |access-date=March 30, 2023 |work=The Guardian |quote=They would say she's unarmed, but it's not true. She was carrying a knife. There's a photo of [Babbitt's knife] on the cover of the book. You could say, well, it's a small knife. Really? That knife is plenty big enough. |first=Ann |last=Neumann |title='I see this as a global fascist moment': author Jeff Sharlet on interviewing far-right Americans }}}}

Brian Sicknick, a 42-year-old responding Capitol Police officer, was pepper-sprayed during the attack and had two thromboembolic strokes the next day,{{cite news |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Trump to blame for death of woman trampled in Capitol riot, family member says |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-deaths/trump-to-blame-for-death-of-woman-trampled-in-capitol-riot-family-member-says-idUSKBN29D2B1/ |first=David |last=Lawder |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Reuters}}{{cite news |date=April 19, 2021 |title=Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who engaged rioters, suffered two strokes and died of natural causes, officials say |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/brian-sicknick-death-strokes/2021/04/19/36d2d310-617e-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=Peter |last1=Hermann |first2=Spencer S. |last2=Hsu |language=en}} after which he was placed on life support and soon died.{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Dartunorro|first1=Clark|last2=Thorp V|first2=Frank|date=January 8, 2021|title=Capitol Police officer dies from injuries after clashing with pro-Trump mob|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/capitol-police-officer-has-died-after-clashing-pro-trump-mob-n1253396|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111174351/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/capitol-police-officer-has-died-after-clashing-pro-trump-mob-n1253396|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=NBC News}}{{Cite press release |title=Loss of USCP Officer Brian D. Sicknick |date=January 7, 2021 |publisher=United States Capitol Police |url=https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/loss-uscp-colleague-brian-d-sicknick |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108061821/https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/loss-uscp-colleague-brian-d-sicknick |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |place=Washington, D.C. |lang=en-us |url-status=live}} The D.C. chief medical examiner found he died from a stroke, classifying his death as natural,{{cite news |last1=Hardy |first1=Jennifer |title=Officer's death after insurrection was ruled 'natural causes' |url=https://www.klkntv.com/officers-death-after-insurrection-was-ruled-natural-causes/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=KLKN |date=April 19, 2021}} and said that the designation of natural causes is "used when a disease alone causes death. If death is hastened by an injury, the manner of death is not considered natural". The coroner commented that "all that transpired played a role in his condition".{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/officer-brian-sicknick-what-we-know-about-his-death-11619010119 |access-date=9 January 2024 |url-status=live |title=Officer Brian Sicknick: What We Know About His Death |work=The Wall Street Journal |last=Wishwanatha |first=Aruna |date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210421150320/https://www.wsj.com/articles/officer-brian-sicknick-what-we-know-about-his-death-11619010119 |archive-date=April 21, 2021}}Multiple sources:{{bulleted list |{{cite news |date=April 20, 2021 |agency=Agence France Presse |url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20210420-police-officer-in-capitol-riot-died-from-natural-causes-says-coroner |url-status=live |title=Police officer in Capitol riot died from natural causes, says coroner |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420021624/https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20210420-police-officer-in-capitol-riot-died-from-natural-causes-says-coroner |archive-date=April 20, 2021}} |{{cite news |date=April 20, 2021 |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56810371 |url-status=live |title=Brian Sicknick: US Capitol riot policeman 'died of natural causes' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419220811/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56810371 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |access-date=9 January 2024 }} |{{cite news |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |date=April 19, 2021 |work=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/brian-sicknick-died-of-natural-causes-after-capitol-riot-medical-examiner-rules.html |access-date=9 January 2024 |url-status=live |title=Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes day after Capitol invasion, medical examiner rules |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419211528/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/brian-sicknick-died-of-natural-causes-after-capitol-riot-medical-examiner-rules.html |archive-date=April 19, 2021}} |{{cite news |date=April 19, 2021 |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/19/us-officer-died-natural-causes-after-capitol-riot-coroner |url-status=live |title=US officer died of natural causes after Capitol riot: Coroner |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419234155/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/19/us-officer-died-natural-causes-after-capitol-riot-coroner |archive-date=April 19, 2021}}}} While some accounts maintain he was struck in the head during the riots, he was not found to have died from blunt-force trauma. No signs of any injuries were found during medical examination.

Rosanne Boyland, 34, died of an amphetamine overdose during the attack, rather than, as was initially reported, from injuries sustained from being crushed beneath other rioters.{{#invoke:cite web ||url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/capitol-rioter-rosanne-boyland-died-from-acute-amphetamine-intoxication/ |title=Capitol Rioter Rosanne Boyland Died From Drug Overdose, Not Trampling |first=Pilar |last=Melendez |access-date=9 January 2024 |date=April 7, 2021 |website=The Daily Beast}} When the crowd of rioters moved from on top of her, she was found dead. Her death was ruled as accidental by the D.C. medical examiner's office. Her mother, Cheryl Boyland, told NBC News: "She was not doing drugs. The only thing they found was her own prescription medicine".{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/msnbc-podcast/american-radical/transcript-cause-death-n1288906 |title=Transcript: Cause of Death |work=NBC News |date=February 10, 2022 |access-date=January 9, 2024 }}

Kevin Greeson, 55; and Benjamin Philips, 50, died naturally from coronary heart disease and hypertensive heart disease, respectively. There was no indication that they participated in the riot.

Four officers, from various police departments, who responded to the attack committed suicide in the days and months that followed.{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Hermann |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-officer-suicides-capitol-riot/2021/02/11/94804ee2-665c-11eb-886d-5264d4ceb46d_story.html |access-date=9 January 2024 |title=Two officers who helped fight the Capitol mob died of suicide, Many more are hurting. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 11, 2021}} Capitol Police officer Howard Charles Liebengood died by suicide three days after the attack.{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Kaplan |title=U.S. Capitol Police 'must be held accountable' says wife of officer who died by suicide |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wife-of-officer-who-died-by-suicide-after-capitol-riot-says-uscp-must-be-held-accountable/ |access-date=August 8, 2021 |website=CBS News |date=March 18, 2021 |language=en-US}} D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Jeffrey Smith, who was injured in the attack, died by suicide from a gunshot wound to the head at George Washington Memorial Parkway on January 15, after a misdiagnosed concussion;{{cite news |last=Hermann |first=Peter |date=August 14, 2021 |title=Family of D.C. officer who died by suicide after Capitol riot files lawsuit against alleged attackers |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-officer-suicide-lawsuit-capitol-riot/2021/08/13/5601aedc-fc5b-11eb-943a-c5cf30d50e6a_story.html |access-date=August 20, 2021}} his death was found to be in line of duty.{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Ryan J. |date=August 18, 2023 |title=DOJ finds police officer's suicide after Jan. 6 attack was a death in the line of duty |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-finds-officers-suicide-jan-6-was-death-line-duty-rcna100648 |access-date=April 28, 2024}} In July, two more officers who responded to the attack died by suicide: Metropolitan Police officer Kyle Hendrik DeFreytag was found on July 10, and Metropolitan Police officer Gunther Paul Hashida was found on July 29.{{cite news |last1=Wild |first1=Whitney |last2=LeBlanc |first2=Paul |last3=Rose |first3=Rashard |date=August 3, 2021 |title=2 more DC police officers who responded to Capitol insurrection have died by suicide |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/02/politics/dc-metropolitan-police-officer-suicide-january-6-capitol-riot/index.html |url-status=live |work=CNN |location= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803030544/https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/02/politics/dc-metropolitan-police-officer-suicide-january-6-capitol-riot/index.html |archive-date=August 3, 2021 |access-date=August 3, 2021}}

