WASHINGTON—Taking more than just a page from George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty Four,” the White House and Republicans observed the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters by declaring it was an action, not by criminals but by “mere trespassers,” with some Republicans saying that many of them were nothing more than tourists.
In true Orwellian “War is Peace” and “Ignorance is Strength” style, the White House put out a page on its website that re-wrote what millions across the nation watched unfold that day – police being beaten and murdered and a gallow set up to hang the Vice President for not going along with Trump’s order to stop certification of election results the president did not like.
Trump’s full-page rewrite on the insurrection, now posted on the White House website, describes the insurrectionists and rioters as “protesters and mere trespassers.” The attempt to rewrite history was totally disproven by testimony from former Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith just days before the anniversary of the insurrection.
As Smith pointed out behind closed doors to the current highly partisan House Judiciary Committee—whose Republicans also tried to cover up the crime by releasing the transcript on New Year’s Eve—Trump was the lead conspirator in ordering, aiding, and mounting that insurrection.
Smith presented and reminded the lawmakers about overwhelming evidence that Trump was “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” of violating the U.S. Constitution and of voters’ rights to have their ballots counted fairly and objectively.
“The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts,” Smith said.
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
While they were putting out those lies, a contingent of the rioters, convicted and jailed for their crimes but pardoned by President Trump, rallied to commemorate their lawless activity that dark day five years ago.
In some ways, Jan. 6, 2026, was more than just a simple anniversary. The things that came to a head on that date in 2021, both the attacks on democracy and the fight to preserve it, continue today. Trump’s illegal attempts to prevent the certification by Congress of the election of Joe Biden to the presidency and the many other lawless moves in his first administration continue now and are often worse than anything he attempted in his first administration.
The invasion of Venezuela, the kidnapping of its president, and his ongoing threats against many other nations this month are only a few of the latest examples.
This year, as in 2021, House Democrats are among the defenders of democracy under attack by Trump. They sponsored an informal hearing to re-emphasize the threat to democracy. In New York, two state lawmakers reemphasized their bill, introduced the week before, to make truthful teaching about January 6 part of the civics curriculum in public schools.
And Teachers/AFT President Randi Weingarten, a New York City civics teacher who also holds a law degree, praised the Democratic hearing while condemning the Republican attempt to whitewash what happened that horrible day.
“We cannot let anyone rewrite this history,” Weingarten said. “Jan. 6th was violent. Police were murdered by domestic terrorists trying to overthrow the results of a free and fair election. And it’s shameful that the insurrectionists have been pardoned.
“I’m glad Democrats are standing firm for truth about Jan 6th today. They are live-streaming expert witnesses, including Republicans, police and people who participated in the insurrection.”
The informal hearing witnesses included former Reps. Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who was one of the two Republicans on the House’s Select Committee on January 6, plus Pamela Hemphill, an invader who served 60 days in jail, and who recanted and turned down Trump’s pardon for all 1,600 of them who were indicted, tried, convicted, or jailed.
“I was wrong” to believe Trump’s lies about a stolen election, Hemphill told the session. But she suffers a backlash from democracy foes. “They’d find out you (Democrats) support me,” she explained.
“If we don’t right these wrongs, there will be a January 7th, a January 8th, and the country we are barely holding onto now will slip forever through our fingers,” Kinzinger warned.
House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi described a frustrating phone call five years ago from congressional leaders to Trump’s Defense Department, seeking troops to help the outmanned U.S. Capitol Police. “Imagine if it was the Pentagon” being attacked, Pelosi said she told the military brass. “What would you do?”
The other side—the democracy destroyers—massed at the Ellipse on the anniversary date this week and began their march at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time. At the foot of the Capitol, their speakers demanded to know why defenders against their attacks had not been indicted, tried, and jailed during Trump’s current term.
Their current leader, Proud Boys head Enrique Torrio, urged them all in a tweet to keep it peaceful and in memory of the “martyred heroine” whom the invaders and Donald Trump canonized, former servicemember Ashli Babbitt of San Diego. She tried to invade the barricaded U.S. House chamber, was shot, and later died. Five defenders against the Trump-backing attackers died in the ensuing days, and 140 were injured.
Five years ago, the invaders obeyed Trump, who ordered them to march from the Ellipse to the Capitol and promised to lead them. “Fight like hell… Or you won’t have a country anymore!” he yelled then. Many of them were armed.
Republicans have been accusing Smith of having made partisan decisions in his attempt to prosecute Trump. “I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 election. We took our actions based on the facts and the law, the very lessons I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.”
But, Smith said, he had to close the investigation after Trump was elected to a second term, starting this past January 20, because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision granting presidents past, present, and future immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts—and the court’s six-Republican majority definition of “official acts” was very broad.
After the Judiciary hearing, panel chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a vociferous and often histrionic Trump defender during impeachment, denied the evidence all over again.
In New York, State Sens. Charles Liu, D-Queens, and Judiciary Committee Chair David Lavine, D-Nassau, again publicized their legislation mandating teaching about January 6 as part of the civics curricula in schools statewide.
“In an age when conspiracy theories are able to inspire and incite such wanton political violence, it is more important than ever that our schools equip the next generation with the truth, free from bias, and without prejudice, in order to protect our democracy,” Liu said.
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