Hundreds of QAnon conspiracy theorists and MAGA cultists stormed the United States Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. Congresspeople had to be evacuated. The insurrectionists damaged and stole property, took selfies with each other and the cops, and posted their crimes all over social media. Three IEDs were discovered during the course of the riots – one at the DNC, one at the RNC, and one on the Capitol grounds.
Four insurrectionists and one police officer died. One insurrectionist was shot by police, three others died of mishap during the riots. The police officer was beaten nearly to death by Trump’s rebels, and later died of his wounds.
The insurrectionists’ aim and/or goals don’t seem to be completely clear. By which I mean, I’ve read and heard several justifications from the criminals about their actions. Some were there for the revolution. Some talked about the moment being “the storm” QAnon’s been promising. Some seemed to be after VP Mike Pence, for his “betrayal” of Trump, for not overturning the election while Congress certified the November votes. (There was no “betrayal”; Pence has no power to overturn any votes. The idea that he did is a MAGA cult/QAnon fantasy.)
The House and Senate had just begun certifying the votes from the Electoral College, a largely ceremonial process that happens after every presidential election. The certification was delayed for several hours while Trump’s rebels rioted in the Capitol. After the insurrection petered out, Congress reconvened and certified the Electoral College votes, making Joe Biden and Kamala Harris the official incoming president and vice president of the United States.
As of this writing (Jan. 8), there’ve been about 58 arrests related to the attempted coup. Congressional Democrats are calling for a second impeachment and/or for Trump to be removed from office using the 25th Amendment, as well as calling for those members of Congress who egged on the insurrectionists and attempted to challenge the Electoral College votes to be unseated. (Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley in particular are catching a lot of heat.) Multiple members of Trump’s cabinet and staff have “resigned in protest” at the 11th hour in an obvious attempt to salvage their reputations and future employability.
What follows is a list of pertinent articles, Twitter threads, photos, videos, and comments.
Articles & Twitter Threads
- NPR, Jan. 6: Congress Reconvenes After Pro-Trump Mob Brings Chaos To The Capitol
- Buzzfeed News, Jan. 6: The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks
- YouGov poll, Jan. 6: Most voters say the events at the US Capitol are a threat to democracy (Notable here, “One in five voters – including 45% of Republicans – approve of the storming of the Capitol building.”)
- TPM, Jan. 6: Trump Diehards Already Have New Conspiracy Theory For Capitol Siege (They were blaming “Antifa.”)
- Twitter, Jan. 6: Short Twitter thread from Laleh Khalili, pointing out that smaller break-ins and protests were happening at the same time across the US.
- Buzzfeed News, Jan. 6: A Newly Elected West Virginia Delegate Was Part Of The Pro-Trump Mob That Stormed The Capitol
- Twitter, Jan. 6: Reporter Jorden Novet posts a long Twitter thread of absolutely mind-blowing photos from the attempted coup.
- New York Times, Jan. 6: As the D.C. police clear the Capitol grounds, the mayor extends a public emergency.
- Twitter, Jan. 6: Twitter thread by Rafael Shimunov naming and shaming the various Nazi “celebrities” spotted during the attempted coup.
Photos & Videos
Commentary & Notes
https://twitter.com/davidplouffe/status/1346933716929560576
Featured photo: President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sit behind him. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Notes & Thoughts 