WASHINGTON – A year later, lawmakers will pause, pray and try to draw lessons on Thursday the insurrection of January 6 in the United States Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters, and seek ways to prevent attacks on democracy.
Members of Congress and other government officials will hold prayer vigils, hold discussions with historians, and give speeches recalling the violent and failed attempt to overturn the count of electoral votes that solidified Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
President Biden will start the day with a speech on Capitol Hill, the site of the violence that left five dead and democracy shaken.
“These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and new commitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayer,” he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who will speak throughout the day.
The majority of the participants will be Democrats.
Many Republicans, some of whom express support for Trump’s false claims about alleged election fraud in 2020, the fire that ignited the insurrection, said that Biden and Pelosi’s party uses January 6 to label them violent extremists.
“They are using it as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, said in a letter to fellow Republicans.
See for yourself:Chilling images of the Capitol riots: January 6 insurrection in photos
Fact Check Summary:Disproving false narratives about the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill
Among the things to look for:
Message from Biden
The president will begin the day with a speech at 9 am EST on the “historical significance” of what he called “an unprecedented assault” on democracy and an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
Biden plans to expose electoral lies voiced by Trump and his allies and say they pose a threat to the election, his aides said.
“President Biden has been clear about the threat the former president poses to our democracy and how the former president constantly works to undermine basic American values and the rule of law,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Vice President Kamala Harris will speak about the January 6 legacy during a ceremony in the National Statues Hall on Capitol Hill.
Chronology:How the assault on the US Capitol unfolded on January 6
Prayers, silence and history
Pelosi, legislators and members of the congressional staff will hold a private meeting for a “moment of reflection.”
At noon, lawmakers will be summoned for a statement by President Pelosi and a moment of silence to honor the victims of the riots.
Other events will remember January 6 in different ways:
History. Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., will host a January 6 legacy discussion with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, as well as Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress.
The goal of the discussion, according to the schedule, is “Establish and preserve the narrative of January 6.”
Testimony. Members of Congress will offer their own “testimonies” on the events of a day when many of them were targeted by a mob attempting to overturn an election.
‘This is crazy’:Lawmakers relive the horror of January 6 along with the new trauma of the effort to rewrite history
One year later:Americans Say Democracy Is In Danger, But They Disagree On Why: USA TODAY / Suffolk Poll
The discussion will be led by Representative Jason Crow, D-Colo., who said he relied on his military training to escape the threatening crowd.
In an interview on NPR, Crow said that Trump and many others are “normalizing” the extremism that fueled that attack: “So it’s really a perfect storm of events that is spreading and deepening that extremism in a way that it hasn’t. in past decades. in this country. And it’s very dangerous. “
Prayer. The memorial day will end with a sunset prayer vigil at 5:30 pm on the steps of the United States Capitol, the place of chaos a year ago.
The committee’s investigation of January 6
These events will be widely covered by the media, including interviews with members of the Select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Committee members said they will soon hold televised public hearings on the events that led to the unrest, including Trump’s exhortations to protesters at a rally that morning.
Representative Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, one of two Republicans on the panel, said members may consider a criminal referral against Trump. After your rally, the outgoing president was silent for hours at the White House while some of his supporters looted the Capitol.
Representative Cheney:Trump ‘clearly unfit’ for future office, citing his refusal to stop the Jan.6 attack on Capitol Hill
Cheney is one of the guests on a CNN panel discussion on January 6 that will air Thursday night.
Republican critic
Don’t look for too many Republicans at these events, although some will likely be on television accusing the Democrats of politicizing on January 6.
Members of the opposition party are expected to increase criticism of the policies of Biden and the Democratic Congress. The Democratic majority is likely to be targeted for alleged security breaches on that fateful day.
In his letter to his Republican colleagues, McCarthy said that “the actions of that day were illegal and as wrong as they were wrong,” and Democratic leaders left the Capitol “unprepared” for the attack.
Democrats and Republicans like Cheney, said many Republicans continue to echo Trump’s claims about the 2020 elections, lies that sparked the insurrection.
They accused Trump supporters of ignoring responsibility for an attack on democracy and the tradition of the peaceful transfer of power. Some pointed out that Republicans are competing for state election oversight jobs, and fear extremists may try again if races don’t go their way.
“Electoral Subversion Efforts that we are seeing across the country today is a direct continuation of January 6 and the Big Lie, “said Schumer.
A word from Trump?
Trump had planned to hold a press conference on Thursday. on the January 6 election and inquiry committee, but canceled the public appearance on Tuesday.
Don’t be surprised if you issue a written statement or two during the day or if you call a favorite cable outlet. He has a political rally scheduled for January 15 in Arizona.
In the year since the attack, and his subsequent impeachment over it, Trump has consistently worked to undermine Biden. Expect me to try again on Thursday.
William Kristol, an anti-Trump conservative and general editor of The Bulwark website, said he is “disheartened” by all the “elaborate plans” to commemorate January 6. He said it would be better if Congress did regular work. , including plans to “make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Kristol added: “Not that the threat is over, far from it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to have a moment of silence with the flags at half mast, then the flags are raised again and Congress goes back to work?” he said.
Others said they can’t spend too much time talking about the meaning of January 6 and working to avoid a recurrence.
Sarah Longwell, a Republican anti-Trump strategist who led a series of focus groups with voters, said it’s just not possible to “move on” as of January 6.
“The lie that he promoted on January 6 continues to fuel an entire political movement,” he said. “We are still dealing with the lie and its effects. And facing it is the only way to defeat it.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism