The Debate Shaking the United States: What Happened on the Day of the Capitol Bombing | Congressional committee tries to understand how the assault happened and what was going on in the White House meanwhile

From Washington, DC

More than seven months have passed since a Trumpist horde attacked the United States Capitol as both Houses of Congress prepared to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. However, the American country is still discussing what happened on January 6, when the whole world saw images of crowds breaking into the building. While sectors of the right downplay the events of this day, the House of Representatives is carrying out a special commission on the subject.

Testimonials

The content of the Commission hearings on January 6 is not easy to hear or see. It’s not just the videos collected on what happened that day. At the end of July, members of the security forces who were trying to defend the Capitol against the crowds also shared their testimony:

“For the first time, I was more afraid of working on Capitol Hill than during the entire deployment to Iraq. In Iraq, we expected violence because we were in a war zone, but nothing from my experience in the military or security forces prepared me for what we faced on January 6.“, He said Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell.

“In this profession, they probably won’t be shocked to learn that I have been confronted with risky situations. I thought I had seen everything, and many times, but what I saw and experienced on January 6, 2021 was different from anything I had seen in my life, “he continued. Michael Fanone, a Metropolitan Police officer from the District of Columbia.

“I told them to get out of the Capitol. In response, they shouted ‘No, this is our home, President Trump has invited us, we are here to stop the theft. Joe biden He’s not the president, no one voted for Joe Biden. ‘ I am a member of the security forces and I try to keep politics out of my job, but in this circumstance I said ‘I voted for Joe Biden, doesn’t my vote count? I am no one?’ It led to a torrent of racial epithets, ”he said. Harry dunn in his speech. You are not the only member of the black community to have received Racist insults This day.

On January 6, Capitol Police were completely overwhelmed as they attempted to arrest hundreds of people who easily left behind movable fences around the property. Reinforcements took hours to arrive.

Wounded police officers

As posted by CBS News this Friday, more than 570 people were arrested for the attack. To date, at least 33 have pleaded guilty. The Justice Department said that More than 170 people are accused of attacking security forces, including around 50 reported to have used deadly or dangerous weapons or seriously injured an officer.

“There are people who try to deny what happened, to dilute it, to turn the insurgents into martyrs. The whole world saw the reality of what happened on January 6, ”said two weeks ago the Democrat MP Bennie Thompson, who chairs the commission.

Last week, District of Columbia police revealed that two police officers who were on Capitol Hill that day committed suicide last month. Thus, there are four members of the security forces who committed suicide after the insurgency. A fifth suffered a cardiovascular attack the day after the assault. A recent US Senate report included the last three cases in a list of victims of the attack.

Biden’s voice

Therefore, also this last week, Biden passed a law awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department and other security forces “for their service in the defense” of democracy on Jan.6.

“My friends, even during the Civil War, insurgents did not burst into the Capitol of the United States of America, the bulwark of our democracy. Not even then. But on January 6, 2021, they did it, ”said the president. Biden also argued that the recognition of the medal is “bittersweet.” “This day, more than 140 members of the security forces suffered physical injuries, an unknown number bearing the emotional toll. Fifteen of you have been hospitalized and others have been lost forever“He added.

The president took advantage of the act of promulgation to question the ongoing debate on what happened on January 6 on Capitol Hill. “The tragedy of this day deserves above all [que se sepa] the truth. We can’t allow history to be rewrittenBiden said last Thursday. “It was a violent attempt to quash the will of the American people, to seek power at all costs, to replace votes with brute force,” he said.

Trumpist theories

The precision is not fanciful. While the House of Representatives, led by the Democratic Party, leads the hearings, certain sectors of the American right are downplaying the violence of the attack on the Capitol. Media associated with these sectors, such as Fox News and Newsmax, televised the audiences, while continuing to editorialize them as a party initiative controlled by the president of the lower house, democrat Nancy Pelosi. One America News, one of Trump’s favorite signals, limited the commission’s footage.

Some Republican lawmakers consider those arrested for the assault to be “political prisoners”. A version with which Trump also sympathizes, who on July 12 gave an interview to Fox News and pointed out the “love” that was in the act leading up to the attack and in which he spoke from the stage : “They were there for a reason, the choice rigged. They thought it was fixed. That’s why they were there and they were peaceful people. They were great people. The crowd was amazing and I mentioned the word love, love in the air. I’ve never seen anything like it. “