Some rioters{{efn|Only sporadic instances of injured rioters have been publicly recorded;{{#invoke:cite web||last=Katelyn Polantz|date=June 2, 2021|title=Senate chamber trespasser pleads guilty and faces more than a year in prison|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/02/politics/senate-chamber-trespasser-plea/index.html|access-date=June 27, 2021|website=CNN}} injuries in general (such as a total number) among this group have not.}} and 174 police officers were injured, of whom 15 were hospitalized, some with severe injuries.{{#invoke:cite web||last=ArLuther Lee|date=January 11, 2021|title=2 Capitol Hill police officers suspended over riot|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-2-capitol-hill-police-officers-suspended-over-riot/XHWWHNA7EZHSNF32QREJROESQI/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114183812/https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-2-capitol-hill-police-officers-suspended-over-riot/XHWWHNA7EZHSNF32QREJROESQI/|archive-date=2021-01-14|newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution}} All had been released from the hospital by January 11.{{#invoke:cite web||last=Peter Hermann & Julie Zauzmer |date=January 12, 2021 |title=Beaten, sprayed with mace and hit with stun guns: police describe injuries to dozens of officers during assault on U.S. Capitol |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-capitol-injuires-trump/2021/01/11/ca68e3e2-5438-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112120533/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-capitol-injuires-trump/2021/01/11/ca68e3e2-5438-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

File:Interior damage after 2021 storming of the United States Capitol by Bill Cassidy 01.jpg|alt=A photo taken from the inside of the Capitol building. Windows are broken, along with their wooden frames. They are boarded up.]]

Rioters stormed the offices of Pelosi, flipping tables and ripping photos from walls; the office of the Senate Parliamentarian was ransacked; art was looted; and feces was tracked into hallways.{{Cite news |last=Wire |first=Sarah D. |date=January 4, 2024 |title='How are we going to defend ourselves?' Inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2024-01-04/jan-6-third-anniversary-inside-capitol-retrospective |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=The Los Angeles Times}}{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Kristin |last2=Barrett |first2=Ted |last3=Raju |first3=Manu |last4=Zaslav |first4=Ali |last5=Fortinsky |first5=Sarah |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Smoke grenades being deployed on Senate side of the US Capitol |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_dbbf8e4709f7dfcc4729ed32fe0337b9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106222928/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-electoral-college-vote-count-2021/h_dbbf8e4709f7dfcc4729ed32fe0337b9 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=9 January 2024 }}{{cite news |title=Pro-Trump rioters smeared poop in U.S. Capitol hallways during belligerent attack |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-trump-capitol-riot-poopers-20210107-prlsqytyabgdhnexushotl4nam-story.html |first=Chris |last=Sommerfeldt |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115070706/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-trump-capitol-riot-poopers-20210107-prlsqytyabgdhnexushotl4nam-story.html |url-status=live}} Windows were smashed throughout the building, leaving the floor littered with glass and debris. Rioters damaged, turned over, or stole furniture. One door had "Murder the Media" scribbled onto it in all-caps. Rioters damaged Associated Press recording and broadcasting equipment outside the Capitol after chasing away reporters.{{#invoke:cite web||title=Mob swarms media outside Capitol, damages equipment|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/video/mob-swarms-media-outside-capitol-damages-equipment-98983493908|url-status=live |date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107015509/https://www.nbcnews.com/video/mob-swarms-media-outside-capitol-damages-equipment-98983493908|archive-date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 7, 2021|website=NBC News}} Rioters also destroyed a display honoring the life of congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.{{cite news |last=Burdyk |first=Zack |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Hoyer says rioters destroyed display commemorating John Lewis |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/533142-hoyer-says-rioters-destroyed-display-commemorating-john-lewis |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111200304/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/533142-hoyer-says-rioters-destroyed-display-commemorating-john-lewis |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}{{cite news |date=January 7, 2021 |title=House Majority Leader says rioters stole tribute to late Rep. John Lewis |work=WFLA |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/house-majority-leader-says-rioters-stole-tribute-to-late-rep-john-lewis/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112153348/https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/house-majority-leader-says-rioters-stole-tribute-to-late-rep-john-lewis/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021}} A photo of Representative Andy Kim cleaning up the litter in the rotunda after midnight went viral.{{cite news |last=Wang |first=Claire |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Behind the viral photo of Rep. Andy Kim cleaning up at midnight after riots |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-viral-photo-rep-andy-kim-cleaning-midnight-after-riots-n1253519 |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111023350/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-viral-photo-rep-andy-kim-cleaning-midnight-after-riots-n1253519 |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}

The rioters caused extensive physical damage. Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton, who then led the office charged with maintaining the Capitol and preserving its art and architecture, reported in congressional testimony from late February 2021 that the combined costs of repairing the damage and post-attack security measures (such as erecting temporary perimeter fencing) already exceeded $30{{spaces}}million and would continue to increase. In May 2021, U.S. prosecutors estimated that the damage would cost almost $1.5 million.{{cite news |last=Hsu |first=Spencer S. |date=June 3, 2021 |title=Jan. 6 riot caused $1.5 million in damage to Capitol – and U.S. prosecutors want defendants to pay |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-defendants-pay-damages-restitution/2021/06/03/74691812-c3ec-11eb-93f5-ee9558eecf4b_story.html |access-date=September 22, 2021 }} Interior damage from the attack included broken glass, broken doors, and graffiti; some statues, paintings, and furniture were damaged by pepper spray, tear gas, and fire extinguishing agents deployed by rioters and police.

The historic bronze Columbus Doors were damaged.{{cite news |first=Marina |last=Pitofsky |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/538489-architect-of-the-capitol-considering-exhibiting-a-display-from |title=Architect of the Capitol considering display on January 6 riot |work=The Hill |date=February 11, 2021}} Items, including portraits of John Quincy Adams and James Madison, as well as a marble statue of Thomas Jefferson, were covered in "corrosive gas agent residue"; these were sent to the Smithsonian for assessment and restoration. A 19th-century marble bust of President Zachary Taylor was defaced with what seemed to be blood, but the most important works in the Capitol collection, such as the John Trumbull paintings, were unharmed. On the Capitol's exterior, two 19th-century bronze light fixtures designed by Frederick Law Olmsted were damaged. Because the Capitol has no insurance against loss, taxpayers will pay for damage suffered during the siege. Rare old-growth mahogany wood, stored in Wisconsin for more than one hundred years by the Forest Products Laboratory, was used to replace damaged wood fixtures and doors at the Capitol.{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Cioffi |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2021/04/15/this-wood-sat-in-storage-for-100-years-now-its-being-used-to-fix-capitol-riot-damage/ |title=This wood sat in storage for 100 years. Now it's being used to fix Capitol riot damage |work=Roll Call |date=April 15, 2021}}{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-madison-wisconsin-3d51c13876bc316245a06a17a7252ee4 |title=Wood from Madison laboratory headed for U.S. Capitol repairs |work=Associated Press |date=April 17, 2021}}

