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— Ryan Nichols at the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He later pleaded guilty to assaulting police.
A visual archive of Jan. 6, 2021, through the lenses of those who were there.
Published Jan. 4, 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, American political leaders almost universally condemned the riot as an act of domestic terrorism that threatened democracy. Now, President Trump calls Jan. 6 a “day of love” and the rioters “great patriots.” And since he issued mass pardons to the rioters, his administration has been trying to rewrite history.
NPR has tracked every Jan. 6 prosecution in a public database, and, drawing on thousands of hours of footage and years of reporting, created a front-line account of the riot. The evidence vividly shows the planning for “revolution” and the brutality of violence on a day that continues to shape American politics.
Explore the database and coverage, or scroll to read the full narrative.
This material includes profanity, violence and references to suicide.
Chapter 1: The run-up
Heading into the 2020 presidential election, the country was engulfed by overlapping crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged lockdowns, along with mass protests, counterprotests and, at times, violent unrest following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
During a presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden, Trump was asked whether he would condemn violence from the far right as well as the far left.
TRUMP: Do you want to call them — what do you want to call them? Give me a name, give me a name. Go ahead, who would you like me to condemn?
CHRIS WALLACE, MODERATOR: White supremacists and racists.
BIDEN: Proud Boys.
WALLACE: White supremacists and white militias.
BIDEN: Proud Boys.
TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what: Somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing — this is a left-wing problem.
The Proud Boys, a right-wing street gang with a history of violence, received a boost in membership following Trump’s comments.
Ahead of the 2020 election, Trump repeatedly claimed that the only way he could lose was through cheating.
“And hopefully we have judges that are going to give it a fair call, because if they give it a fair call, we’re gonna win this election. The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election. We’re gonna win this election. We’re gonna win this election.”
Chapter 2: “Stop the Steal”
On election night, long before election officials or news networks had declared a winner, Trump claimed that he had won and that the election was being stolen from him.
Almost immediately, Trump, his campaign and his allies were leading what they called the “Stop the Steal” movement.
Courts across the country almost universally rejected the Trump campaign’s claims of widespread election fraud or other irregularities. Inside the Trump campaign, officials privately acknowledged that they had found no evidence of fraud that could have changed the outcome. State election officials also certified Joe Biden’s victory.
But Trump continued to pressure them.
“So, look, all I want to do is this. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes — which is one more than we have — because we won the state. And flipping the state is a great testament to our country ’cause, you know, there’s this — there’s just a — it’s a testament that they could admit to a mistake — or whatever you want to call it, if it was a mistake, I don’t know. A lot of people think it wasn’t a mistake. It was much more, uh, criminal than that.”
A central focus of “Stop the Steal” was a protest movement led, in part, by right-wing activists such as Infowars host Alex Jones, longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and the white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
And on Dec. 19, 2020, Trump posted on Twitter:
That day, Congress was set to meet to certify the election, a process that is typically ceremonial. But Trump was pressuring Vice President Mike Pence and Republicans in Congress to try to reject Biden’s victory.
Even before Trump’s tweet, Sam Andrews, whom prosecutors described as a “longtime Oath Keeper,” appeared on a podcast where he encouraged Trump supporters to travel to Washington, D.C., “armed.” Federal prosecutors presented evidence that members of the Oath Keepers circulated this video ahead of the attack on the Capitol. Andrews was not charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot.
“Get with your local militia, get your large group together and start moving to D.C. — armed — because on January 4th, we need to be in mass in D.C. — armed — demanding, not asking, demanding that we get a peaceful resolution to these voter corruption issues.”
Ethan Nordean, a prominent member of the Proud Boys, spoke out in favor of using physical violence to oppose the government in a podcast on Dec. 31, 2020.
“When police officers or government officials are breaking the law, what are we supposed to do as the people? Discourse? What are we supposed to [do], debate? No, you have to use force. This is the organized militia part of our freaking Constitution here.”
