US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced plans to commemorate the first anniversary of the deadly 6 January 2021 attacks on the Capitol building, during which a mob of angry pro-Trump protesters broke into the facility. Amid widespread vandalism and theft, at least 5 people were killed, including a Capitol building police officer.
"These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness".
Congress won't yet be in session by 6 January, 2022, and many lawmakers will be out of town. However, all events will be livestreamed and absent lawmakers could attend virtually, Pelosi noted.
The events announced by the House speaker include a "pro forma" session of the House, during which lawmakers will observe a period of silence followed by a statement from the chair presiding over the lower chamber.
In addition, two presidential historians, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, will hold a dialogue "to establish and preserve the narrative of January 6th", according to Pelosi. The dialogue will be followed by testimonials from lawmakers who were present when the pro-Trump mob stormed Congress. The commemorative event will end with a prayer vigil on the centre steps of the Capitol held by House lawmakers and joined by US senators.
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The remembrance will be held as the US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol continues its work, with the declared goal of revealing the origins of the Capitol insurrection, which has been characterised as an attempt at a "coup". The committee presumes that then-US President Donald Trump and his supporters are behind the deadly storming of the Capitol. The former US president denies responsibility for inciting his supporters to violence.
Trump has repeatedly slammed the work of what he describes as an "unselect committee" and announced that he will hold a press conference on the anniversary of the 6 January attack. His intent for the address is not clear, but has fumed with anger over the 6 January House committee, repeatedly claiming that they are looking for signs of a coup in the wrong place.
"Why isn’t the Unselect Committee of highly partisan political hacks investigating the CAUSE of the January 6th protest, which was the rigged Presidential Election of 2020? […] Remember, the insurrection took place on November 3rd, it was the completely unarmed protest of the rigged election that took place on January 6th", Trump has baselessly claimed.