A laptop owned by Senator Jeff Merkley was stolen.{{cite news |last1=Wagner |first1=Meg |last2=Macaya |first2=Melissa |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Clyburn's spokesperson tells CNN they found his iPad, was not taken by rioters |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/washington-dc-riots-trump-news-friday/h_c0028e708eef7426f2d4926e5e610781 |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108220916/https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/washington-dc-riots-trump-news-friday/h_c0028e708eef7426f2d4926e5e610781 |archive-date=January 8, 2021}} A laptop taken from Pelosi's office was a "laptop from a conference room{{spaces}}... that was only used for presentations", according to Pelosi's deputy chief of staff. Representative Ruben Gallego said, "we have to do a full review of what was taken, or copied, or even left behind in terms of bugs and listening devices". Military news website SOFREP reported that "several" secret{{nbhyph}}level laptops were stolen, some of which had been abandoned while still logged in to SIPRNet, causing authorities to temporarily shut down SIPRNet for a security update on January{{spaces}}7 and leading the United States Army Special Operations Command to re-authorize all SIPRNet-connected computers on January 8.{{cite web |last1=Black |first1=John |last2=Sotak |first2=J.W. |last3=Spoonts |first3=Sean |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Computers with Access to Classified Material Stolen from Capitol |url=https://sofrep.com/news/breaking-computers-with-access-to-classified-material-stolen-from-capitol/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109005705/https://sofrep.com/news/breaking-computers-with-access-to-classified-material-stolen-from-capitol/ |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |website=SOFREP}}{{cite web |title=News & Notices |url=https://www.aoc.gov/about-us/news-notices |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108013733/https://www.aoc.gov/about-us/news-notices |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |work=Architect of the Capitol}}

Representative Anna Eshoo said in a statement that "[i]mages on social media and in the press of vigilantes accessing congressional computers are worrying" and she had asked the Chief Administrative Officer of the House (CAO) "to conduct a full assessment of threats based on what transpired".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Krazit|first=Tom|date=January 7, 2021|title=Don't worry about the cybersecurity fallout of the Capitol breach|url=https://www.protocol.com/no-cybersecurity-fallout-capitol-breach|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111002300/https://www.protocol.com/no-cybersecurity-fallout-capitol-breach|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 10, 2021|website=Protocol}} The CAO said it was "providing support and guidance to House offices as needed".{{#invoke:cite web||last=Miller|first=Maggie|date=January 8, 2021|title=Laptop stolen from Pelosi's office during Capitol riots|url=https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/533384-laptop-stolen-from-pelosis-office-during-capitol-riots|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110192540/https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/533384-laptop-stolen-from-pelosis-office-during-capitol-riots|archive-date=January 10, 2021|access-date=January 10, 2021|website=The Hill}}

{{Multiple image

| image1 = Biden oath of office.jpg

| image2 = Donald Trump 2nd Inauguration.jpg

| caption1 = Biden being inaugurated president on 20 January 2021, despite the attack

| caption2 = Trump returns to power on 20 January 2025. Hours later, he granted clemency to all rioters

| total_width = 400

}}

{{#invoke:Excerpt|main|only=paragraphs|Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

The 117th Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed legislation related to the Capitol attack, including the Capitol Police Emergency Assistance Act of 2021, the Electoral Reform Act, and a bill granting awards to Capitol Police officers for their bravery during the insurrection.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Jordan |date=December 22, 2021 |title=Biden signs bill streamlining emergency support for Capitol Police |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/586973-biden-signs-bill-allowing-capitol-police-chief-to-request-emergency/ |website=The Hill}}

On August 1, 2023, Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+, making it the second time in U.S. history the government's credit rating was downgraded since Standard & Poor's downgrade in 2011. Fitch Ratings directly cited the attack as a factor in its decision to downgrade, privately telling Biden officials that the event "indicated an unstable government". It also cited rising debt at the federal, state, and local levels, a "steady deterioration in standards of governance" over the last two decades, worsening political divisions around spending and tax policy, and "repeated debt limit standoffs and last-minute resolutions". Fitch Ratings did note in a previous report that while government stability declined from 2018 to 2021, it had increased since Biden assumed the presidency.{{cite news |last=Rugaber |first=Christopher |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Fitch downgrades US credit rating, citing mounting debt and political divisions |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/credit-rating-downgrade-deficit-68fb6c578190d8361b6639e603714e5a |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802005806/https://apnews.com/article/credit-rating-downgrade-deficit-68fb6c578190d8361b6639e603714e5a |archive-date=August 2, 2023}}

On July 16, 2023, Trump was notified that he was officially a target in the Smith special counsel investigation.{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Shabad|first1=Rebecca|last2=Reilly|first2=Ryan J.|date=July 18, 2023|title=Trump says he's received target letter from special counsel Jack Smith in Jan. 6 probe|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-says-s-received-target-letter-special-counsel-jack-smith-rcna92691|access-date=July 18, 2023|website=NBC News|language=en|archive-date=July 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718150213/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-says-s-received-target-letter-special-counsel-jack-smith-rcna92691|url-status=live}} On August 1, 2023, Trump was indicted on four charges. These were conspiracy to defraud the United States under Title 18 of the United States Code, obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding under the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002, and conspiracy against rights under the Enforcement Act of 1870. Trump pleaded not guilty,{{cite news |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |last2=Tucker |first2=Eric |last3=Merchant |first3=Nomaan |date=August 3, 2023 |title=Trump pleads not guilty to federal felonies related to the 2020 election |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-pleads-not-guilty-to-federal-felonies-related-to-the-2020-election |access-date=August 4, 2023 |work=PBS NewsHour |publisher=WETA}} while his attorney Sidney Powell later pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere with the election.{{cite news |last=Lowell |first=Hugo |date=October 19, 2023 |title=Trump's ex-lawyer Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election case |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/19/sidney-powell-guilty-plea-trump-georgia-elections |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020063659/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/19/sidney-powell-guilty-plea-trump-georgia-elections |archive-date=October 20, 2023 |access-date=October 20, 2023 |work=The Guardian}} Following Trump's reelection to the presidency in November 2024, Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, citing the DOJ's policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents. Judge Chutkan approved the request and dismissed all charges. Smith submitted his final 137-page report to the Justice Department on January 7, 2025 and resigned three days later.{{Cite web |last=Heuer |first=Mike |date=2025-01-11 |title=Federal prosecutor Jack Smith resigns ahead of Trump's inauguration |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/01/11/jack-smith-resignation/4401736633752 |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=United Press International |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Cheney |first1=Kyle |last2=Gerstein |first2=Josh |date=January 11, 2025 |title=Jack Smith resigns from DOJ |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/11/jack-smith-resigns-justice-department-trump-criminal-investigation-00197694 |work=Politico}} The part of the report about election obstruction was made public on January 14. The part about the mishandling of government records was not released at the same time because it was related to an ongoing criminal case.{{Cite news |last=Wendling |first=Mike |date=January 14, 2025 |title=Trump would have been convicted of election interference, DoJ report says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqld79pxeqo |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=BBC}}

