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Background "2021 United States Capitol attack" redirects here. For the car attack, see 2021 United States Capitol car
Attempts to overturn the attack.
presidential election
On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of U.S.
January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack
Planning President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential
Part of the 2020–21 U.S. election protests and attempts
Funding election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election
States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob
January 5 meeting
was seeking to keep Trump in power by preventing a
Public predictions of
joint session of Congress from counting the electoral
violence
college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect
Official predictions and Joe Biden. According to the House select committee
warnings
investigating the incident, the attack was the
Law enforcement culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn
preparations
the election.[28][29] Five people died either shortly
Trump supporters gather in before, during, or following the event: one was shot by
D.C.
Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and
Attack on the Capitol three died of natural causes.[22][30] Many people were
Participants and response injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who
responded to the attack killed themselves within seven
Results
months.[23] As of July 7, 2022, monetary damages Crowd shortly after the breach (top); tear gas deployed
Events elsewhere [31]
caused by attackers exceed $2.7 million. against rioters (bottom left); gallows erected by rioters
Aftermath (bottom right).
Called to action by Trump,[32][33] thousands of his
Date January 6, 2021; 2 years ago
supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., on c. 12:53 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.[1] (UTC-5)
January 5 and 6 to support his false claim that the Location United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.,
2020 election had been "stolen by emboldened United States
38°53′23.3″N 77°00′32.6″W
radical-left Democrats"[34][35][36][37] and to demand
Caused by False claims of 2020 presidential
that Vice President Mike Pence and the Congress
election fraud by Donald Trump and his
reject Biden's victory.[38] Starting at noon on January
allies[2][3][4]
6,[39] at a "Save America" rally on the Ellipse, Trump Denial of the 2020 U.S. presidential
[40] election results[2]
repeated false claims of election irregularities and
said "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to Far-right extremism in the U.S.[5]

have a country anymore."[41][42] During and after his
speech,[39] thousands of attendees, some armed,
walked to the Capitol, and hundreds breached police
perimeters[43][44] as Congress was beginning the
electoral vote count.
More than 2,000 rioters entered the building,[45][46][47]
many of whom occupied, vandalized, and looted;[48]
[49]
assaulted Capitol Police officers and reporters;
and attempted to locate lawmakers to capture and
harm.[50] A gallows was erected west of the Capitol,
and some rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence" after he
rejected false claims by Trump and others that the vice
president could overturn the election results.
vandalized and looted the offices of House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D‑CA) and other members of Congress.
[52]
With building security breached, Capitol Police
evacuated and locked down both chambers of
Congress and several buildings in the Capitol
Complex.[53] Rioters occupied the empty Senate
chamber while federal law enforcement officers
defended the evacuated House floor.[54][55] Pipe
bombs were found at each of the Democratic National
Committee and Republican National Committee
headquarters, and Molotov cocktails were discovered
in a vehicle near the Capitol.[56][57]
Trump resisted sending the National Guard to quell
the mob.[58] Later that afternoon, in a Twitter video, he
reasserted that the election was "fraudulent", but told
[59][60]
his supporters to "go home in peace".
Capitol was clear of rioters by mid-evening,[61] and the
counting of the electoral votes resumed and was completed in
the early morning hours of January 7. Pence declared
President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris
victorious. Pressured by his cabinet, the threat of removal, and
many resignations, Trump later committed to an orderly
transition of power in a televised statement.[62][63]
Goals Disrupt and delay the Electoral College
vote count
Pressure Congress and Vice President
Mike Pence to overturn the election of
Joe Biden in favor of Trump
Methods Demonstration
Civil disorder: rioting,[6] vandalism,[7]
looting,[7] assault,[8] attempted
bombing[9]
Political subversion: propaganda (big
lie),[10] conspiracy,[11][12] intimidation,
[13] incitement (alleged), obstruction of
official proceedings,[14] attacking a
legislature
Resulted in Delay of counting electoral votes by
[51]
Some several hours[15]
Extensive physical damage;[6][16][17]
offices and chambers vandalized and
ransacked; property stolen;[18] more
than $30 million for repairs and security
measures[19]
Second impeachment of Donald
Trump[20]
Casualties and criminal charges
Death(s) 5 deaths from the attack (1 from gunshot, 1
from drug overdose, 3 from natural
causes);[21][22] 4 officer deaths by suicide
within seven months of the attack[23]
Injuries Unknown number of rioters, including at
least five hospitalized[24]
At least 138 police officers (73 Capitol
Police officers, 65 Metropolitan Police
Department officers),[25] including at
least 15 hospitalized[26]
Charged 978 or more[27] (see also: Criminal charges
The relating to the attack)
January 6 United
States Capitol attack

