On January 6th, 2021, Congress was in session to affirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Around noon, Trump extremists held a “Save America” rally and began to march from Ellipse Park in Washington D.C to the Capitol Building.
Once they reached the Capitol Building they breached the barricades and law enforcement and stormed the Capitol Building.
They smashed windows, broke down doors, and attacked police officers to get their way into the building. Once they were inside, mob members lounged and made a mess of Congress members’ offices, most notably the speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office, whose lectern and laptop were both stolen by members of the insurrection.
Throughout the insurrection, the rioters kept repeating false information about Trump being the real winner of the election, claiming he was only defeated by Joe Biden because of widespread voter fraud.
Once the angry mob was inside the building, Congress members were forced into a lockdown–some hid under desks or took off their identification badges to prevent being attacked. Luckily, members of Congress were able to escape the building through secret passageways and none were attacked by the rioters.
Though no Congress members were hurt, five people were killed or died as a result of the riot, including Brian Sicknick, a Capitol police officer who had been struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by one of the rioters.
Now, almost two weeks after the riot, President Donald Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting this insurrection. The public is still unsure when the Senate trial for Trump’s impeachment will be, but Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell explained in a tweet that his trial will most likely not be held until after Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/visual-timeline-attack-capitol-hill-unfolded/story?id=75112066
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/trump-insurrection-capitol/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/who-died-in-capitol-building-attack.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/7580847/trump-2nd-impeachment-trial/