Prior to Jan. 6, John Richter posted a video of himself loading bullets while election-related news played in the background. Prosecutors later introduced this video at Richter’s trial, where he was convicted of multiple charges for breaching the Capitol.
Richter, in a selfie-style video, loads bullets while election news plays on-screen.
Prior to Jan. 6, Russell Taylor recorded a video showing the items he planned to bring to Washington, D.C. Taylor later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.
“All right guys, getting my load-out bag: carbon fiber knuckles, matching hatchets and a little bit of excitement.” He fires an electroshock weapon.
Chapter 3: How the assault on the Capitol unfolded
Scroll down to see how key moments unfolded.
On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Trump held a “Save America” rally at the Ellipse, a site near the White House and approximately 2 miles away from the U.S. Capitol. Multiple speakers promoted false claims of voter fraud and advocated for Pence to overturn the election results.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke at the rally and argued that more time was needed to investigate alleged election fraud.
“Let’s have trial by combat. I’m willing to stake my reputation — the president is willing to stake his reputation — on the fact that we’re going to find criminality there.”
The U.S. Secret Service screened approximately 28,000 people who watched Trump’s speech at the Ellipse. Agents confiscated “269 knives or blades, 242 canisters of pepper spray, 18 brass knuckles, 18 tasers, 6 pieces of body armor, 3 gas masks, [and] 30 batons or blunt instruments,” according to a subsequent congressional investigation.
Meanwhile, at 10:28 a.m., more than an hour before Trump began speaking, a large group of Proud Boys gathered near the Washington Monument and began marching toward the Capitol. U.S. Capitol Police estimated that there were roughly 200 people with the group. Ethan Nordean, a prominent member of the Proud Boys, helped lead them on their march.
The group of Proud Boys marched around the Capitol and arrived at the east side of the building.
At 11:47 a.m., Daniel Scott, a Proud Boy known by the nickname “Milkshake,” yelled: “Let’s take the f***ing Capitol!”
“Let’s not f***ing yell that, all right?” responded another Proud Boy.
“Idiot,” replied Proud Boy leader Ethan Nordean.
“Don’t yell it, do it,” another member of the group replied, as the group continued their march.
Trump began his speech at noon and reiterated his false claims that “radical-left Democrats” and “the fake news media” had “stolen” the election, and he pressured Pence to block the certification of the election.
“I hope Mike is going to do the right thing,” Trump said. “He has the absolute right to do it.”
In the first half of his speech, at about 12:15 p.m., Trump told the crowd that he would join a march to the Capitol after his remarks.
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol, and we’re gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
He later added:
“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
Some members of the crowd immediately started walking to the Capitol.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
A confluence of events heightened tensions for both law enforcement and demonstrators.
First, at 12:42 p.m., the U.S. Capitol Police reported that a pipe bomb had been discovered near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee.
In response, the Capitol Police diverted officers and resources to secure the site of the bomb, evacuate nearby buildings and investigate.
By 12:53 p.m., before Trump’s speech concluded, key members of the Proud Boys and other pro-Trump demonstrators had gathered at the Peace Circle on the west side of the Capitol grounds, an area guarded by a small number of police officers.
Rioters soon overwhelmed the police bike racks, knocking U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards to the ground.
The crowd then massed along the west front of the Capitol, where scaffolding and stages had been set up for the upcoming presidential inauguration.
At 1:02 p.m., Pence announced that he would not yield to Trump’s pressure and would proceed with certifying the 2020 election.
"It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
Pence’s announcement enraged many demonstrators.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
As rioters began to surge onto the west front of the Capitol grounds, Capitol Police made two alarming discoveries, adding to the chaos and further diverting attention and resources.
At 1:03 p.m., near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, officers found a red pickup truck belonging to a Trump supporter. The vehicle contained an assault rifle, a handgun, ammunition and 11 Molotov cocktails.
Then, at about 1:05 p.m., Capitol Police discovered an additional pipe bomb near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.