A week after the riot, the House of Representatives impeached

Trump for incitement of insurrection, making him the only U.S.
president to have been impeached twice.[64] In February, after
Trump had left office, the Senate voted 57–43 in favor of
conviction; because this fell short of a two-thirds majority,
requiring 67 votes, he was acquitted for a second time.[65] The
House passed a bill to create a bipartisan independent
commission to investigate the attack, modeled after the 9/11 A gallows (top) and a crowd of attackers amid
[66] a cloud of tear gas (bottom) outside the
Commission, but it was blocked by Republicans in the
Capitol on January 6, 2021
Senate,[50] so the House approved a select committee with
Timeline of events
seven Democrats and two Republicans to investigate instead.
[67][68] Background
The committee held nine televised public hearings on
2020 presidential election [show]
the attack in 2022, and later voted to subpoena Trump.[69] By
and other causes
March 2022, the Justice Department's investigations had
Related groups and persons [show]
expanded to include the activities of others leading up to the
Participants
attack.[70] Ultimately, the Committee recommended that Trump
List [show]
be prosecuted for obstructing an official proceeding,
Law enforcement response [show]
incitement, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and
making false statements.[71] Aftermath
Biden inauguration [show]
More than 30 members of anti-government groups, including
Investigations and charges [show]
the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters, were
Corporate actions [show]
charged with conspiracy for allegedly planning their attacks on
the Capitol; ten Oath Keepers and five Proud Boys were Reactions [show]

charged with seditious conspiracy,[72][73] and one Oath Keeper Impeachment [show]
pleaded guilty.[74][75] Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes V ·T ·E

would later be convicted of seditious conspiracy.[76][77][78] As

of January 2022, at least 57 people with roles in the day's events were running for public office.[79] Although
most people charged with crimes relating to the attack had no known affiliation with far-right or extremist
groups,[27][80][81] a significant number were linked to extremist groups or conspiratorial movements.[82] By
December 2022, 465 individuals charged had pleaded guilty.[83]

Background
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Attempts to overturn the presidential election

Main article: Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

Democrat Joe Biden defeated incumbent Republican Donald Trump

in the 2020 United States presidential election.[84] Trump and other
Republicans attempted to overturn the election, falsely claiming
widespread voter fraud.[85]

Within hours after the closing of the polls, while votes were still
being tabulated, Trump declared victory, demanding that further
counting be halted.[86] He began a campaign to subvert the election,
through legal challenges and an extralegal effort. Trump's lawyers President Donald Trump speaking at
a campaign rally in Goodyear, Arizona,
had concluded within ten days after the election that legal
in October 2020
challenges to the election results had no factual basis or legal merit.
[37]
Despite those analyses, he sought to overturn the results by
filing at least sixty lawsuits, including two brought to the Supreme DonaldJ.TrumpO
@realDonaldTrump

Court. Those actions sought to nullify election certifications and to IWONTHISELECTION,BYALOT!

void votes that had been cast for Biden. Those challenges were all OfficialsourcesmaynothavecalledtheracewhenthiswasTweeted
10:36PM•Nov7,2020•TwitterforiPhone
rejected by the courts for lack of evidence or the absence of legal
Trump's tweet shortly after polls had
standing.[85]
closed
Trump then mounted a campaign to pressure Republican
governors, secretaries of state, and state legislatures to nullify
results by replacing slates of Biden electors with those declared to Trump, or by manufacturing evidence of
fraud. He further demanded that lawmakers investigate ostensible election "irregularities" such as by
conducting signature matches of mailed-in ballots, disregarding any prior analytic efforts. Trump also
personally made inquiries proposing the invocation of martial law to "re-run" or reverse the election[85][87]
and the appointment of a special counsel to find instances of fraud, despite conclusions by federal and state
officials that such cases were few and isolated or non-existent. Trump ultimately undertook neither step.[85]
Trump repeatedly urged Vice President Mike Pence to alter the results and to stop Biden from taking office.
None of those actions would have been within Pence's constitutional powers as vice president and president
of the Senate. Trump repeated this call in his rally speech on the morning of January 6.[88]

Numerous scholars, historians, political scientists, and journalists have characterized these efforts to
overturn the election as an attempted self-coup by Trump and an implementation of the big lie.[89][90][91][92]

Planning
Congress was scheduled to meet jointly on January 6 to certify the winner of the Electoral College vote,
typically a ceremonial affair.[93][94] In December, Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) organized three White
House meetings between Trump, Republican lawmakers, and others. Attendees included Trump, Vice
President Pence, representatives Jody Hice (R-GA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ),
representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and members of the Trump legal team.[95] The purpose
of the meetings was to strategize about how Congress could overturn the election results on January 6.[96]

On December 18, four days after the Electoral College voted, Trump called for supporters to attend a rally
before the January 6 Congressional vote count to continue his challenge to the validity of several states'
election results. Trump tweeted, "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!"[12][97] The
"March to Save America" and rally that preceded the riots at the Capitol were initially organized by Women
for America First, a 501(c)(4) organization chaired by Amy Kremer, co-founder of Women for Trump.[98] On
January 1, 2021, they obtained a permit with an estimated attendance of 5,000 for a first amendment rally
"March for Trump".[99] In late 2020 and early 2021, Kremer organized and spoke at a series of events across
the country as part of a bus tour to encourage attendance at the January 6 rally and support Trump's efforts
to overturn the election result.[100] Women for America First invited its supporters to join a caravan of
vehicles traveling to the event. Event management was carried out by Event Strategies, a company founded
by Tim Unes, who worked for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.[98]

On January 2, Trump retweeted a post by Kremer promoting the January 6 rally, adding that he would be
there. From that point, although Kremer still held the permit, planning essentially passed to the White House.
[100]
Trump discussed the speaking lineup and the music to be played at the event. Although the initial plan
for the rally called for people to remain at the Ellipse until the counting of electoral slates was complete, the
White House said they should march to the Capitol, as Trump repeatedly urged during his speech.[37]

Ali Alexander, a right-wing political activist who took part in organizing the rally and expressed support for
the storming as "completely peaceful", was reported as saying in December that Representatives Paul
Gosar (R–AZ), Andy Biggs (R–AZ), and Mo Brooks (R–AL) were involved in the planning of "something big".
[101]
"We're the four guys who came up with a January 6 event", he said.[102] According to Alexander, "It was
to build momentum and pressure and then on the day change hearts and minds of Congress peoples who
weren't yet decided or who saw everyone outside and said, 'I can't be on the other side of that mob.' " His
remarks received more scrutiny after the events of January 6, causing Biggs to respond with a statement
denying any relationship with Alexander.[103] The Washington Post wrote that videos and posts revealed
earlier connections between Alexander and the three members of Congress.[104] Alexander said in April
2022 that he would cooperate with the Justice Department investigation into the attack, after receiving a
subpoena from a federal grand jury that was investigating broad categories of people involved in Trump
rallies prior to the attack. Alexander was close to longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, with whom he
spoke about "logistics" and the "warring factions" of rally organizers in the run up to January 6. Alexander
gave the January 6 committee all of his communications with Stone from the day of the attack.[105]

For several weeks before the event, there were over one million mentions of storming the capitol on social
media, including calls for violence against Congress, Pence, and police. This was done on "alt-tech"
platforms[a] such as news aggregator website Patriots.win,[b] chat app Telegram and Twitter-like
microblogging websites Gab and Parler,[c] as well as on mainstream social media platforms, such as TikTok.
[108]
Many of the posters planned for violence before the event; some discussed how to avoid police on the
streets, which tools to bring to help pry open doors, and how to smuggle weapons into the city.[107] They
discussed their perceived need to attack the police.[106][109][110] Following clashes with Washington, D.C.,
police during protests on December 12, 2020, the Proud Boys and other far-right groups turned against
supporting law enforcement.[111] At least one group, Stop the Steal, posted on December 23, 2020, its plans
to occupy the Capitol with promises to "escalate" if opposed by police.[108] Multiple sites graphically and
explicitly discussed "war", physically taking charge at the event, and killing politicians, even soliciting
opinions about which politician should be hanged first, with a GIF of a noose.[106] Joan Donovan, research
director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, said that key figures in the
Unite the Right rally and the Gamergate online harassment campaign worked to raise online fury ahead of
the attack.[112] Facebook and Twitter have also been cited as playing a role in the fomenting of the Capitol
attack.[113]

On the January 4, 2021, edition of Real America's Voice's The War Room (podcast), Steve Bannon, while
discussing the planning for the upcoming events and speech by Trump on January 6 at The Ellipse, said:
"Live from our nation's capital, you're in the field headquarters of one of the small divisions of the bloodless
coup."[114][115]

On January 5, the Norfolk field office of the FBI reported plans of violence: "An online thread discussed
specific calls for violence to include stating 'Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors
being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa [sic] slave soldiers being spilled. Get violent. Stop
calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING
else will achieve this goal.'" The Norfolk report noted that planners shared a map of the tunnels underneath
the Capitol.[116] Another comment, cited in the FBI memo, advocated for Trump supporters going to
Washington "to get violent to stop this, especially the antifa maggots who are sure to come out en masse
even if we get the Prez for 4 more years".[117] On December 26, a leader of the Oath Keepers allegedly
messaged instructions to "wait for the 6th when we are all in D.C. to insurrection." According to prosecutors,
that leader also authored a message in December reporting, "I organized an alliance between Oath
Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys."[118] Leaders of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and Latinos for
Trump met near the Phoenix Park Hotel in a parking garage on January 5, although several of those present
claim to have not discussed matters related to planning for January 6.[119] A PDF document titled "1776
Returns" circulated among the Proud Boys organization, which laid out a plan for the occupation of key
buildings in the United States Capitol Complex.[120]

NBC News reported in June 2021 that the FBI had been asking at least one person charged with
involvement in the attack about his possible connections to members of Congress.[121] His trial was set for
April 4, 2022.[122] In May 2022, he was found guilty.[123]

Funding

Organizations taking part in the event included: Black Conservatives Fund, Eighty Percent Coalition, Moms
For America, Peaceably Gather, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, Rule of Law Defense Fund, Stop The Steal, Turning
Point Action, Tea Party Patriots, Women For America First, and Wildprotest.com.[124][125] The Rule of Law
Defense Fund, a 501(c)(4) arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, also paid for robocalls to
invite people to "march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal".[126] Conspiracy
theorist Alex Jones's media company paid $500,000 to book the Ellipse for the event,[127][128] some of which
was donated by Publix heiress and prominent Trump donor Julie Jenkins Fancelli whose total contribution to
the event was about $650,000.[128][129] Jones claimed that the Trump White House asked him to lead the
march to the Capitol.[127] Charlie Kirk tweeted that Turning Point Action and Students for Trump had sent
over eighty buses to the Capitol.[130] Roger Stone recorded a video for Stop The Steal Security Project to
raise funds "for the staging, the transportation and most importantly the security" of the event.[131] Other
people attempted to raise funds in December via GoFundMe to help pay for transportation to the rally, with
limited success.[2] An investigation by BuzzFeed News identified more than a dozen fundraisers to pay for
travel to the planned rally. GoFundMe subsequently deactivated several of the campaigns after the riot, but
some campaigns had already raised part or all of their fundraising goals before deactivation.[132]

