President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the White House said Sunday.
Their remarks will come alongside a slate of events prepared by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to commemorate the insurrection, including a moment of silence on the House floor and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol.
The White House had said last month that it would mark the anniversary, but did not provide further details. “January 6 was one of the darkest days in our democracy,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time. “It was a day when our nation’s capital was under attack, and I think there’s no question you’ll see us commemorate that day.”
The insurrection, which began as members of Congress worked to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, commanded the nation’s attention as violent scenes of rioters attacking officers and destroying parts of the Capitol were broadcast live across the country. The ensuing chaos led to the deaths of multiple people the day of the attack or shortly thereafter, while several officers who responded to the Capitol during the attack later died by suicide.
As the attack unfolded, Biden called on then-President Donald Trump to immediately go on national television and demand an end to the “siege.”
“At this hour, our democracy’s under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times. An assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself,” Biden said at the time, speaking from Wilmington, Delaware. “This is not dissent, it’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.”
More than 700 people have been charged by the Justice Department in connection with the riot, and the House select committee investigating the attack has interviewed scores of Trump’s allies with a goal of providing an interim report with initial findings by the summer.