On Friday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell commemorated the second Anniversary of the January 6th riot at the United States Capitol Building. Sewell joined some of her Democratic colleagues on the steps of the House of Representatives to commemorate the second anniversary of January 6th.
“Two years ago today, Americans watched in horror as former President [Donald] Trump incited a violent and deadly attack on the United States Capitol,” Sewell said in a statement. “The January 6th insurrection was an assault not only on the Capitol Building but on the peaceful transition of power and Democracy itself.”
“Today and every day, I am grateful for the heroic officers who put their lives on the line to defend our democracy and who continue to secure the Capitol against ongoing threats,” Sewell continued. “My heart goes out to the families of the fallen officers who joined us on the House steps this morning. I commend the thorough, bipartisan work of the January 6th Committee which brought the facts to light and found that President Trump and his allies engaged in insurrection against the United States and our Constitution. No one is above the law, and we must relentlessly pursue accountability for those involved in orchestrating this attack, including the former President.”
“I will never forget the feeling of terror as my colleagues and I laid on the ground trapped in the House Gallery, fearing for our lives and for the survival of our democracy,” Sewell concluded. “As we continue to heal and move forward, know that we are committed to doing all we can to prevent such a heinous attack from ever happening again.”
While the facts of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021 are widely known and agreed upon, the partisan interpretation of those events remains heavily disputed.
Democrats deny that the 2020 election results were fraudulent and claim that there was a vast conspiracy led by then-President Donald Trump to overthrow the results of the election, that the President and his GOP allies were attempting to subvert democracy, and that the attack on the Capitol building was an “insurrection,” and that Trump, members of his administration and even some Republican members of Congress may have broken the law.
Many Republicans claim that Trump and Republican members of Congress did nothing illegal on that day. They claim there were credible reports of election fraud in 2020 and that members of Congress who voted not to certify the Electoral College results simply wanted time to investigate those allegations. They also maintain that the attack on the Capitol was a protest that overstepped its bounds and was not an insurrection.
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, appointed by then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated in a final report, “Between the election and January 6th, the Trump Campaign sent out hundreds of emails urging President Trump’s supporters to “fight the Liberal MOB” and “join the Trump army.” Users on the same extreme social media platforms used to plan the attack on the Capitol repeatedly shared the “Official Election Defense Fund” donation links in the week following election day. Links to donate were often accompanied by mentions of voter fraud and calls to save the country, mirroring the language of the fundraising emails and the countless discussions being held by the President’s supporters of coming to Washington, DC, on January 6th to ‘Stop the steal.'”
“On January 6th, while President Trump was speaking at the Ellipse rally and directing his supporters to march to the Capitol, his Campaign was also sending fundraising emails inflaming people to “fight back,” the report continued. “One email stated, “100 Members of Congress . . . Join them in the FIGHT to DEFEND the Election . . . This is our last line of defense.” Another email stated, “TODAY will be a historic day in our Nation’s history. Congress will either certify, or object to, the Election results. Every single Patriot from across the Country must step up RIGHT NOW if we’re going to successfully DEFEND the integrity of this Election.” A third email stated, “TODAY. This is our LAST CHANCE . . . The stakes have NEVER been higher. President Trump needs YOU to make a statement and publicly stand with him and FIGHT BACK.” Thirty minutes after the last fundraising email was sent, the Capitol was breached. It was then and only then that TMAGAC fundraisers decided to stop sending emails containing baseless claims of election fraud.”
“After raising $250 million dollars on false voter fraud claims, mostly from small-dollar donors, President Trump did not spend it on fighting an election he knew he lost,” the Committee wrote. “Instead, a significant portion of the money was deposited into the Save America account and not used for the purposes the Campaign claimed it would be. President Trump got a war chest with millions of dollars, and the American people were left with the U.S. Capitol under attack.”
Republicans largely dismiss the finding of the January 6th committee as a partisan witch hunt.
Now that Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol is no longer standing. It joined the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress as 117th Congress Committees that new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and the Republican House leadership discontinued.
Sewell is in her seventh term representing Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