The FBI later determined that the pipe bombs were placed on the evening of Jan. 5. A suspect in the bombing was arrested in 2025 and allegedly told investigators that he believed the 2020 election had been “tampered with” and opposed both political parties.
As Trump wrapped up his speech at the Ellipse, he told the crowd, “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Moments later, at 1:10 p.m., Trump finished his speech, again urging the crowd to march to the Capitol.
After Trump finished his speech, more people joined the mob on the west front of the Capitol, where violence against police continued to escalate. Rioters used pepper spray, bear spray and other weapons to assault police. At approximately 2 p.m., police played a recorded message on a loudspeaker stating, “All people must leave the area immediately. Failure to comply with this order may subject you to arrest and may subject you to the use of a riot control agent or impact weapon.”
At 2:13 p.m., a group of rioters broke through police lines and reached a doorway on the northwest side of the Capitol.
A member of the Proud Boys, Dominic Pezzola, used a stolen police shield to break a window, allowing rioters to enter the building. This marked the first breach of the Capitol.
Members of Congress were still on the Senate and House floors, and Pence and congressional staff were also still inside.
At 2:24 p.m., Trump posted on Twitter from the White House:
At 2:25 p.m., one minute after Trump attacked Pence in a tweet, the Secret Service evacuated Pence and his family from the Capitol.
Rioters had come within 40 feet of Pence.
Meanwhile, at approximately that same time, rioters violently breached the east Rotunda doors of the Capitol. This entrance was subsequently used by members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, who entered the building in a military-style “stack” formation.
At 2:35 p.m., rioters reached a vestibule to a door outside the U.S. House chamber. Rioters broke glass panels of the door and subsequently confronted law enforcement trying to protect members of Congress sheltering inside. A rioter recorded this video of the door to the House chamber as law enforcement pointed guns at them.
At 2:38 p.m., Trump posted on Twitter:
Trump posted this message more than an hour and a half after rioters first assaulted Capitol Police and entered the restricted area by the Capitol.
Andrew Harnik/AP
At 2:39 p.m., Peter Welch — then a congressman from Vermont — posted on Twitter that he and other members of Congress trapped in the House chamber had been instructed to put on gas masks. Some members of Congress prayed or made calls to family members, fearing that they were about to be killed.
By 2:42 p.m., rioters had breached the chamber of the U.S. Senate.
By 2:44 p.m., a group of rioters reached a set of doors leading to another entrance to the House floor — the Speaker’s Lobby.
A rioter named Zachary Alam smashed the window.
On the other side of the door, a member of the U.S. Capitol Police, Michael Byrd, had his gun raised.
A 35-year-old rioter named Ashli Babbitt began to climb through the opening.
Byrd fired a single shot, striking Babbitt in the shoulder. She later died of her wounds.
The riot continued for another two hours, with rioters breaching multiple entrances across the Capitol.
Some of the most extreme violence took place in a tunnel on the lower west terrace of the U.S. Capitol, where police maintained a line against the mob.
The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol “was the most videotaped crime in American history, if not world history,” according to Greg Rosen, a former federal prosecutor who led the Justice Department unit that investigated the riot. Despite that extensive visual record, conspiracy theories and misinformation have spread — including claims that the rioters were unarmed, that the breach resembled a “normal tourist visit” or that police were not seriously hurt.
NPR reviewed thousands of videos presented in court. The footage shows in vivid detail how many rioters used weapons to assault officers, called for war, revolution and political executions, and in some cases looted the Capitol or used drugs inside the building. View a selection of those records for yourself.
“Came in hot”: The weapons of Jan. 6
Video evidence shows that rioters were armed with multiple weapons, including, in some cases, firearms.
Click on a video and swipe through to watch.Click on each video to watch examples.
Scott Fairlamb took a police baton and recorded this video shortly before he breached the U.S. Capitol.
