We are still in the fog of war. But some things are clear. The politicians and hyper-partisans who have coddled this President’s autocratic impulses have enabled this assault to our democracy. The Republican members of Congress – like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley – who have tried to benefit politically from contesting the election results without any concrete evidence of fraud are culpable in this violence because they have stoked its fears. So is Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who demanded ‘trial by combat’ to resolve the election dispute at a ‘Save America’ rally this morning, after his legal team lost some 60 cases in court because of an absence of evidence. CNN online article 7 January 2021, ‘Donald Trump’s American carnage ends with a coup attempt’
The 6th January 2021: the day that shook the foundations of American democracy, where hundreds stormed the seat of government. And tried to overturn an election result. This assault didn’t come out of the blue. It was by people they were carrying out the wishes of the sitting president, wishes they felt he signalled to them loud and clear. BBC News 9th January 2021: Storming the Capitol, Aleem Maqbool reporting
‘I call on President Trump to go on national television now and demand an end to this siege.’ ibid. Biden
He was caught pressuring an official to re-calculate the votes in a state he lost in the November election. ibid.
But Wednesday 6th January was always going to be the day it came to a head. Congress was due to do what’ normally procedural, formalize the results of the election. ibid.
Fight for Trump: At his [Trump] request thousands of his supporters had gathered from all over the country … ‘You’ll never take back our country with weakness; you have to show strength and you have to be strong.’ It was all his supporters wanted to hear. ibid.
Many point to the relative restraint shown by the security forces as compared to some of the scenes we saw at the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. ibid.
Many Americans described feeling numb at the events the previous day. ibid.
Democrats are adamant Donald Trump needs to leave office immediately … ‘an armed insurrection against America.’ ibid. Pelosi
A brazen assault on American democracy. The warning signs I heard just an hour before. And what it means for America as it confronts the threat of extremism from within. It was just after 2 p.m. on Wednesday. This was the protest march that became a riot, that became an insurrection. Storming the Capitol: The Inside Story, Robert Moore reporting, ITV 2021
These last four years have been different: anger has been weaponised on social media. The election didn’t calm America, with a president who refused to accept his loss. The anger became fury. The drumbeat of incendiary rhetoric has been growing louder by the day. ibid.
‘Our lives are at stake. This is our last stand.’ ibid. protester
And so they did. Although the president never joined them. ibid.
Louisville: The resurgent militia movements: I saw these emboldened and empowered militias take over the very centre of Louisville … Why on earth were the police retreating and ceding territory to a private army? What signal was that sending? ibid.
‘We will never give up; we will never concede; it doesn’t happen.’ Four Hours at the Capital, Trump to protesters, BBC 2021
‘You’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength, you have to be strong … If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more.’ ibid.
We go over one fencing then we go over the next fencing all the way, bedlam, sheer bedlam. ibid.
355 days ago terrorists ransacked the US Capitol and hours later 138-of-202 (68%) House republicans voted to make trump a dictator. They tried to finish the rioters’ job and end democracy. Never forget it. Bill Pascrell tweet December 2021
The brilliance of Bill Clinton was that he transformed the Democratic Party into the Republican Party, and he pushed the Republican Party so far to the right, it became insane. Chris Hedges
On January 6th 2021 a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol claiming the presidential election had been stolen. Lives were lost and hundreds were injured. A Storm Foretold, caption, BBC 2024
Republican strategist Roger Stone, President Trump’s friend and ally for 30 years … Roger was going to be my gateway into the Republican movement. ibid.
‘He’s not easy to deal with. It’s complicated.’ ibid. Stone
Three months after our first encounter Stone was arrested and charged for attempting to cover up for Trump in the Russia investigation. ibid.
‘But other people lie too.’ ibid. Trump’s defence of Stone
Roger Stone remained fiercely loyal to Trump. ibid.
Members of the Proud Boys were a constant presence around Stone. ibid.
Trump’s handling of the coronavirus had sent voters fleeing. ibid.
I am deeply concerned about this next election being stolen. ibid. Roger Stone to Alex Jones
It’s going to get really nasty. Roger Stone in jam-jar
Make sure that you are ready in the event that this election is disputed. ibid. Roger to crowd
We’re going to raise money for Stop the Steal. ibid. Roger post-election
I have seen the evidence and it is overwhelming. ibid.
I’ll see you in Washington January 6th. ibid. Roger’s message to supporters
What had started with allegations of election fraud had escalated into a violent attempt to keep Trump in office. ibid. documentary maker
The lies had taken root. And 147 Republican lawmakers all voted against certifying the presidential election. ibid.