January 5 meeting

Trump's closest allies, including Michael Flynn, Corey Lewandowski, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville,
and Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, met at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the
evening of January 5.[133][134] Tuberville has since said that he did not attend the meeting,[135] but the
evidence suggests otherwise.[133][136] According to Charles Herbster, who said he attended the meeting
himself, attendees included Tuberville, Adam Piper and Peter Navarro. Daniel Beck wrote that "Fifteen of us
spent the evening with Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Lindell, Peter Navarro,
and Rudy Giuliani".[137] Herbster claimed to be standing "in the private residence of the President at Trump
International with the following patriots who are joining me in a battle for justice and truth". He added David
Bossie to the list of attendees.[133]

Public predictions of violence

Signs reading "Stop the Steal"
and "Off with their heads",
photographed on the day of the
attack
Someone's going to get killed".[138]
In 2019, Kara Swisher, a columnist for The New York Times, envisioned
what would happen "if Mr. Trump loses the 2020 election and tweets
inaccurately the next day that there had been widespread fraud and,
moreover, that people should rise up in armed insurrection to keep him in
office".[138] In early September 2020, YouTuber and political
commentator Tim Pool said in a recorded conversation that "I've had
messages from people saying that they've already got plans to rush to
D.C. as soon as Nov. 3 goes chaotic", and that, "The right-wing militias,
the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters, and just the Proud Boys and
Trump supporters, they are going to rush full-speed to D.C. They are
going to take the White House and do whatever they can and
paramilitary".[139] On December 1, 2020, a Georgia election official
publicly warned, "Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of
violence. Someone's going to get hurt. Someone's going to get shot.

On December 21, 2020, a viral tweet predicted, "On January 6, armed Trumpist militias will be rallying in
D.C., at Trump's orders. It's highly likely that they'll try to storm the Capitol after it certifies Joe Biden's win."
[138]
On December 29, 2020, D.C.'s Hotel Harrington, a past gathering spot for Proud Boys, announced
closure from January 4–6, citing public safety. Harry's Pub, another Proud Boys hotspot, similarly
announced a temporary closure.[140] On December 30, 2020, former Pence aide Olivia Troye publicly
expressed fears "that violence could erupt in Washington, D.C., on January 6".[141]

A January 2 article by The Daily Beast reported protesters were discussing bringing guns to the District,
breaking into federal buildings, and attacking law enforcement.[138] The article quoted one popular comment
"I'm thinking it will be literal war on that day. Where we'll storm offices and physically remove and even kill all
the D.C. traitors and reclaim the country".[138][142]

Official predictions and warnings

Further information: Intelligence predicting an attack on the Capitol

In the days leading up to the attack, several organizations monitoring online extremism had been issuing
warnings about the event.[143] In an internal report dated December 29, 2020, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's (FBI) Minneapolis field office warned of armed protests at every state capitol, orchestrated by
the far-right boogaloo movement, before Biden's inauguration.[144] Before January 6, 2021, the FBI notified
the local Joint Terrorism Task Force of possible impending violence at the Capitol.[145] The Washington Post
reported an internal FBI document on January 5 warned of rioters preparing to travel to Washington and
setting up staging areas in various regional states.[146] The FBI did not distribute a formal intelligence
bulletin.[145][147] Some security specialists later reported they had been surprised that they had not received
information from the FBI and DHS before the event.[148]

Robert Contee, the acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, said after
the event that his department had possessed no intelligence indicating the Capitol would be breached.
Capitol Police chief Steven Sund said his department had developed a plan to respond to "First Amendment
activities" but had not planned for the "criminal riotous behavior" they encountered.[149] Three days before
the Capitol attack, the Capitol Police intelligence unit had circulated an internal memo warning that Trump
supporters "see January 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election"
and could use violence against "Congress itself" on that date.[150] Sund said he directed the department to
be placed on "all hands on deck" status (contrary to early reports),[151] which meant every sworn officer
would be working. He also said he activated seven Civil Disturbance Unit platoons, approximately 250
officers, with four of those platoons equipped in helmets, protective clothing, and shields.[152] U.S. Secretary
of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said law enforcement agencies' estimates of the potential size of the crowd,
calculated in advance of the event, varied between 2,000 and 80,000.[153] On January 5, the National Park
Service estimated that thirty thousand people would attend the "Save America" rally, based on people
already in the area.[154]

Other organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League, British security firm G4S, and nonpartisan
governance watchdog Advance Democracy, Inc., studied QAnon posts and made various warnings of the
potential of violence on January 6.[143][155][156]

Law enforcement preparations

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Law enforcement
response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack §
Preparations for January 6. [ edit ]

According to U.S. Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, law

enforcement agencies' estimates of the potential size of the crowd,
calculated in advance of the event, varied between 2,000 and
80,000.[157] On January 5, the National Park Service estimated that
30,000 people would attend the "Save America" rally, based on Police officers at the Supreme Court
on the morning of January 6
people already in the area.[158]

The Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division of the

Capitol Police made a threat analysis on January 3 which was drafted by a single employee who was not
aided by a supervisor in writing and distributing the summary to Capitol Police leadership and others.[159]
[160]

Sund said his department had developed a plan to respond to "First Amendment activities" but had not
planned for the "criminal riotous behavior" they encountered.[161] Sund said he directed the department to be
placed on "all hands on deck" status,[d] which meant every sworn officer would be working. He also said he
activated seven Civil Disturbance Unit platoons, approximately 250 officers, with four of those platoons
equipped in helmets, protective clothing and shields.[163] On January 6, under "orders from leadership", the
police force deployed without "less lethal" arms such as sting grenades. Department riot shields had been
improperly stored, causing them to shatter upon impact.[164]

On January 4, D.C. Mayor Bowser announced that the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of
Columbia (MPD) would lead law enforcement for the event, and would coordinate with the Capitol Police,
the U.S. Park Police, and the Secret Service.[165][e] "To be clear, the District of Columbia is not requesting
other federal law enforcement personnel and discourages any additional deployment without immediate
notification to, and consultation with, MPD if such plans are underway," Bowser wrote in a letter to the
Department of Justice.[165]

Days after the 2020 election, on November 9, Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, replacing
him with Christopher C. Miller.[166] On December 31, 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser requested District of
Columbia National Guard troops be deployed to support D.C. police during the expected demonstrations. In
her request, she wrote that the guards would not be armed and that they would be primarily responsible for
"crowd management" and traffic direction, allowing police to focus on security concerns. Miller approved the
request on January 4, 2021, activating 340 troops, with no more than 114 to be deployed at any given time.
[167]
In a January 4 memo, Miller prohibited deploying D.C. Guard members with weapons, helmets, body
armor or riot control agents without his personal approval.

Three days before the riots, the Department of Defense twice offered to deploy the National Guard to the
Capitol, but was told by the Capitol Police it would not be necessary.[157] On January 3, Sund was reportedly
refused additional National Guard support by House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul D. Irving and Senate Sergeant-
at-Arms Michael C. Stenger.[168][169] On January 5, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy issued a memo
directly placing limits on D.C. National Guard. The commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, Major
General William J. Walker, explained the change, saying: "All military commanders normally have immediate
response authority to protect property, life, and in my case, federal functions – federal property and life. But
in this instance, I did not have that authority."[170]

According to Miller's later statements, on January 3, Miller was ordered by Trump to "do whatever was
necessary to protect the demonstrators" on January 6.[171] On January 22, Miller disputed the criticism that
the Pentagon had delayed deployment of the Guard, calling it "complete horseshit".[172]

Trump supporters gather in D.C.

On January 5, several events related to overturning the election occurred in or around the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. The founder of the Eighty Percent Coalition organized the "Rally to Revival",[99] which was
permitted to take place at Freedom Plaza including a "Rally to Save America".[173]

On January 5, the "Save the Republic Rally" was organized by Moms for America in the early afternoon at
Area 9 across from the Russell Senate Office Building;[174]

On January 5, the "One Nation Under God" rally, organized by Virginia Women for Trump, Stop the Steal,
American Phoenix Project, and Jericho March, took place near the United States Supreme Court.[175]

James Ray Epps, an individual with history in the Arizona Oath Keepers, was filmed during two street
gatherings on January 5 urging people to go into the Capitol the next day.[176][177] Epps later stated that he
had helped orchestrate the flow into the Capitol building.[178]

A rally was organized by a recently defeated Republican congressional candidate from South Carolina. It
was scheduled for 250 people and permitted in the North Inner Gravel Walkway between 13th and 14th
Streets within the National Mall and featured a fifteen-foot-high (4.6 m) replica of the U.S. Constitution.[99]
[179][180]
These events took place on January 5 and 6. At least ten people were arrested, several on
weapons charges, on the night of January 5 and into the morning of January 6.[181]

On January 6, the "Wild Protest" was organized by Stop The Steal and took place in Area 8, across from the
Russell Senate Office Building.[182]

On January 6, the "Freedom Rally" was organized by Virginia Freedom Keepers, Latinos for Trump, and
United Medical Freedom Super PAC at 300 First Street NE, across from the Russell Senate Office Building.
[183]

Freedom Plaza rallies

The Freedom Plaza rallies were held at the northwest corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, just
east of the White House. A series of three consecutive events were planned, first a "March to Save America"
rally from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., followed by a "Stop the Steal" rally from 3:30 to 5:00 and an "Eighty Percent
Coalition" rally from 5:00 to 8:30.[184] Several speakers were presented, notably including:

1. Matt Maddock (R), MI State Representative from Milford[185]

2. Vernon Jones (D/R), former GA State Representative[186]
3. Alex Jones, conservative radio host and conspiracy theorist[187][188]
4. Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor to President Trump[189][190]
5. George Papadopoulos (R), Trump Campaign Advisor[190][191]
6. Roger Stone, advisor to President Trump[189][192][193]

