On the first anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol by American protestors, the U.S. Justice Department said its ongoing investigation has resulted in more than 725 arrests nationwide and would continue to “follow the facts wherever they lead.”
“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland commented in a speech. “In the aftermath of the attack, the Justice Department began its work on what has become one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.”
January 6, 2021
It was a day that showed the fragility of the U.S. democratic republic. A new president had been elected, and the U.S. Congress was fulfilling its constitutional duty to certify the results of the election. Some eight blocks away the soon-to-be former president stood in front of a large crowd, urging them to confront the members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Before the day’s end, the walls, doors and windows of the Capitol building had been breached and violence had ensued. Overall, the violence resulted in six deaths, including of five officers.
Since then, a lot has taken place: The election was certified. A new president took office. But reverberations of the day remain. And the country is still deeply divided.
Reflecting back, President Joe Biden said former President Trump and his supporters who attacked the Congress had harmed American democracy.
“Those who stormed this Capitol and those who instigated and incited and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America — at American democracy,” Biden said. “
They didn’t come here out of patriotism or principle. They came here in rage — not in service of America, but rather in service of one man. Those who incited the mob — the real plotters — who were desperate to deny the certification of the election and defy the will of the voters.”
The day of violence marred the country’s psyche. Yet the democratic republic stands.
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