It’s been a year since the nation and world watched thousands supporters of Donald Trump scale the walls of the US Capitol in a fatal failed attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election.
In that time, the DOJ has prosecuted nearly 700 rioters while a special commission was formed to head up the investigation surrounding some of the biggest questions Americans had that day: How did this happen? and Who is involved?
Still, Donald Trump –– who was impeached for a second time for inciting the insurrection –– and his supporters continue to push lies about their deadly actions and the former president’s involvement in the whole thing.
To debunk some of the “most-enduring” lies about the January 6 Capitol riot, CNN’s fact checker Daniel Dale broke down what messages are still being pushed online and among Trump supporters.
CNN’s @ddale8 fact-checks the most enduring lies about the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol.https://t.co/OrPVHxHqSo pic.twitter.com/fcWjLm59NF
— New Day (@NewDay) January 5, 2022
Lie #1: Rioters were completely unarmed
We’ve all seen the photos and videos. Officers testified during a Congressional hearing that they were pepper-sprayed and attacked with various items and continue to suffer from their injuries.
Lie #2: Rioters were just “protesting” a “rigged” election
First, as Dale points out, January 6 was not a “protest.” More than 140 officers were assaulted, lawmakers’ lives were threatened, and authorities said many of the rioters came to the nation’s capital with the intention of causing destruction.
Additionally, the election wasn’t “rigged.”
Lie #3: Rioters were invited in by Capitol police.
Video footage shows Capitol police officers –– outnumbered –– attempting to keep thousands of rioters out of the capitol. Officer Eugene Goodman received accolades for facing off a group of rioters single-handedly and is credited with saving the lives of Senate members who were barricaded just few away from a violent splinter mob.
Oregon Rep. Mike Norman was charged with participating in the riot, after surveillance footage showed him unlocking a door to let rioters in.
Lie #4: Jailed rioters are “nonviolent” political prisoners.
According to Dale, most of the people detained in connection with the riot have been released, but the few dozen that haven’t have been linked to far-right extremist groups and deemed “violent.”
Lie #5: January 6 was a “false flag attack”
Soon after the riot, people began spinning the myth that the attack was actually carried out by left-wing groups who wanted to paint Trump supporters in a bad light.
Court documents and admissions from the 700 people charged in the riot –– including extensive social media posts –– have confirmed that this is not true.
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