Uprising by Trump supporters Republicans want to play down the storming of the US Capitol

Members of parliament are barely talking about the attack on the seat of the US Congress by supporters of then and future US President Trump. Many Republicans are trying to play down the incident.

DPA

04.01.2025, 18:00

dpa

In the US Capitol building, traces of the violence of January 6, 2021 are hard to find. Damage to the walls has been repaired, and windows and doors smashed by the attackers at the time have been replaced. There is also no memorial plaque, exhibition or anything similar to commemorate the attack.

In some ways, it's as if the riot that shook the foundations of American democracy and caused millions of dollars of damage never happened. "It has been erased," said Democratic US Senator Peter Welch. "Winners make history and Trump won. And his version is that it was a peaceful meeting. Completely false, of course."

Many Republicans are trying to play down the attack. They are echoing President-elect Donald Trump's claims that the violence of his 2021 supporters was exaggerated and that the attackers were victims. If Trump pardons the attackers after taking office on January 20, as announced, it would "add an exclamation point to his version of events", Welch said.

Some of the 1,250 people convicted of criminal offenses at the time had called for the deaths of then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence. The mob defied police officers and broke into the building. Some of the attackers had weapons and zip ties with them as they ransacked the Capitol building and searched for members of parliament. They wanted to prevent President Joe Biden's election victory from being certified by Congress. They supported the lies of then-election loser Trump that the election had been stolen.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who was one of seven Republican members of the US Senate to vote for Trump's impeachment over the Capitol building riot, said it was "very very dark times" at the time. Some members of Congress "really want to put that behind us".

There are several reasons for this. One Trump ally, ex-Senator Mike Braun, said many in the Republican Party felt the US Department of Justice was "disproportionately used as a weapon against" some of the attackers. Many of the congressmen who were in the Capitol building at the time wanted to create as much distance as possible between then and now. "When you start putting up plaques, it looks like it further emphasizes the division on the issue," Braun said.

Still no memorial plaque

In March 2022, Congress had passed legislation for a plaque of honor listing the names of police officers and other officials who responded to violence in the Capitol at the time. The architect of the Capitol building was instructed to have the plaque ready within a year and to place it in the part of the building where the worst violence occurred. But three years later, there is no memorial plaque. It is unclear who is responsible for this.

The Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and the Republican leader in the Senate at the time, Mitch McConnell, had approved the memorial plaque, according to advisors. The Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, also supported it. A spokesperson for the incumbent House of Representatives chairman, Mike Johnson of the Republicans, did not initially respond to a request for comment.

Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren wrote a letter to Johnson in May asking why the plaque was not installed. Lofgren had chaired the House Administration Committee when the bill was passed. She never received a reply.

"It's not just about the plaque, although it does indeed mean something to the officers who were there; it's about the fact that no one cares enough about them to abide by the law and recognize the sacrifices they made for us and our country," Lofgren said. "That service to their country, it's been disregarded."

New York Rep. Joe Morelle, now the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the refusal to put up the plaque was part of an attempt to "deny that Jan. 6 happened."

It's "incredibly offensive"

Police officer Daniel Hodges, who tried to fight off the attackers, described it as "incredibly offensive" that the plaque was not yet in place. "It's an incredibly simple thing, but it can mean so much to so many who fought that day to defend democracy, to defend Congress, to defend the vice president and staff." January 6, 2021 has become a political issue. "It shouldn't be," said Hodges, who works for the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.

Hodges expects to be working on the day of Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. He will then be one of thousands of police officers protecting Trump and the city.

Former Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell, who retired from the force because of injuries he sustained at the time, said he lost his career and his health, even some friends and family, in the wake of the attack. "Looking back, it seems like it was all for nothing," Gonell said. "It's betrayal."

He would like to see the plaque installed so Trump could see it at his inauguration, Gonell said. Trump could then "read the names of the officials" before he goes to his swearing-in ceremony. "So he could know that his actions had consequences."

In the days after the riot, nearly all Republicans had condemned it. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives at the time, Kevin McCarthy, said Trump was responsible for the attack. But within a few weeks, he traveled to Florida to meet with him. In doing so, he initiated Trump's slow return to power. When Trump returned to the Capitol building last year, Republican lawmakers were not only willing to meet with him, they also gave him a standing ovation.

Republican lawmakers have condemned the work of the Democratic-led committee investigating the attack and strongly question its findings. Some Republicans are backing Trump's statement that the imprisoned attackers were hostages who could be pardoned.

Attack has left its mark

Democratic US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said that even without a memorial plaque, the attack had left its mark. Increased security measures were in place to certify Trump's election victory on Monday. In addition, Biden had invited Trump to come to the White House after the November presidential election - a return to the peaceful transfer of power in the US.

Congress has also updated an old law governing the certification of a US presidential election to make it more difficult for members of Congress to reject the election result. But given Trump's return to the presidency and many Republicans' support for his account of events, there are concerns among Democrats. "If you don't want to remember history, then the chances of it repeating itself are that much greater," said Congressman Jim McGovern.