Although a few evangelical leaders supported the attack,{{cite news |last=Olmstead |first=Molly |date=January 7, 2021 |title=How Prominent Evangelicals Reacted to the Capitol Riot |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/01/trump-capitol-riot-evangelical-leaders-reactions.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111135734/https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/01/trump-capitol-riot-evangelical-leaders-reactions.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021}} most condemned the violence and criticized Trump for inciting the crowd.{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Bryn |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Capitol riots: Religious leaders condemn violence, urge peace even in political disagreement |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/religious-leaders-violence-capitol-peace-political |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117193410/https://www.foxnews.com/us/religious-leaders-violence-capitol-peace-political |archive-date=January 17, 2021}} This criticism came from liberal Christian groups such as the Red-Letter Christians, as well as evangelical groups who were generally supportive of Trump.{{cite news |last=Watts |first=Craig M. |date=January 11, 2021 |title=The Cost of Believing Liars |work=Red Letter Christians |url=https://www.redletterchristians.org/the-cost-of-believing-liars/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112180808/https://www.redletterchristians.org/the-cost-of-believing-liars/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021}} This criticism did not noticeably affect evangelical support for Trump; investigative journalist Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump, argued that many white evangelical Christians in the U.S. create an echo chamber whereby Trump's missteps are blamed on the Democratic Party, leftists, or the mainstream media, the last of which is viewed as especially untrustworthy.{{cite news |last1=Jervis |first1=Rick |last2=Ramirez |first2=Marc |last3=Ruiz-Goiriena |first3=Romina |date=January 12, 2021 |title='No regrets': Evangelicals and other faith leaders still support Trump after deadly US Capitol attack |work=USA Today |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/12/evangelicals-donald-trump-capitol-riot-voter-fraud/6644005002/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114041532/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/12/evangelicals-donald-trump-capitol-riot-voter-fraud/6644005002/ |archive-date=January 14, 2021}}

In February 2025, during Donald Trump's second presidential term, The Washington Post reported that candidates for top intelligence and law enforcement positions were being screened with yes-or-no questions about whether January 6 was "an inside job" and whether the 2020 presidential election was "stolen".{{Cite news |date=February 2025 |title=U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/08/trump-administration-job-candidates-loyalty-screening/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

{{#invoke:Excerpt|main|only=paragraphs|Domestic reactions to the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

Biden, Harris, civil rights groups and celebrities immediately criticized the Capitol Police for a perceived "double standard" in the treatment of the protesters and rioters, who were mostly white. Biden stated, "No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday they wouldn't have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol. We all know that's true and it is unacceptable". Harris stated, "We witnessed two systems of justice when we saw one that let extremists storm the United States Capitol and another that released tear gas on peaceful protestors (Black Lives Matter) last summer".{{cite tweet |url=https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1347279867574943745 |title=We have witnessed two systems of justice: one that let extremists storm the U.S. Capitol yesterday, and another that released tear gas on peaceful protestors last summer. |user=KamalaHarris |last=Harris |first=Kamala |author-link=Kamala Harris |number=1347279867574943745 |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=April 24, 2025}} Michelle Obama wrote, "Yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation. They've just got to look the right way".{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/capitol-police-response-rioters-draws-claims-racist-double-standards-n1253363 |title=Capitol Police response to rioters draws claims of racist double standards |website=NBC News |date=January 8, 2021 |first1=Janelle |last1=Griffith |first2=Deon J. |last2=Hampton}}{{cite news |url=https://atlantablackstar.com/2021/01/08/michelle-obama-sunny-hostin-others-call-out-double-standard-in-the-way-pro-trump-rioters-were-treated-by-police-compared-with-blm-protesters/ |first=Niara |last=Savage |work=Atlanta Black Star |access-date=6 January 2024 |title=Michelle Obama, Sunny Hostin, Others Call Out Double Standard in the Way Pro-Trump Rioters Were Treated by Police Compared with BLM Protesters |date=January 8, 2021}} Capitol Police chief Steven Sund, who later resigned, explained they had prepared for a peaceful protest but were overwhelmed by an "angry, violent mob".{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2021-01-12/the-us-capitol-riots-and-the-double-standard-of-protest-policing |title=The U.S. Capitol Riots and the Double Standard of Protest Policing |first=Joseph |last=P. Williams |date=January 12, 2021 |website=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=6 January 2024}} Later in the year, at a White House ceremony to thank officers who responded to the attack that day, Biden and Harris congratulated the police on their response, calling them "heroes".{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/biden-raises-jan-6-specter-hail-police-heroism |first=Katherine |last=Doyle |title=Defend the police: Biden praises 'heroism' of officers who protected Capitol on Jan. 6 |date=August 5, 2021 |access-date=5 January 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/06/harris-jan-6-like-pearl-harbor-9-11/9116617002/|title=Kamala Harris speech: January 6 will 'echo' in U.S. history like Pearl Harbor, 9/11|first1=Rebecca |last1=Morin |first2=Matthew|last2=Brown|website=USA Today}}

{{#invoke:Excerpt|main|only=paragraphs|International reactions to the January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

{{Main|2024 presidential eligibility of Donald Trump}}

In late 2022 Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Some legal scholars argued that Trump should be barred from presidential office under section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution because of his apparent support for the attack.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=August 11, 2023 |title=The constitutional case that Donald Trump is already banned from being president |url=https://www.vox.com/23828477/trump-2024-14th-amendment-banned |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=Vox |language=en}}
• {{cite news |date=August 10, 2023 |title=Conservative Case Emerges to Disqualify Trump for Role on Jan. 6 |work=The New York Times |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/trump-jan-6-insurrection-conservatives.html |access-date=August 11, 2023 |last1=Liptak |first1=Adam}}
• {{cite news |last=Nichols |first=John |date=August 4, 2023 |title=The Biggest Threat to Donald Trump Could Be the Constitution Itself |language=en-US |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-14th-amendment-indictment/ |access-date=August 11, 2023 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Baude |first1=William |last2=Paulsen |first2=Michael |title=The Sweep and Force of Section Three |journal=University of Pennsylvania Law Review |date=2024 |volume=172 |issue=3 |pages=605 |doi=10.58112/uplr.172-3.1 |ssrn=4532751 }} Three states, Maine, Colorado, and Illinois, issued rulings to disqualify Trump from appearing on election ballots, with Trump appealing in Trump v. Anderson. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on March 4, 2024 that states could not remove Trump from the ballot.{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2024 |title=States can't kick Trump off ballot, Supreme Court says |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/04/states-cant-remove-trump-from-ballot-supreme-court-says-00144673 |website=Politico |language=en}} Following Biden's withdrawal from the race in July, Trump ultimately defeated Kamala Harris the election in November, being inaugurated for a second term on January 20, 2025 with JD Vance as his vice president.