“This is war”: How rioters justified political violence
Video captures Trump supporters at the Capitol calling for civil war, violence against police and the execution of their political opponents.
Police bodycam footage introduced at trial shows defendant Christopher Alberts berating officers protecting the Capitol. According to the government’s sentencing memo, Alberts also urinated on the side of the Capitol building during the riot. Alberts was convicted of multiple charges, including bringing a loaded handgun onto Capitol grounds.
Police bodycam footage introduced at trial shows defendant Christopher Alberts berating officers protecting the Capitol. According to the government’s sentencing memo, Alberts also urinated on the side of the Capitol building during the riot. Alberts was convicted of multiple charges, including bringing a loaded handgun onto Capitol grounds.
Ryan Nichols recorded himself as he walked toward the Capitol on Jan. 6. He later pleaded guilty to assaulting police that day.
On Jan. 6, Mariposa Castro breached the U.S. Capitol through a broken window. After leaving the building, she recorded this video, in which she and an unidentified bystander declare “this is war.” Castro pleaded guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
During the riot, Pauline Bauer yelled at police officers inside the U.S. Capitol and said that she wanted to “hang” Nancy Pelosi, who was the speaker of the House at the time. Bauer was convicted of multiple charges at trial.
Video presented in court showed rioters repeatedly yelling “hang Mike Pence” on Jan. 6.
Video introduced in court shows Richard Lee Harris making threatening comments toward Pence and Pelosi while inside the Capitol. Harris was convicted of multiple charges for his actions on Jan. 6, including assaulting police.
Video presented in court shows a view of the Capitol riot as a person states, “This is the beginning of the revolution.”
This video came from the phone of Jan. 6 defendant Sean McHugh and was presented in court as part of his trial. McHugh was found guilty of assaulting police with bear spray.
As the Jan. 6 riot unfolded, video shows that some demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol became increasingly irate toward police officers.
Video recorded near the lower west terrace tunnel of the U.S. Capitol and later presented in court depicts a man urging rioters to break into the Capitol “for Trump.”
Video recorded from the west side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and later presented in court depicts a man calling police “traitors” and “enemies of the United States of America.”
Nicholas Languerand pleaded guilty to assaulting police during the Capitol riot. The day after the Jan. 6 attack, according to prosecutors, he recorded this video and also posted on Instagram, “Next time we come back with rifles. It’s not a game.”
In the days after the Jan. 6 attack, Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs said on a podcast that the riot was a “warning shot to the government,” and compared their actions to the Founding Fathers and the Revolutionary War, according to evidence presented by prosecutors in court. Biggs was convicted of seditious conspiracy, among other charges.
“This is our house”: How rioters trashed the Capitol
Amid the violence on Jan. 6, some people also smashed windows and doors, took possessions from the Capitol, damaged equipment from media outlets, and even celebrated the riot by drinking alcohol in the Capitol and smoking cigarettes and marijuana. The Department of Justice estimated that the attack caused approximately $3 million in damage.
Video recorded from the west front of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and later presented in court shows rioters attempting to break the building’s windows.
Video recorded from the west front of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and later presented in court shows rioters attempting to break the building’s windows.
Nicholas DeCarlo used a marker to write “Murder the Media” on an entrance to the U.S. Capitol known as the Chestnut-Gibson Memorial Door, which commemorates two Capitol Police officers who were killed in the line of duty in 1998. “Murder the Media” was the name of a social media channel associated with DeCarlo, according to a statement of offense DeCarlo signed as part of his guilty plea.
Both rioters and police officers described a heavy smell of marijuana in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack.
Dominic Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys, recorded himself smoking inside the Capitol, according to evidence presented by the government in court.
Video recorded during the initial breach of the U.S. Capitol shows rioters gleefully taking water bottles and other items from inside the building.
Prosecutors presented evidence at the trial of Brandon Fellows, including video, showing him smoking marijuana inside the U.S. Capitol during the riot.
