The Attack on the United States Capitol
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, history was made by pro-Trump rioters who infiltrated the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The events that took place on Wednesday will go down in history as the first time that The Capitol Building has been broken into since the British stormed and burned the building in 1814.
Pro-Trump supporters, furious at the rumors of a stolen election along with the fact that Democrats now hold the majority in the Senate, wreaked chaos upon the country. Hundreds of armed rioters broke into the Capitol Building and overwhelmed Capitol police who attempted to remove them without the use of violence. The Capitol Building was once regarded as one of the most secure buildings in the country and has been a symbol of the United States democracy for centuries.
Despite efforts to maintain the peace, a total of five people lost their lives in the midst of the chaos. Prior to the riot, President Trump announced to his followers, “We’re going to have to fight much harder.” President Trump and his followers are still hung up on the rigged election of November 2020 that put President Joe Biden into office. Trump repeatedly gave false hope to his followers by claiming that they could overturn the votes to ensure that he received a second term (The Washington Post). His naive and unfounded claims led thousands to believe that breaking into the Capitol was the only way to reverse the election results to keep Donald Trump in office for another four years.
What left most Americans and observers of the Capitol riots in shock was the fact that the rioters did not face a large number of police upon entry into the building. Unlike the several peaceful Black Lives Matter protests that took place last year against police brutality, where protestors were met with excessive violence, Capitol rioters entered the building and evaded police with alarming ease (CNN). Many have attributed the disparity in how BLM protestors were treated compared to how white pro-Trump rioters were treated as undeniable proof of the existence of white privilege.
For whatever reason, Capitol police tried to remain peaceful and refrained from using excessive force against those who stormed the Capitol. According to NPR, “ In some cases, officers were even criticized for appearing sympathetic to the will of the crowd." Although there are no connections between the two events, the lives of hundreds of innocent members of the United States government were put in jeopardy.
Once rioters made their way into the Capitol Building, they wandered around with the hopes of encountering the government officials who were trapped inside various rooms throughout the building. Rioters stole objects such as statues and podiums, and many even committed acts of vandalism. An image of a leader of a pro-gun rights group named Richard Barnett was photographed seated in Nancy Pelosi’s office. Not only did Barnett break into the House Speaker's office, but Barnett later bragged about mail that he had stolen belonging to Pelosi (CNN). Barnett not only took part in the terrible crime that brought humiliation to the United States, but he also allegedly committed a federal crime by stealing another individual’s mail.
Several photos and video footage of Congress members and other government officials who ran for cover as the rioters broke into the building have surfaced. The rioters are being identified by the FBI and are being arrested for their illegal actions.
President Trump sympathized with his followers and referred to them as ''special people'', even telling them on multiple occasions how much he values them. United States citizens and politicians were furious at how Trump handled the situation. Trump even went as far as congratulating them for their choices. President Trump also told rioters to go home, while repeating the rumors of false election results. “I know your pain, I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it”, he said (CNN).
Almost a week after the riot in the capitol, President Trump was put on trial for impeachment for the second time on the grounds of being an “instrument of insurrection.” The House of Representatives approved the articles of impeachment for a second time, making President Donald Trump the first President in United States history to be impeached twice (npr.org).
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