Other public officials involved in the January 6 attack have also faced disqualification under the Fourteenth Amendment. Otero County, New Mexico, commissioner Couy Griffin was disqualified and removed from office while Congressional representative Marjorie Taylor Greene survived a similar challenge.{{cite news |first=Isabella |last=Murray |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Judge removes local official for engaging in Jan. 6 'insurrection' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/judge-removes-local-official-engaging-jan-insurrection/story?id=89463597 |work=ABC News |access-date=January 6, 2024}}

Over 350 defendants, including Trump, were charged with obstructing an official proceeding under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Prior to the January 6 prosecutions, such charges had never been brought in cases that did not involve evidence tampering. In Fischer v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on non-ideological lines in favor of defendant Joseph Fischer and found that the obstruction charges in the case were overbroad, as they did not apply to evidence tampering, although charges against Trump could potentially proceed.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-jan-6-rioter-challenging-obstruction-char-rcna155902|title=Supreme Court rules for Jan. 6 rioter challenging obstruction charge|first1=Lawrence|last1=Hurley|first2=Ryan J.|last2=Reily|publisher=NBC News|date=June 28, 2024|accessdate=June 28, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-january-6-obstruction-law-trump/|title=Supreme Court to examine federal obstruction law used to prosecute Trump and Jan. 6 rioters|publisher=CBS News|date=15 April 2024}} Soon after the ruling, other January 6 criminal cases were reopened to adhere to the Fischer ruling and further usage of obstruction charges against January 6 defendants was stopped.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4746510-jan-6-cases-reopened-supreme-court-ruling/|title=Jan. 6 cases start being reopened after Supreme Court ruling|first=Ella|last=Lee|work=The Hill|date=June 28, 2024|access-date=June 28, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/us/politics/rhodes-oath-keepers-dc-capitol-trump.html|title=U.S. Attorney Opens Investigation Into Justice Dept.'s Jan. 6 Cases|work=The New York Times|date=27 January 2025}}

In 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia initiated an internal review of its prosecutions of January 6 defendants under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/01/27/edward-martin-us-attorney-jan6/|title=Interim D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin launches probe of Jan. 6 prosecutions|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=27 January 2025}}

{{See also|Pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants}}

On January 20, 2025, on his last day in office, U.S. president Joe Biden granted pardons cover all members of the House Select Committee that had investigated the 6 January riot, as well as their staff and the officers who testified.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-20 |title=Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for siblings, Fauci and 6 Jan riot committee |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r5g5dezk4o |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}} Later that day, on the first day of his second term, U.S. president Donald Trump issued a proclamation granting clemency to approximately 1,200 individuals convicted for their involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and dismissing the cases of the remaining approximately 300 charged individuals. The pardon extended to those charged with vandalism and assaults on law enforcement officers, including members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Following the pardons, Trump ordered the DOJ to purge previously-published press releases about the arrests and convictions of those pardoned.{{Cite news |last=Pavlo |first=Walt |date=2025-01-28 |title=Trump Orders DOJ To Purge Press Releases Of J-6 Offenders |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2025/01/28/trump-orders-doj-to-purge-press-releases-of-j-6-offenders/ |access-date=2025-02-05 |work=Forbes}} Soon after, video evidence of the attack likewise began being purged from government databases.{{Cite news |last=Dreisbach |first=Tom |date=2025-02-12 |title=Jan. 6 video evidence has 'disappeared' from public access, media coalition says |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/02/11/nx-s1-5293447/jan-6-evidence-captiol-riot-donald-trump |access-date=2025-02-13 |work=NPR |language=en}}

{{see also|Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election#Description as attempted coup during or after the Capitol attack|l1=Description of the attempts to overturn the election as an attempted coup}}

{{#invoke:Excerpt|main|Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack|Contemporary analysis and terminology}}

On January 4, 2021, Steve Bannon, while discussing the planning for the upcoming events and speech by Trump on January 6 at The Ellipse, described it as a "bloodless coup".

A March 2023 poll found that 20.5 percent of respondents believed that violence to achieve a political goal is sometimes justified. Nearly 12 percent expressed their willingness to use force to restore Trump to power.{{cite news |last1=Mockaitis |first1=Tom |title=Contemporary America is modeling the worst of Depression-era Germany |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3905112-contemporary-america-is-modeling-the-worst-of-depression-era-germany/ |work=The Hill |date=March 17, 2023 |access-date=3 January 2024}} A June 2023 poll found that about 12 million American adults, or 4.4 percent of the adult population, believed violence is justified in returning Trump to the White House.{{cite news |last1=Lerner |first1=Kira |title=12m Americans believe violence is justified to restore Trump to power |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/09/january-6-trump-political-violence-survey |work=The Guardian |date=9 June 2023 |access-date=3 January 2024}}

{{Broader|Timeline of violent incidents at the United States Capitol}}

{{See also|List of incidents of political violence in Washington, D.C.|List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States|List of rebellions in the United States|List of attacks on legislatures}}

File:Tear Gas outside United States Capitol 20210106.jpg deployed outside the Capitol]]

While there have been other instances of violence at the Capitol in the 19th and 20th centuries, this event was the most severe assault on the building since the 1814 burning of Washington by British forces during the War of 1812. The last attempt on the life of the vice president was a bomb plot against Thomas Marshall in July 1915.Multiple sources:

• {{#invoke:cite web||last=Holpuch|first=Amanda|date=January 6, 2021|title=US Capitol's last breach was more than 200 years ago|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/06/us-capitol-building-washington-history-breach|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111021347/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/06/us-capitol-building-washington-history-breach|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|quote=For the first time on Wednesday, it was the site of an armed insurrection incited by the sitting president.{{spaces}}... Not since 1814 has the building been breached. Then, it was by British troops who set fire to the building during a broader attack on Washington in the war of 1812.|newspaper=The Guardian}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Puckett|first1=Jason|last2=Spry Jr.|first2=Terry|date=January 6, 2021|title=Has the US Capitol ever been attacked before?|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/verify/verify-has-capitol-been-attacked-before/507-df314b7f-33c3-4af4-8029-0ed7fb86fbbf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210113005653/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/verify/verify-has-capitol-been-attacked-before/507-df314b7f-33c3-4af4-8029-0ed7fb86fbbf|archive-date=January 13, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|publisher=Tegna Inc. |website=WXIA-TV|quote=While this is the first large-scale occupation of the U.S. Capitol since 1814, there have been several other instances of violence at the U.S. Capitol, particularly in the 20th century.}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Fisher|first1=Marc|last2=Flynn|first2=Meagan|last3=Contrera|first3=Jessica|last4=Loennig|first4=Carol D.|date=January 7, 2021|title=The four-hour insurrection: How a Trump mob halted American democracy|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113010357/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/|archive-date=January 13, 2021|access-date=January 24, 2021|quote=The attack, which some historians called the most severe assault on the Capitol since the British sacked the building in 1814|newspaper=The Washington Post}} For the first time in U.S. history, a Confederate battle flag was flown inside the Capitol. The Confederate States Army had never reached the Capitol, nor come closer than {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} from the Capitol at the Battle of Fort Stevens, during the American Civil War.Multiple sources:
• {{cite news |last=Cramer |first=Maria |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Confederate Battle Flag in the Capitol: A 'Jarring' First in U.S. History |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/confederate-flag-capitol.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109120449/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/confederate-flag-capitol.html |archive-date=January 9, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Sidney |author-link=Sidney Blumenthal |date=January 9, 2021 |title=Trump's Maga insurrectionists were perverse US civil war re-enactors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/09/trump-maga-us-american-civil-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110232229/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/09/trump-maga-us-american-civil-war |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |access-date=January 11, 2021 |website=The Guardian}}
• {{cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Eliott C. |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Before Wednesday, insurgents waving Confederate flags hadn't been within 6 miles of the US Capitol |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/capitol-confederate-flag-fort-stevens/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020738/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/capitol-confederate-flag-fort-stevens/index.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Smith |first=Clint |date=January 8, 2021 |title=The Whole Story in a Single Photo |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/confederates-in-the-capitol/617594/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111170141/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/confederates-in-the-capitol/617594/ |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 13, 2021 |website=The Atlantic |quote=During the Civil War, the Confederate Army never reached the Capitol. The rebel flag, to my knowledge, had never been flown inside the halls of Congress until Wednesday. Two days ago, a man walked through the halls of government bearing the flag of a group of people who had seceded from the United States and gone to war against it.}}{{efn|However, from 1894 to 2020, the Flag of Mississippi contained a Confederate battle flag in its design and had been displayed in the Capitol building.{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-flags-idUSKCN0XI2JY |title=U.S. Capitol replacing flag display over Confederate imagery |work=Reuters |last=Cassella |first=Megan |date=April 21, 2016 |access-date=August 17, 2021}}{{pb}}The flag was carried during the attack by Kevin Seefried, who traveled from his home in Delaware to hear Trump speak, bringing the flag he had displayed outside his house. Seefried and his son, who helped clear a broken window for them to gain access into the Capitol, were indicted by a grand jury.{{cite web |last=Higgins |first=Tucker |title=Man who carried Confederate flag to Capitol during Jan. 6 riot indicted |website=CNBC |date=April 8, 2021 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/man-who-carried-confederate-flag-to-capitol-during-riot-indicted-.html |access-date=November 8, 2021 }}}}