Bombs placed
At 7:40 p.m. on January 5, someone wearing a gray hooded External image
sweatshirt, a mask, and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers FBI images of bomb suspect
was filmed carrying a bag through a residential neighborhood
on South Capitol Street. At 7:52 p.m., the individual was recorded
sitting on a bench outside the DNC; the next day, a pipe bomb was
discovered there, placed under a bush. In the footage, the suspect
appears to zip a bag, stand and walk away. At 8:14, they were filmed in
an alley near the RNC, where a second pipe bomb was found the
following day.[195] They placed both bombs within a few blocks of the
Capitol.[196][197] The FBI distributed photos and video of the person FBI compilation of bombs being
who they believe planted the devices and offered an initial reward of up placed[194]
to $50,000 for information;[198] by the end of the month, the FBI raised
it to $75,000,[199][200] and then $100,000.[201] As of 2023, nearing the
2-year-anniversary since the events, the overall reward price has been upped to $500,000.[202] Vice
President-elect Kamala Harris was inside the DNC building when the pipe bomb was discovered outside the
facility.[201] Both pipe bombs were fully functional and were disabled by authorities.[201] The incident diverted
attention and resources away from the Capitol Riot, which quickly spiraled out of control.[201]

No suspects have been named in the incident as of January 2023.[203][201]

January 6 Trump rally

The "Save America" rally (or "March to Save America",
promoted as a "Save America March")[204] took place on
January 6 in the Ellipse within the National Mall just south
of the White House. The permit granted to Women for
America First showed their first amendment rally "March
for Trump" with speeches running from 9:00 a.m. to Protesters at Washington Union Station on the
3:30 p.m., and an additional hour for the conclusion of the morning of January 6

rally and dispersal of participants.[99]

Trump supporters gathered on the Ellipse to hear speeches from Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others, such as
Chapman University School of Law professor John C. Eastman, who spoke, at least in part, based on his
memorandums, which have been described as an instruction manual for a coup d'état.[205][206] In a court
filing in February, a member of the Oath Keepers claimed she had acted as "security" at the rally, and was
provided with a "VIP pass to the rally where she met with Secret Service agents". The U.S. Secret Service
denied that any private citizens had coordinated with it to provide security on January 6.[207] On February
22, she changed her story and said she interacted with the Secret Service only as she passed through the
security check before the rally.[208]

Mo Brooks (R-AL) was a featured speaker at the rally and spoke around 9 a.m., where he said, "Today is the
day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass". And later, "Are you willing to do what it
takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?"[209][210]

Representative Madison Cawthorn (R–NC) said, "This crowd has some fight".[211] Amy Kremer told
attendees, "it is up to you and I to save this Republic" and called on them to "keep up the fight".[100] Trump's
sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, along with Eric's wife Lara Trump, also spoke, naming and verbally attacking
Republican congressmen and senators who were not supporting the effort to challenge the Electoral College
vote, and promising to campaign against them in future primary elections.[212] Donald Jr. said of Republican
lawmakers, "If you're gonna be the zero and not the hero, we're coming for you".[213][214]

Rudy Giuliani repeated conspiracy theories that voting machines used in the election were "crooked" and at
10:50 called for "trial by combat".[215][216] Eastman asserted that balloting machines contained "secret
folders" that altered voting results.[217][f] At 10:58, a Proud Boys contingent left the rally and marched toward
the Capitol Building.[39]

Donald Trump's speech

Starting at 11:58, from behind a bulletproof shield, President Trump

gave a speech, declaring that he would "never concede" the
election, criticized the media, and called for Pence to overturn the
election results, something outside Pence's constitutional power.[88]
[219]
His speech contained many falsehoods and misrepresentations
that inflamed the crowd.[220] Trump did not overtly call on his
supporters to use violence or enter the Capitol,[221] but his speech
was filled with violent imagery[222] and Trump suggested that his
An image of Trump delivering his
supporters had the power to prevent Biden from taking office.[221] rally speech from behind a bulletproof
The same afternoon, Pence released a letter to Congress in which shield was projected onto this screen at
he said he could not challenge Biden's victory.[88][223] the rally

Trump called for his supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" to

"cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and we're probably not going to be cheering so
much for some of them." He told the crowd that he would be with them, but he ultimately did not go to the
Capitol. As to counting Biden's electoral votes, Trump said, "We can't let that happen" and suggested Biden
would be an "illegitimate president".[221][222] Referring to the day of the elections, Trump said, "most people
would stand there at 9:00 in the evening and say, 'I want to thank you very much,' and they go off to some
other life, but I said, 'Something's wrong here. Something's really wrong. [It] can't have happened.' And we
fight. We fight like Hell and if you don't fight like Hell, you're not going to have a country anymore".[42]:01:11:44
He said the protesters would be "going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give [Republicans] the kind
of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country".[224] Trump also said, "you'll never take back
our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to
demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated".[221][222]

Trump denounced Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), saying, "We've got to get rid of the weak
Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world".[225] He called upon his
supporters to "fight much harder" against "bad people"; told the crowd that "you are allowed to go by very
different rules," said that his supporters were "not going to take it any longer"; framed the moment as the last
stand, suggested that Pence and other Republican officials put themselves in danger by accepting Biden's
victory; and told the crowd he would march with them to the Capitol, but was prevented from doing so by his
security detail.[221][222][226] In addition to the twenty times he used the term "fight," Trump once used the
term "peacefully," saying, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to
peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard".[222]

