User:MBUSHIstory/sandbox

Following Donald Trump's loss to Joseph Biden in the 2020 presidential election, and after losses in numerous court cases challenging the election results, Donald Trump, his surrogates, and supportive right-wing media repeatedly lied to or misled the public, by falsely asserting the election was fraudulent and that Trump had won, without any evidence.

Trump tweeted the January 6 rally would be "wild" and his surrogates commented that violence was anticipated and "all hell is going to break loose".

Trump lied to his supporters that US Vice President Mike Pence and Congress had the power to stop the election from being stolen, at the joint Congressional session to certify the election on January 6, 20101.

Pence issued a statement that he did not have such a power.

Trump called thousands of supporters to a January 6, 2021, rally in Washington DC, to "stop the steal".

At the rally, Trump lied to thousands of his supporters that the election would be stolen if they did not "fight", directed the crowd to march on the US Capitol where Pence and the joint session of Congress were meeting to certify the election, and lied to the crowd that Trump would march to the Capitol with them.

A mob of thousands of Trump supporters marched to the Capitol building and rioted.

The mob breached physical barriers surrounding the Capitol building, assaulted and battered lines of Capitol police, climbed the walls, broke down windows and doors, and stormed the building.

The mob searched the building for Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other senators and house members, threatening physical harm, including chanting "Hang Mike Pence".

Police slowed the rioters from entering the Senate chambers by directing the mob toward the police, and slowed the assault on the House chamber by shooting and killing a member of the mob as the mob attempted to break into the chamber doors, whereby the vice president and house and senate members were evacuated from the chambers.

Other house and senate members, and their staff barricaded themselves in rooms and offices and hid from the mob.

For hours, President Trump delayed in calling off the mob and in calling in backup forces, during which time rioters destroyed property and assaulted and battered police and without relent, injuring numerous officers.

The event resulted in a second impeachment of Trump, at which Republican house member Elizabeth Cheney summarized

At the Senate impeachment trial, Republican Senator Mitt Romney asserted the event was caused by Republican leaders and right wing media repeatedly lying to the public.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnel said Trump was morally and practically responsible as the cause of the event.

IN the months following the event, Trump surrogates and right wing media falsely characterized the event as being perpetrated by Trump opponents such as BLM and Antifa, or as being a peaceful event that was mischaracterized as a riot or insurrection.