Douglas Brinkley, a historian at Rice University,{{cite web |title=Faculty: Douglas Brinkley |website=Rice University |url=https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/douglas-brinkley |access-date=January 17, 2022}} remarked on how January 6 would be remembered in American history: "Now every Jan. 6, we're going to have to remember what happened... I worry if we lose the date that it will lose some of its wallop over time". He also wrote about Trump's responsibility during the attack: "There are always going to be puzzle pieces added to what occurred on January 6, because the president of the United States was sitting there watching this on television in the White House, as we all know, allowing it to go on and on".{{cite web |title='Dark day on the calendar of American history': Historian explains how Jan. 6 will be remembered |first1=Peter |last1=O'Dowd |first2=Allison |last2=Hagan |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/01/06/jan-6-capitol-history |access-date=January 17, 2022 |website=wbur.org |date=January 6, 2022 |language=en}}

On the first anniversary of the attack, historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham warned that the U.S. remained at "a crucial turning point". Meacham commented, "What you saw a year ago today was the worst instincts of both human nature and American politics and it's either a step on the way to the abyss or it is a call to arms figuratively for citizens to engage".{{cite web |last1=Greve |first1=Joan E. |title=Historians mark 6 January with urgent warning on threats to US democracy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/06/us-capitol-attack-historians-democracy-threat |website=The Guardian |date=January 6, 2022 |access-date=June 26, 2022}}

Robert Paxton considered the attack to be evidence that Trump's movement was an example of fascism, a characterization that Paxton had resisted up to that point. Paxton compared the event to the French 6 February 1934 crisis.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.newsweek.com/robert-paxton-trump-fascist-1560652 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312204123/https://www.newsweek.com/robert-paxton-trump-fascist-1560652 |url-status=live |archive-date=2021-03-12 |title=I've Hesitated to Call Donald Trump a Fascist. Until Now |work=Newsweek |date=2021-01-11 |first=Robert O. |last=Paxton}}

Richard J. Evans said that it was not a coup, but that it did represent a danger to democracy in the U.S.{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.newstatesman.com/world/americas/north-america/us/2021/01/trump-fascist |work=New Statesman |access-date=3 January 2024 |first=Richard J. |last=Evans |author-link=Richard J. Evans |title=Why Trump isn't a fascist|date=January 13, 2021 }}

Other scholars expressed concern about how history would portray the attack and its aftermath.{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Fisher |title=Scholars concerned over how history will portray Jan. 6 |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/01/05/jan-6-capitol-riot-anniversary-history/6741704465721 |work=United Press International |date=January 5, 2024 |accessdate=January 5, 2024}} Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, stated that reframing the insurrection as a "sightseeing tour" by the GOP has given "the far-right extremists, the neo-Nazi white supremacists who are obsessed with January 6, the counter reality they've been looking for of a bunch of patriots taking a tour in the Capitol".{{cite news |last1=McGreal |first1=Chris |title=Republicans try to reframe January 6 as a sightseeing tour – will it work? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/11/republicans-reframing-january-6-attack |access-date=7 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=11 March 2023}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• 1983 United States Senate bombing
• Zug massacre
• 2017 storming of the Macedonian Parliament
• 2017 Venezuelan National Assembly attack
• 2019 South Korean Capitol attack
• 2022 German coup d'état plot
• 2022 Wellington protest
• 2024 Parliament of Kenya attack
• 2024 South Korean martial law
• 8 January Brasília attacks
• {{Annotated link|Brooks Brothers riot}}
• Canada convoy protest
• Demonstrations in support of Donald Trump
• EDSA III – 2001 incident in the Philippines
• Enough, a memoir by Cassidy Hutchinson
• {{section link|List of coups and coup attempts by country|United States}}
• List of attacks on legislatures
• {{annotated link|Newburgh Conspiracy}}
• Pre-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election
• Protests against Donald Trump's Presidential inauguration
• Right-wing terrorism
• Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election
• Republican reactions to Donald Trump's claims of 2020 election fraud
• {{annotated link|Wilmington massacre}}
• {{annotated link|Non-cooperation movement (2024)}}

{{div col end}}

{{notelist|30em}}

{{cite news |last1=Reeves |first1=Jay |last2=Mascaro |first2=Lisa |last3=Woodward |first3=Calvin |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Capitol assault a more sinister attack than first appeared |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/14c73ee280c256ab4ec193ac0f49ad54 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112234712/https://apnews.com/article/14c73ee280c256ab4ec193ac0f49ad54 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 12, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||last=Carless |first=Will |date=January 4, 2021 |title=Nation's capital braces for violence as extremist groups converge to protest Trump's election loss |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/04/january-6-dc-protests-against-election-certification-could-violent/4132441001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105213603/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/04/january-6-dc-protests-against-election-certification-could-violent/4132441001/ |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |website=USA Today |access-date=January 7, 2021}}

{{cite news |last=Bahr |first=Sarah |date=January 8, 2021 |title=First Inventory of Damage to U.S. Capitol Building Released |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/arts/design/us-capitol-damage.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113094046/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/arts/design/us-capitol-damage.html |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |access-date=January 24, 2021}}

{{cite journal |last=Bracewell |first=Lorna |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Gender, Populism, and the QAnon Conspiracy Movement |journal=Frontiers in Sociology |volume=5 |pages=615727 |doi=10.3389/fsoc.2020.615727 |doi-access=free |pmc=8022489 |pmid=33869533 }}

{{#invoke:cite web||title=DC National Guard commander says 'unusual' Pentagon restrictions slowed response to Capitol riot |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/politics/us-capitol-riot-hearing-dhs-fbi-pentagon/index.html |website=CNN |date=March 3, 2021 |last1=Cohen |first1=Zachary |last2=Kaufman |first2=Ellie |last3=Liebermann |first3=Oren |author-link3=Oren Liebermann |access-date=March 3, 2021}}

{{cite journal |last=Crossley |first=James |date=September 2021 |title=The Apocalypse and Political Discourse in an Age of COVID |journal=Journal for the Study of the New Testament |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=93–111 |doi=10.1177/0142064X211025464 |doi-access=free }}