Eduardo Nicolas Alvear Gonzalez admitted smoking marijuana inside the U.S. Capitol as part of his guilty plea for parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building on Jan. 6.
Video recorded from outside the Capitol and later presented by prosecutors in court shows demonstrators hitting cameras and other equipment belonging to members of the news media.
Video presented in court shows Kurt Peterson wearing a camouflage hat while breaking a window of the U.S. Capitol with a pointed stick. Peterson later pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.
A small number of rioters breached the chamber of the U.S. Senate, and video later presented in court shows them looking through senators’ desks.
Video recorded by the west front of the U.S. Capitol shows rioter Shane Jenkins smashing a window with a hatchet. Jenkins was later convicted of multiple charges, including assaulting police and destroying property.
Jan. 6 defendant Dovid Schwartzberg filmed people attacking equipment belonging to the news media outside the Capitol, according to filings from federal prosecutors. Schwartzberg pleaded guilty to breaching the Capitol building during the riot.
“I need f***ing help”: How rioters injured officers
The Department of Justice estimated that 140 police officers were injured in the attack. Officers suffered traumatic brain injuries, lacerations, crushed spinal discs, and were repeatedly exposed to chemical sprays. Many officers said they had lifelong injuries, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Police used water to wash pepper spray and blood out of the eyes of a fellow officer in a hallway of the Capitol.
At 4:17 p.m., more than two hours after the breach of the Capitol, Trump posted a video repeating his false claims of election fraud and praising his supporters, while also calling on them to go home.
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt.
“We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it…”
He urged his supporters to leave the Capitol.
“So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil.
“I know how you feel. But go home, and go home at peace.”
By around 4:50 p.m., police, who had received backup from other agencies, were able to clear rioters out of the building.
The Washington, D.C., National Guard arrived at 5:40 p.m., four hours after the U.S. Capitol Police chief first began reaching out to officials for National Guard support.
At 8:06 p.m., Pence called the Senate to order, and at 9:02 p.m., Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the House to order.
The following morning, at 3:44 a.m., Congress finally certified the 2020 election results.
There are seven deaths directly linked to the Jan. 6 attack.
Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Philips died due to medical emergencies they suffered while in the crowd outside the Capitol.
Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by police inside the Capitol while attempting to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby, which leads to the House chamber.
Rosanne Boyland collapsed and was crushed by the mob during a period of intense fighting near the lower west terrace tunnel. A subsequent report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner attributed her death to an accidental overdose of amphetamines, Boyland’s medication for ADHD.
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was assaulted with pepper spray while defending the Capitol. Later that evening, Sicknick collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He died on Jan. 7, 2021. The Washington medical examiner determined that Sicknick died due to natural causes — the result of two strokes. Sicknick’s family told NPR that they believe the riot contributed to his death.
Two other police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, Jeffrey Smith and Howard Liebengood, died by suicide in the days immediately following the attack. The Department of Justice formally classified their deaths as "in the line of duty."
In addition to those deaths, the Department of Justice estimated that the attack caused approximately $3 million in damage to the Capitol. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office identified a total of $2.7 billion in costs to taxpayers related to the Jan. 6 attack, including, among other things, funds to address “security needs and investigations.”
Meanwhile, police officers who served on Jan. 6 are still coping with the aftermath of the attack.
In court, police officers who responded to the violence on Jan. 6 described the physical and mental injuries they suffered. Court documents redacted some of their names due to concerns of threats and harassment.
“Jan. 6 was a nightmare for me that nearly cost me my life … I have been sentenced to a lifetime of medical issues that include physical pain and mental and emotional distress. There is not a day that goes by that pain, discomfort, and/or a mental health issue do not flare up to remind me of that day.”
“One of the hardest moments of my life was returning home and seeing my wife at 2:30am weeping in despair and relief knowing that I made it home. No one should ever endure that, no one should ever wake up not knowing if a loved one will come home. My family will never be the same again.”
