On that day, Congress had met a formal act, namely to officially confirm Joe Biden’s electoral success in the presidential election. During a speech, Trump incited his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight “like the devil”.
As then, Trump still speaks of a “stolen election victory” today. He had no evidence of this then any more than he has now. Incited by Trump, a fanatical crowd stormed the seat of the US Congress. Five people were killed, including a police officer. The intruders ravaged offices and stole inventory.
Hundreds of cases are ongoing
The FBI soon launched a mammoth criminal investigation. More than 720 people have been arrested and charged, and the number is only increasing. There have also been dozens of judgments, and it is practical if many of the rioters had photographed and filmed themselves doing their deeds and shared the documents on social networks.
In mid-November, for example, Jacob Chansley, who became known as the “QAnon shaman” with his buffalo horn fur hat, was sentenced to almost three and a half years in prison for obstructing an official process.
So far, there have mainly been judgments for offenses such as trespassing and disturbing public order. In cases in which attackers are accused of serious acts of violence – including against police officers – the first trials should begin in February. This applies to members of right-wing radical groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
Impeachment failed
The political reappraisal is much more difficult. The attack on the heart of US democracy was seen by many as an attempted coup. Of course not from Trump and his supporters. “On January 6th, there was a completely unarmed protest against the rigged elections,” he said recently.
The House of Representatives initiated impeachment proceedings against Trump a week after the violence, but failed in the Senate because a majority of Republican Senators were loyal to Trump. On February 13, a clear majority of 57 to 43 senators voted in favor of condemning Trump. The two-thirds majority required for a guilty verdict was clearly missed. This means that Trump can continue to hold public offices in the future, but above all he can tackle a new presidential candidacy in 2024.
Interventions in electoral procedures
And obviously he’s planning that too. Attempts to emancipate the Republican Party from Trump have petered out in recent months. And machinations continue to run in the background that some see as a disavowal of democracy: some conservatively governed states, with reference to alleged electoral fraud, passed a series of reforms which – according to critics – aim to prevent minorities such as African Americans voting for democrats from going to the ballot box make more difficult.
The committee of inquiry is trying to clarify
A parliamentary committee of inquiry has been investigating the background since the summer. The main question is what role Trump and his environment played in the attack. The MPs want to know, among other things, what Trump did in the hours of the storming of the Capitol. Hundreds of witnesses have already been questioned and tens of thousands of documents searched.
Several Trump confidants opposed the summons. In November, the far-right strategist Steve Bannon, who refuses to cooperate with the committee, was charged with disregard for Congress. Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows is also threatened with such charges.
Fox News star presenter is to be interviewed
Shortly before the anniversary, the conservative television presenter Sean Hannity was also asked to provide information about his communication with Trump. In a letter, the chairmen of the committee of inquiry, Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, announced the star presenter of the channel Fox News on Tuesday that they had found numerous text messages from him to Trump and his entourage.
On the eve of the Capitol Storm, Hannity, who is a regular guest at Trump rallies, wrote in a message that he was “very concerned about the next 48 hours”.
Dispute over documents
A legal dispute is currently raging over documents from Trump’s time in the White House stored at the National Archives. The ex-president has filed a lawsuit against the documents being handed over to the investigative committee and has gone to the Supreme Court, where a decision is still pending.
However, the committee itself – apparently under pressure from the White House – withdrew the request for some documents. The documents would have no relation to what happened, it said. The White House has reportedly been concerned about national security over these documents and is concerned about setting a precedent.
Biden gives a speech, Trump cancels the appointment
In any case, President Biden plans to give a speech on Thursday. The President will address “the truth about what happened, not the lies some have spread since then and the danger it poses to the rule of law and our democratic system of government,” the White House said. Trump canceled a press conference scheduled for the evening at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and said he would instead address many of the same topics at an event on January 15.
Democratic institutions were damaged
What has remained is a lasting distrust in the electoral system and democratic foundations – especially among Trump supporters, but not only there. Millions have lost their trust in democratic institutions and processes. In a recent poll by the broadcaster CBS News, two-thirds of those questioned said that US democracy was “under threat”. They therefore regard the storming of the Capitol as a “sign of increasing political violence”.
According to another survey by the Washington Post in collaboration with the University of Maryland, US citizens’ pride in their democratic system has also decreased significantly. Only 54 percent of those surveyed said they were proud of US democracy. In 2002 it was 90 percent.
Bad omens for the next election
Further results of the two surveys give specific cause for concern: Compared to CBS News, 28 percent of the respondents stated that the use of force may be necessary to defend the election result. The Washington Post told 34 percent of respondents that violence against the government was sometimes justified. For the presidential election campaign in 2024 – and also for the mid-term elections this autumn, these are all in all bad omen.