{{cite journal |last1=Kriner |first1=Matthew |last2=Lewis |first2=Jon |date=22 December 2021 |url=https://ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/CTC-SENTINEL-102021.pdf |title=The Oath Keepers and Their Role in the January 6 Insurrection |url-status=live |editor1-last=Cruickshank |editor1-first=Paul |editor2-last=Hummel |editor2-first=Kristina |journal=CTC Sentinel |volume=14 |issue=10 |pages=1–18 |publisher=Combating Terrorism Center |location=West Point, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227044425/https://ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/CTC-SENTINEL-102021.pdf |archive-date=27 December 2021 |access-date=19 January 2022}}

{{cite news |last=Bahr |first=Sarah |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Curators Scour Capitol for Damage to the Building or Its Art |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/arts/design/us-capitol-art-damage.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171935/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/arts/design/us-capitol-art-damage.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Guglielmi |first1=Giorgia |title=The next-generation bots interfering with the US election |journal=Nature |date=October 28, 2020 |volume=587 |issue=7832 |page=21 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-03034-5 |pmid=33116324 |bibcode=2020Natur.587...21G |doi-access=free}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Zadrozny |first2=Brandy |author-link2=Brandy Zadrozny|date=August 10, 2018 |title=The far right is struggling to contain Qanon after giving it life |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/far-right-struggling-contain-qanon-after-giving-it-life-n899741 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Eli |date=November 30, 2018 |title=Pence shares picture of himself meeting a SWAT officer with a QAnon conspiracy patch |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/01/pence-shares-picture-him-meeting-swat-officer-wearing-qanon-conspiracy-patch/ |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
• {{cite news |date=November 30, 2018 |title=South Florida Cop Wore 'QAnon' Conspiracy Patch With Mike Pence |work=Miami New Times |first=Jerry |last=Iannelli |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/broward-south-florida-cop-wore-qanon-patch-with-mike-pence-10938571 |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
• {{#invoke:cite web||last=Moore |first=McKenna |date=August 1, 2018 |title=What You Need to Know About Far-Right Conspiracy QAnon |url=https://fortune.com/2018/08/01/qanon-conspiracy-trump-tampa-rally/ |website=Fortune|access-date=April 19, 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=Roose |first=Kevin |date=July 10, 2019 |title=Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Right-Wing Social Media Trolls |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710190951/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=July 17, 2019 }}

{{cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |last2=Levenson |first2=Michael |date=January 8, 2021 |title=A Capitol Police officer who was seriously injured Wednesday remains on life support |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/admin/a-capitol-police-officer-who-was-seriously-injured-wednesday-remains-on-life-support.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111051832/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/admin/a-capitol-police-officer-who-was-seriously-injured-wednesday-remains-on-life-support.html |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||last=Lakritz, Talia |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Shocking photos show pro-Trump rioters in the Capitol stealing memorabilia and breaking into the desks of lawmakers |url=https://news.yahoo.com/shocking-photos-show-pro-trump-222205516.html |website=Yahoo! News |access-date=January 8, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||title=Officers maced, trampled: Docs expose depth of Jan. 6 chaos |url=https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3 |website=Associated Press |date=March 5, 2021 |last1=Mendoza |first1=Martha |last2=Linderman |first2=Juliet |last3=Long |first3=Colleen |last4=Burke |first4=Garance |access-date=March 5, 2021}}

{{cite news |last1=Cathey |first1=Libby |last2=Thorbecke |first2=Catherine |last3=Winsor |first3=Morgan |last4=Sanchez |first4=Rosa |title=Congressman recalls moment woman was shot inside Capitol building |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/2020-election-results-transition/?id=75022086#75108231 |work=ABC News |date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210107210406/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/2020-election-results-transition/?id=75022086%2375108231 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2021}}

{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/07/capitol-protests-dc-live-updates/ |title=Northam recounts call for help from Speaker Pelosi during Capitol siege |first=Laura |last=Vozzella |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 7, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020747/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/07/capitol-protests-dc-live-updates/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2021}}

{{cite news |last1=Barry |first1=Dan |last2=McIntire |first2=Mike |last3=Rosenberg |first3=Matthew |date=January 9, 2021 |title='Our President Wants Us Here': The Mob That Stormed the Capitol |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-rioters.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109232819/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-rioters.html |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |access-date=January 10, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||last1=Polantz |first1=Katelyn |last2=Rabinowitz |first2=Hannah |title=Justice Department appealing prison sentences given to convicted Oath Keepers members |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/12/politics/doj-appeals-oath-keepers-sentences/index.html |website=CNN.com |date=13 July 2023 |publisher=CNN |access-date=17 July 2023}}

{{cite news |last=Wire |first=Sarah D. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Reporter inside Capitol describes being in a roomful of people 'panicked that I might inadvertently give away their location' |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/reporter-inside-capitol-describes-being-in-a-roomful-of-people-panicked-that-i-might-inadvertently-give-away-their-location/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110134313/https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/reporter-inside-capitol-describes-being-in-a-roomful-of-people-panicked-that-i-might-inadvertently-give-away-their-location/ |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||last=Barlyn, Suzanne |date=January 7, 2021 |title=U.S. taxpayers to pay Capitol siege tab as government shuns insurance |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-insurance/u-s-taxpayers-to-pay-capitol-siege-tab-as-government-shuns-insurance-idUSKBN29C38M |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112040537/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-insurance/u-s-taxpayers-to-pay-capitol-siege-tab-as-government-shuns-insurance-idUSKBN29C38M |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Reuters |access-date=January 12, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-police-watchdog-slams-ammo-shields-readiness-for-january-6-2021-4 |date=April 9, 2021 |title=US Capitol Police had expired ammunition and ineffective shields on the day of the January 6 riot, scathing internal report says |first=Mia |last=Jankowicz |website=Business Insider |access-date=September 8, 2023}}

{{cite news |last1=Paybarah |first1=Azi |last2=Lewis |first2=Brent |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Stunning Images as a Mob Storms the U.S. Capitol |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/trump-riot-dc-capitol-photos.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020712/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/trump-riot-dc-capitol-photos.html |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021}}

{{cite news |last1=Swaine |first1=Jon |last2=Bennett |first2=Dalton |last3=Sohyun Lee |first3=Joyce |last4=Kelly |first4=Meg |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Video shows fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108180214/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/ |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||last=Recker |first=Jane |date=August 5, 2021 |title=8 Gripping Details From Time's Cover Story on DC Cop Michael Fanone |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/08/05/8-gripping-details-from-times-cover-story-on-dc-cop-michael-fanone/ |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |quote=Time Magazine just released a new profile on Michael Fanone, the DC cop and narcotics officer who gained notoriety for his bravery in defending the US Capitol on January 6 (bodycam footage shows that he was tased, beaten with pipes, dragged down the Capitol steps, and threatened with his own gun) and for his continuing efforts to keep the day from being forgotten. |access-date=December 28, 2021}}

{{#invoke:cite web||title=Trump's first two indictments could mean prison. His third could change the presidency |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article277831393.html |work=Miami Herald |date=August 1, 2023 |last=Wilner |first=Michael |access-date=August 2, 2023}}

{{#invoke:cite web||title=Update: Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/apr/20/update-capitol-police-officer-sicknick-died-natura/ |website=PolitiFact |date=April 20, 2021 |language=en-US |access-date=September 17, 2024}}

{{#invoke:Sister project links|main|n=Police engage protestors in armed conflict inside US Capitol|wikt=no|s=no|b=no|v=no}}