“I suffered from unbearable back pain that kept me from playing with my children. Before I was attacked, I could run and play with my children and enjoy time and activities with my wife. I loved to do yard work and it gave me great joy. But the Defendant took that away from me.”
Chapter 4: The investigation
Political leaders across the spectrum — including President Trump — called for the rioters to face justice.
Because so few people were arrested during the attack, extremists who led the riot remained free, and some made comments suggesting more violence was coming. Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader, said Jan. 6 was just a “warning shot.”
Just days after the riot, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was recorded discussing violence against Pelosi. Federal prosecutors later introduced the recording as evidence at trial.
“We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I’d hang f***in’ Pelosi from the lamppost.”
The federal investigation into the Capitol attack was the largest in American history, leading to arrests of more than 1,500 people from all 50 states in the country.
The most serious cases were made against leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Both Biggs and Rhodes were among the extremists ultimately convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States for their roles in planning the attack.
Jan. 6 prosecutions, by the numbers
1,575
total federal arrests
2
fully acquitted at trial
Highest sentence
22 years, Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, convicted of seditious conspiracy
Median sentence
For all cases — 30 days; for cases with some jail time — 210 days
Percentage of sentenced defendants who went to jail or prison
64%
Percentage of riot defendants with ties to extremist groups
12%
Percentage of riot defendants with past history in law enforcement
1.8%
Percentage of riot defendants who served in the military
14.6%
Chapter 5: The pardons and rewriting of Jan. 6
While Trump initially condemned the Jan. 6 attack, he soon began embracing the rioters, describing them as “political prisoners” and “hostages.”
When Trump won the 2024 election, his transition team did not indicate precisely who would receive pardons.
On Jan. 12, 2025, just eight days before the inauguration, incoming Vice President Vance told Fox News Sunday that “of course” the administration would not pardon defendants convicted of assaulting police.
“I think it’s very simple. Look, if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance said. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”
But as one of his first acts in office, Trump issued mass pardons to Jan. 6 defendants. Only 14 defendants — all of whom were linked to extremist groups — received commutations rather than a full pardon, meaning they were released from prison, but the convictions remained on their records.
Trump’s pardon also included defendants who had prior criminal records for crimes including sexual assault, manslaughter and rape.
The administration subsequently deleted a government database of Jan. 6 cases, and evidence began disappearing from a site maintained to share court exhibits with the media.
NPR joined a coalition of media organizations that went to federal court to preserve access to video evidence from the Jan. 6 cases. Hundreds of those videos are now publicly accessible through NPR’s database of all of the prosecutions.
On June 6, 2025, the Trump administration settled a lawsuit brought by Ashli Babbitt’s family for $4.975 million. Later that year, on Nov. 7, Trump granted a sweeping pardon to “all United States citizens…for any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 Presidential Election.” The immediate effect of that pardon, which applies to federal charges, was largely symbolic.
Trump has also stocked his administration with people who advocated for Jan. 6 defendants, spread conspiracy theories about the attack, and, in one instance, a former Jan. 6 defendant.
Kash Patel
FBI director
Spread conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, produced song with Jan. 6 defendants
Dan Bongino
Deputy FBI director (through January 2026)
Spread conspiracy theories about Jan. 6
Rachel Cauley
Communications director for White House Office of Management and Budget
Advocated for Jan. 6 defendants
Jared Wise
Official at the Department of Justice
Former Jan. 6 defendant who stormed the Capitol and urged rioters to “kill” cops
Jonathan Gross
Official at the Department of Justice
Former defense lawyer for Jan. 6 defendants
Paul Ingrassia
Acting general counsel of the U.S. General Services Administration
Advocated for Jan. 6 defendants
Ed Martin
U.S. pardon attorney and director of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group
Advocated for Jan. 6 defendants, served as defense attorney for multiple Jan. 6 defendants
Dozens of federal prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases were fired by the Trump administration. They have argued that the firings were retaliation for doing their jobs.
