January 6 United States Capitol attack
On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob[34][35][36] of supporters of then-U.S. president Donald Trump, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep Trump in power by occupying the Capitol and preventing a joint session of Congress counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election.[37][38] Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer.[c][29][39] Many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.[30] Damages caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.[40]
"2021 United States Capitol attack" redirects here. For the unrelated car attack, see 2021 United States Capitol car attack.January 6 United States Capitol attack
38°53′23″N 77°00′33″W / 38.88972°N 77.00917°W
- False claims of 2020 presidential election fraud by Donald Trump and his allies[2][3][4]
- Denial of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results[2]
- Far-right extremism in the U.S.[5]
- Disrupt and delay the Electoral College vote count
- Pressure Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election of Joe Biden in favor of Trump
- Insurrection suppressed
- The deaths of nine people[a]
- Assaults on at least 174 police officers[16]
- Delay of counting electoral votes by several hours[17]
- Extensive physical damage;[7][18][19] offices and chambers vandalized and ransacked; property stolen;[20] more than $30 million for repairs and security measures[21]
- Second impeachment of Donald Trump[22]
- Third indictment of Donald Trump[23][24]
- Unsuccessful attempts to declare Trump ineligible for Colorado, Maine, and Illinois ballots.[25]
9 deaths attributed to the attack[b]
1,450 or more, including Trump[33][23][24] (see also: Criminal charges relating to the attack)
Encouraged by Trump,[41][42] on January 5 and 6 thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., to support his false claims that the 2020 election had been "stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats"[43][44][45][46] and to demand that then-Vice President Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden's victory.[47] Starting at noon on January 6,[48] at a "Save America" rally on the Ellipse, Trump gave a speech in which he repeated false claims of election irregularities[49] and said, "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."[50][51] As Congress began the electoral vote count, thousands of attendees, some armed, walked to the Capitol, with hundreds breaching police perimeters.[52][53] Among the rioters were leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militia groups, who conspired to use violence and interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.[54]
The FBI estimates that between 2,000 and 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building on January 6,[55][56][57] with some vandalizing and looting,[58][59] including the offices of then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congress members.[60] Rioters also assaulted Capitol Police officers and reporters, and attempted to capture and harm lawmakers.[61] A gallows was erected west of the Capitol, with rioters chanting to "Hang Mike Pence" after he rejected requests, from Trump and others, to use authority they believed he had to overturn the election results.[62] With building security breached, Capitol Police evacuated and locked down both chambers of Congress and several buildings in the Complex.[63] Rioters occupied the empty Senate chamber while federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor.[64][65] Pipe bombs were found at both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters, and Molotov cocktails were discovered in a vehicle near the Capitol.[66][67] Trump resisted sending the National Guard to quell the mob.[68] Later that afternoon, in a Twitter video, he reasserted the inaccurate claim that the election was "fraudulent", and told his supporters to "go home in peace".[69][70] The Capitol was cleared of rioters by mid-evening,[71] and the electoral vote count was resumed and completed by the early morning of January 7. Pence declared President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris victorious. Pressured by his cabinet, the threat of removal, and many resignations, Trump later conceded to an orderly transition of power in a televised statement.[72][73]
A week after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection, making him the only U.S. president to be impeached twice.[74] In February, after Trump had left office, the Senate voted 57–43 in favor of conviction, but fell short of the required two-thirds, resulting in his acquittal.[75] Senate Republicans blocked a bill to create a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the attack,[76][61] so the House instead approved a select investigation committee consisting of seven Democrats and two Republicans.[d][77][78] They held nine televised public hearings on the attack,[79] voted to subpoena Trump,[80] and recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecute Trump. On August 1, 2023, following a special counsel investigation, Trump was indicted on four charges.[81][82]
As of May 6, 2024, 1,424 people have been charged with federal crimes relating to the event.[83] As of May 6, 2024, 820 defendants had pleaded guilty; 255 people have pleaded guilty to felonies, while 565 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.[83] As of the same date, 884 defendants have been sentenced, with 541 people receiving a jail sentence as a penalty.[83]
Some participants in the attack were linked to far-right extremist groups or conspiratorial movements, including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters.[84][85] Numerous plotters were convicted of seditious conspiracy, including Oath Keepers and Proud Boys members;[86] the longest sentence to date was given to then-Proud Boy chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison.[87]