During Trump's speech, his supporters chanted "Take the Capitol," "Taking the Capitol right now," "Invade
the Capitol," "Storm the Capitol" and "Fight for Trump".[227][228] The New York Times placed the fall of the
first barriers at 1:03 p.m.[229] Before Trump had finished speaking at 1:12 p.m., an estimated eight thousand
supporters had already begun moving up the National Mall, with some shouting that they were storming the
Capitol.[44] After completing his speech, Trump went back to the White House on the presidential motorcade,
arriving at 1:19 p.m.[230] At some point afterward, Trump went to the Oval Office and started watching news
coverage of the attack.[230]

Trump's knowledge of weapons in the crowd

During the rally, Trump knew some of his supporters were armed and demanded that they be allowed to
enter the rally, and later instructed the crowd to march on the US Capitol.[231] In a December 21, 2021,
statement, Trump falsely called the attack a "completely unarmed protest". The Department of Justice said
in a January 2022 official statement that over 75 people had been charged, in relation to the attack, with
entering a restricted area with "a dangerous or deadly weapon", including some armed with guns, stun guns,
knives, batons, baseball bats, axes, and chemical sprays.[232] According to testimony from Cassidy
Hutchinson, a Secret Service official had warned Trump that protestors were carrying weapons, but Trump
wanted the magnetometers used to detect metallic weapons removed so armed supporters could enter the
rally.[233] According to Hutchinson, when warned, Trump said:

I don't fucking care that they have weapons, they're not here to hurt me. They're not here to
hurt me. Take the fucking mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from
here, let the people in and take the mags away.[231]

Attack on the Capitol

During his January 6 speech, President Trump called upon supporters to walk to the Capitol. Just before the
attack, pipe bombs were discovered near the complex.[234] Attackers besieged and ultimately breached the
Capitol. Members of the Congress barricaded themselves in the chamber, and one attacker was fatally shot
by police while attempting to breach a barricade.[235]

After officials at the Pentagon delayed deployment of the National

Guard citing concerns about optics, D.C. Mayor Bowser requested
assistance from the Governor of Virginia. By 3:15, Virginia state
police began arriving in D.C.[236] After Vice President Pence and the
Congress were evacuated to secure locations, law enforcement
cleared and secured the Capitol.
Surveillance video of Mike Pence
March to the Capitol being evacuated from the Capitol.

On January 6, Trump supporters filled The Ellipse, about 1.6 miles

(2.6 km) from the Capitol, just south of the White House grounds.
[237]
Signs around the stage carried the slogan "Save America
March". Speeches began at 9:00. While they continued, a Proud
Boys contingent left the rally at 10:58 to march toward the Capitol
Building. As they set off, Ethan Nordean used a megaphone to
issue instructions and said: "if you're not a Proud Boy, please get
out of the way". Another leader, Joe Biggs, used a walkie-talkie for
communications.[39]
Protestors approaching the Capitol
President Trump arrived and began speaking around noon.
Complex
Throughout his speech, he encouraged the crowd to walk down
Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Before he had finished
speaking, members of the crowd began walking to the Capitol "in a
steady stream".[237] Around 12:30, a "fairly calm" crowd of about
300 built up east of the Capitol. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a
leader of the group of lawmakers who vowed to challenge the
Electoral College vote, greeted these protesters with a raised fist as
he passed by on his way to the Congress joint session in the early
afternoon.[238][239]
Members of the Proud Boys in front
of the U.S. Supreme Court Building
Bombs discovered near Capitol Complex
This section is an excerpt from Law enforcement response to
the January 6 United States Capitol attack § Bombs discovered near Capitol Complex. [ edit ]

Around 12:45 p.m., a bomb was discovered next to a building containing

Republican National Committee (RNC) offices by a woman using the shared
alleyway to access her apartment building's laundry room.[240] She alerted
RNC security, which investigated and summoned law enforcement; U.S.
Capitol Police, FBI agents and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives (ATF) all responded to the RNC bomb.[241]

About thirty minutes later, while officers were still responding at the RNC,
they were informed a second pipe bomb had been discovered under a bush
at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters.[242][243] Vice
President-elect Kamala Harris was inside the DNC headquarters at the time One of two pipe bombs
[244]
the pipe bomb was discovered. Capitol Police began investigating the discovered adjacent to the
Capitol on January 6, 2021.
DNC pipe bomb at 1:07 p.m., and Harris was evacuated at approximately
1:14 p.m.[244] The devices were of a similar design – about one foot (30 cm)
in length.[243][245] They were safely detonated by bomb squads;[242] the pipe bomb at the RNC was
neutralized at 3:33 p.m. and the pipe bomb at the DNC was neutralized at 4:36 p.m., according to a Capitol
Police timeline.[244] The bombs were fully functional and constructed of galvanized steel pipes, homemade
black powder, and kitchen timers.[246][247] The FBI stated that the bombs "were viable and could have been
detonated, resulting in serious injury or death."[246]