They have since faced harassment and death threats.
Since receiving pardons from Trump, some former Jan. 6 defendants have faced additional legal trouble.
Among those cases:
Andrew Paul Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges in Florida for alleged child sexual abuse, including the molestation of an 11-year-old child, according to court records and an arrest affidavit first reported by The Intercept. According to the affidavit, Johnson told one of the victims that he expected to receive a $10 million settlement from the Trump administration and would share a portion of it. “His tactic was believed to be used to keep [the child] from exposing what Andrew had done to him,” the affidavit states. Johnson had previously pleaded guilty to nonviolent charges for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.
David Daniel pleaded not guilty to federal charges of "Production of Child Pornography" and "Possession of Child Pornography," which "involved a prepubescent minor" and a child under 12 years old, according to prosecutors. Separately, Daniel pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting police officers on Jan. 6, but he had not yet been sentenced when the Trump Department of Justice dismissed his case.
Christopher Moynihan was arrested in New York in October for allegedly threatening House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, writing that “he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.” Moynihan has pleaded not guilty. He was previously convicted at trial of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to nonviolent misdemeanor charges for his actions on Jan. 6.
Robert Packer was photographed storming the Capitol while wearing a “CAMP AUSCHWITZ” sweatshirt and later pleaded guilty to nonviolent charges for his role in the riot. He subsequently faced multiple criminal charges for alleged violent attacks by dogs he owned. According to local news reports, one of the dog attacks sent multiple victims to the hospital.
Just days after receiving a pardon, Matthew Huttle was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy in Jasper County, Indiana, for speeding. In addition to his nonviolent Jan. 6 charges, to which he pleaded guilty, Huttle had a history of legal trouble for drunk driving and child abuse. After the sheriff’s deputy told Huttle he was under arrest as a habitual traffic offender, Huttle reached for his handgun and was shot and killed by the deputy. The shooting was ruled justified.
In response to NPR’s questions about Trump’s pardons, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, "President Trump exercised his constitutional authority to issue pardons to individuals who were abused by the Biden justice system and aggressively over prosecuted for political purposes."
Judges from across the spectrum condemned the Jan. 6 attack.
Few people saw as much of the evidence from the Capitol riot as the judges who oversaw all of the Jan. 6 cases. Those judges heard arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, sat through hours of witness testimony, and reviewed extensive evidence presented at trial. Regardless of their ideological leanings or the president who appointed them, the judges described the attack on the Capitol as a threat to democracy and a stain on the nation’s history.
“Violence risks begetting a vicious cycle that could threaten cherished conventions and imperil our very institutions of government. In that sense, political violence rots republics. Therefore, January 6 must not become a precedent for further violence against political opponents or governmental institutions. This is not normal. This cannot become normal. We as a community, we as a society, we as a country cannot condone the normalization of the January 6 Capitol riot.”
— Judge Royce Lamberth, appointed by President Ronald Reagan
“That day broke our previously unbroken tradition of peacefully transferring power, which is truly among the most precious things that we had as Americans. And that previously unbroken tradition is broken now. And it is going to take time and effort to fix it.”
— Judge Timothy J. Kelly, appointed by President Trump
“On January 6th, 2021, you participated in a national embarrassment. […] The sights that we saw on January 6th, the crimes you and others committed on that day, are things Americans never thought they’d see in the Capitol Building. And we certainly hope never to see them again.”
— Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by President Trump
“The prosecutions in this case and others charging defendants for their criminal conduct at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, present no injustice, but instead reflect the diligent work of conscientious public servants, including prosecutors and law enforcement officials, and dedicated defense attorneys, to defend our democracy and rights and preserve our long tradition of peaceful transfers of power — which, until January 6, 2021, served as a model to the world.”
— Judge Beryl A. Howell, appointed by President Barack Obama
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton, wrote that Trump’s pardons and commutations could not change the truth of what took place on Jan. 6, established in court across more than 1,500 cases.
Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies.