{{Wikisource|1=Donald Trump's Save America Rally Speech|2=Trump's rally speech}}

• [https://www.usatoday.com/storytelling/capitol-riot-mob-arrests Capitol riot arrests: See who's been charged across the U.S.] – U.S.-wide tracker database created and updated by USA Today
• {{#invoke:cite web|| title=CNN Special Report: American Coup: The January 6th Investigation | website=CNN | date=September 13, 2022 | url=https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2022/09/13/cnn-special-report-american-coup-the-january-6th-investigation/ }} Show can be found on [https://go.cnn.com/vod CNN Live TV]
• {{#invoke:cite web|| title=Transcript: CNN Special Report: American Coup: The January 6th Investigation | website=CNN | date=September 18, 2022 | url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/csr/date/2022-09-18/segment/01 }}

• [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/pdf/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf Final Report] (December 22, 2022) of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack (845 pages)
• [https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report Supporting Material] from the January 6 Select Committee
• [https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases Capitol Breach Cases] – list of defendants charged in federal court in the District of Columbia related to the January 6 attack (list maintained by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)
• {{cite journal |author1=Senate Committee on Rules and Administration |author2=Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee |author1-link=Senate Committee on Rules and Administration |author2-link=Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee |title=Examining The U.S. Capitol Attack: A Review of The Security, Planning, and Response Failures on January 6 |journal=United States Senate |date=June 7, 2021 |url=https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/hsgac-rules-jan-6-report }}
• [https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/violence-at-the-united-states-capitol FBI Seeking Information Related to Violent Activity at the U.S Capitol Building] – FBI
• {{#invoke:cite web||work=C-SPAN|date=February 9, 2021|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivVOPWrFfW4|title=Senate Impeachment Trial: January 6 Video Montage (13:24)|via=YouTube|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210065603/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivVOPWrFfW4&feature=youtu.be|archive-date=February 10, 2021|type=House Impeachment Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin presents a video montage of the January 6, 2021, Attack on the U.S. Capitol during his opening statement during the Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump | url-status=live}}
• See also: {{cite news |first=Philip |last=Elliott |date=February 10, 2021 |url=https://time.com/5938095/video-capitol-riot-impeachment-trial/ |title=This Video of Jan. 6's Insurrection Should Be Mandatory |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210210235333/https://time.com/5938095/video-capitol-riot-impeachment-trial/ |archive-date=February 10, 2021 |url-status=live}}
• [https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/24 H. Res. 24 – Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors] (article of impeachment adopted by the House on January 13, 2021)
• [https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/31 H.Res.31 – Condemning and censuring Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama] (censure resolution introduced on January 11, 2021, by Representative Tom Malinowski, with two cosponsors)
• {{wikisource-inline|Article of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump (2021)|single=true}}

{{div col}}

• [https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/ What Parler Saw During the Attack on the Capitol] (video archive from ProPublica)
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJVMoe7OY0 Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol] (visual investigation by The New York Times)
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/democracy-on-trial/ Democracy on Trial] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/lies-politics-and-democracy/ Lies, Politics and Democracy] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/plot-to-overturn-the-election/ Plot to Overturn the Election] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/michael-flynns-holy-war/ Michael Flynn's Holy War] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/american-insurrection/ American Insurrection] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/united-states-of-conspiracy/ United States of Conspiracy] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/trumps-american-carnage/ Trump's American Carnage] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/pelosis-power/ Pelosi's Power] PBS
• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/americas-great-divide-from-obama-to-trump/ America's Great Divide] PBS
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYh4c42Jprg&t=39s American Reckoning – A PBS NewsHour Special Report] PBS
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-DgsUKw-YE&t=17s The January 6th Report] NBC
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZiSfMW__iQ&t=5s CNN Coverage of the January 6 Insurrection] CNN
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/the-politicians-who-tried-to-overturn-an-election--and-the-local-news-team-that-wont-let-anyone-forget-it/2021/05/01/cc8764f6-a91e-11eb-8d25-7b30e74923ea_story.html News team decides to remind listeners of the attempted overthrow of the USA government by Republican elected officials on January 6, 2021] (WITF; The Washington Post; May 2, 2021).
• [https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence FBI U.S. Capitol Violence] (Filter by keywords)

{{div col end}}

• {{cite news |last1=Leatherby |first1=Lauren |last2=Singhvi |first2=Anjali |date=January 15, 2021 |title=Critical Moments in the Capitol Siege |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/15/us/trump-capitol-riot-timeline.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116183419/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/15/us/trump-capitol-riot-timeline.html |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |ref=none}} (Detailed timeline)
• {{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Dalton |last2=Brown |first2=Emma |last3=Cahlan |first3=Sarah |last4=Lee |first4=Joyce Sohyun |last5=Kelly |first5=Meg |last6=Samuels |first6=Elyse |last7=Swaine |first7=Jon |date=January 16, 2021 |title=41 minutes of fear: A video timeline from inside the Capitol siege |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/16/video-timeline-capitol-siege/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118054507/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/16/video-timeline-capitol-siege/ |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |ref=none}} (Video timeline)
• [https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c37r4jqnn21t/us-capitol-stormed US Capitol stormed], collected news and commentary. BBC News Online.
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/jan-6-insurrection-capitol/ Timeline − details before, during and after the attack] (The Washington Post; October 31, 2021).
• {{youTube|U2aWw-C27Rk|Video (18:49): "Inside Trump's Election Plot"}} (MSNBC News; July 29, 2022)
• [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/opinion/trump-documents-jan-6-prosecute.html "Donald Trump Is Not Above The Law"] (The New York Times; August 26, 2022)

{{January 6 United States Capitol attack navbox}}

{{Navboxes top}}

{{2020 United States presidential election}}

{{First presidency of Donald Trump}}

{{Alt-right footer}}

{{Riots in the United States (1980–present)}}

{{Second impeachment and impeachment trial of Donald Trump}}

{{#invoke:Portal bar|main|2020s|Conservatism|Law|Modern history|Politics|Society|United States}}

{{Navboxes bottom}}

{{#invoke:Authority control|authorityControl}}

Category:117th United States Congress

Category:2020s political riots

Category:2021 controversies in the United States

Category:2021 in American politics

Category:2021 in Washington, D.C.

Category:2021 riots

Category:2020s rebellions

Category:Articles containing video clips

Category:Attacks on the United States Congress

Category:Attempted self-coups

Category:Constitutional crises

Category:Controversies of the 2020 United States presidential election

Category:Coups d'état and coup attempts in the United States

Category:Crimes against police officers in the United States

Category:Deaths by firearm in Washington, D.C.

Category:Democratic backsliding in the United States

Category:Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign

Category:Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign

Category:Donald Trump controversies

Category:Donald Trump prosecutions

Category:Electoral violence in the United States

Category:First presidency of Donald Trump

Category:First Trump administration controversies

Category:Josh Hawley

Capitol attack 6

Category:Neo-fascist terrorism

Category:Oath Keepers

Category:Occupations (protest) in the United States

Category:Mike Pence

Category:Nancy Pelosi

Category:Political riots in the United States

Category:Protests against results of United States elections

Category:Proud Boys

Category:Riots and civil disorder in Washington, D.C.

Category:Second impeachment of Donald Trump

Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2021

Category:Terrorist incidents in Washington, D.C.

Category:Trumpism

Category:United States Capitol Police

Category:Vice presidency of the United States