Sund told The Washington Post on January 10 that he suspected

the pipe bombs were intentionally placed to draw police away from
the Capitol;[249] Representative Tim Ryan (D–Ohio) echoed the
sentiment in a virtual news conference on January 11, saying, "[W]e
do believe there was some level of coordination ... because of the
pipe bombs ... that immediately drew attention away from the
breach that was happening."[250][251] The Inspector General of the
Capitol Police later concluded, "If those pipe bombs were intended
to be diversion... it worked."[252] As the mob of Trump supporters
attacked the Capitol, the discovery of the pipe bombs diverted a
large number of already-outnumbered law enforcement officers
from the Capitol.[244] Capitol Police Inspector General Michael
Bolton testified before Congress that "the bombs drew three teams
to investigate" and left only one squad at the Capitol.[246]
FBI Wanted Poster offering up to
The FBI publicly released several videos of the suspect walking $100,000 for information leading to the
conviction of the individual who placed
around at the time the bombs were placed, along with the bomber's
two pipe bombs[248]
suspected route, and has confirmed that the suspect placed the
bombs between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on the night of January 5, and
wore a gray hooded sweatshirt, face mask, glasses, and gloves; carried a backpack; and wore a black and
light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turfs with a yellow Nike symbol.[246][253] Despite an intense FBI investigation
spanning more than a year, a suspect was never named in the pipe bombings.[254][246] The FBI has offered
a $100,000 reward for information about the suspect.[246]

Siege
The Proud Boys contingent reached the west
perimeter of the Capitol grounds, protected only by
a sparse line of police in front of a temporary fence.
Other Trump supporters arrived, forming a growing
crowd. The mob, headed by Proud Boy Joe Biggs,
rushed the fences and clashed with the police. At
12:53, rioters stormed through the barriers and onto
4:06
the Capitol grounds for the first time, as police
struggled to contain them. Meanwhile, at The
Bodycam video taken at U.S. Capitol, January 6, 2021
Ellipse, Oath Keepers wearing black hoodies with
prominent logos left the rally at 12:52 and changed
into Army Combat Uniforms, with helmets, on their way to the Capitol.[39]

Around 1:00 p.m., hundreds of Trump supporters clashed with a second thin line of officers and pushed
through barriers erected along the perimeter of the Capitol.[47][255] The crowd swept past barriers and
officers, with some members of the mob spraying officers with chemical agents or hitting them with lead
pipes.[3][6][256] Many rioters walked up the external stairways, while some resorted to ropes and makeshift
ladders.[257] Police blocked the entrance to a tunnel at the lower west terrace where rioters waged a three-
hour fight to enter.[258] To gain access to the Capitol, several rioters scaled the west wall.[259] Representative
Zoe Lofgren (D–CA), aware that rioters had reached the Capitol steps, could not reach Steven Sund by
phone; House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul D. Irving told Lofgren the doors to the Capitol were locked and
"nobody can get in".[260]

Telephone logs released by USCP show that Sund had been coordinating additional resources from various
agencies. Sund's first call was to the D.C. Metropolitan Police, who arrived within 15 minutes.[261] Sund
called Irving and Stenger at 12:58 and asked them for an emergency declaration required to call in the
National Guard; they both told Sund they would "run it up the chain", but formal approval would arrive more
than one hour later.[262]

After Trump had finished his speech, around 1:12, he returned to the White House despite promising to
march with protestors to the Capitol.[237]

A reliable estimate of the total size of the crowd cannot be ascertained, as aerial photos are not permitted in
Washington, D.C., for reasons of security, but the crowd was estimated to be in the thousands.[35] At
1:50 p.m., the on-scene MPD incident commander declared a riot.[261] At 1:58, Capitol Police officers
removed a barricade on the northeast side of the Capitol allowing hundreds of protestors to stream onto the
grounds.[263]

Capitol breach
Just before 2:00 p.m., numerous rioters reached the doors and
windows of the Capitol and began attempts to break in. Around
2:11, a group of rioters used a piece of lumber to break through a
window and began climbing into the building moments later.[264] At
2:12, a Proud Boy seized a Capitol Police plastic shield and used it
to smash through another window; by 2:13, the Capitol was officially
breached, and the growing mob streamed into the National Statuary
Hall.[39][6][265][266] Although most of the Capitol's windows had been
Trump supporters crowding the steps reinforced, the rioters targeted those that remained as single-pane
of the Capitol
glass and could be broken easily.[267]

As rioters began to invade the Capitol and other nearby buildings,

some buildings in the complex were evacuated.[55] Outside, the mob punctured the tires of a police vehicle,
and left a note saying "PELOSI IS SATAN" on the windshield.[6] Politico reported some rioters briefly
showing their police badges or military identification to law enforcement as they approached the Capitol,
expecting to be let inside; a Capitol Police officer told BuzzFeed News that one rioter had told him "[w]e're
doing this for you" as he flashed a badge.[149]

Concerned about the approaching mob, Representative Maxine

Waters (D-CA) called Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who was
not on Capitol grounds but at the police department's headquarters.
When asked what the Capitol Police were doing to stop the rioters,
Sund told Waters, "We're doing the best we can" before the line
went dead.[260]
Officer Daniel Hodges crushed in
Federal officials estimate that about ten thousand rioters entered doorway
the Capitol grounds,[268] and the Secret Service and FBI have
estimated that about 1,200 breached the building.[269] A news crew
from British broadcaster ITV followed the rioters into the Capitol, the only broadcaster to do so.[270][271]