A timeline of the events that led to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
By Mikayla Scrignoli
For months leading up to the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump questioned the legitimacy of the election results, according to multiple press conferences and speeches Trump gave.
After news outlets projected that Biden had won the election on Nov. 7, 2020, Trump continued to invalidate the election and pursued lawsuits despite there being no evidence of voter fraud in key states that Biden won like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
Trump planned a rally at the Ellipse for the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, the same day that members of Congress and Vice President Pence certified the election results at the United States Capitol. At the rally, Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell” and wanted Pence to block the election certification.
The supporters marched from the Ellipse to the United States Capitol. It became violent as the rioters began to storm the Capitol and causing members of Congress to have to evacuate and take a break from the election certification, according to videos and multiple members of Congress.
After a few hours, Trump posted a video asking his supporters to go home, and also told them they were special and that he loved them.
The insurrection left one rioter dead, and multiple police officers died in the days following, according to the Washington Post.
On Jan. 13, 2021, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for the second time in his presidency due to the riot. He was impeached for incitement of an insurrection and for obstructing Congress during election certification, according to a Congressional document.
A congressional committee was created to investigate these events. The investigations are still ongoing as of March 2022.
Mikayla Scrignoli 