A New Date to Live in Infamy: January 6, 2021
Miles Bell '22 Staff Writer
January 6 was an unforgettable day, with numerous events unleashing a wide range of unsettling emotions in the short span of 14 hours. It began with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock winning their Senate races, resulting in the Democratic party gaining control of the Senate. Following the announced wins, the preplanned rally to “Stop the Steal” moved from the White House ellipse to the Capitol Building, and moved from rally to riot.
- 2:00 p.m.: Domestic terrorists begin raiding the Capitol. The Senate Chamber is temporarily taken over by protesters, and House and Senate representatives are forced to flee to an unknown location. In response, Washington DC Mayor Bowser imposes a 6 p.m. curfew.
- 3:29 p.m.: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announces that he will send in members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia State Troopers. On Twitter, he states, “ My team and I are working closely with @ MayorBowser, @SpeakerPelosi, and @SenSchumer to respond to the situation in Washington, D.C. Per the Mayor’s request, I am sending members of the Virginia National Guard along with 200 Virginia State Troopers.”
- 3:47 p.m.: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that he will be sending the Maryland State Police and the Maryland National Guard for support. He tweets, “At my direction, the @MDSP is sending in troopers to assist the Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Capitol Police. I have instructed the Adjutant General of the @MDNG to call up a rapid response force to support law enforcement and restore order.”
- 4:06 p.m.: President-elect Joe Biden gives a speech addressing the nation about the events. President Trump addresses his supporters 10 minutes later in a video on Twitter, telling them to go home. He says on the video to his supporters, “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.” This message went out two hours after the riots. Twitter tags the video with a warning, saying, “This claim of election fraud is disputed, and this tweet can’t be replied to, retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence.”
- 5:32 p.m.: Governor Ralph Northam announces a curfew going from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the state of Virginia. His tweet announcement states, “At the request of @ AlexandriaVAGov and @ArlingtonVA, I am declaring a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in these jurisdictions, with limited exceptions. I am also issuing a State of Emergency in Virginia, so we can continue to respond.
- 5:50 to 6:00 p.m.: The FBI announces that two suspected explosive devices were rendered safe, and one person at the Capitol was reported dead. The curfew in Washington D.C begins and the House Sergeant at Arms reports that the Capitol Building is secured.
- 6:43 p.m.: In a letter to colleges, Nancy Pelosi writes, “In consultation with Leader Hoyer and Whip Clyburn and after calls to the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President, we have decided we should proceed tonight at the Capitol once it is cleared for use. Leader Hoyer will be sending out more guidance later today.” The Senate, around the same time as this letter, announces that it is expected to reconvene at 8 p.m.
- 7:09 p.m.: President Trump’s Twitter is locked, and the President is given 12 hours to remove three tweets that violate their Civic Integrity policy. If they are not removed, he will be banned permanently.
- 8 p.m.: Senate and House members reconvene and continue their vote on the Arizona electoral vote challenge after shortly addressing the day’s historic incident. The Senate came first in their vote, rejecting the notion with 93 nays and 6 yeas.
- 11:11 p.m.: The House of Representatives finishes their vote, rejecting the objections to Arizona with 303 nays and 121 yeas.
- 1:00 a.m.: The Senate votes to reject the objections (raised by Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley moments before) to certify Pennsylvania’s electoral votes, 92-7.
- 3:00 a.m.: The House votes to reject the objections to certify Pennsylvania’s electoral votes, 282-138.
- 3:46 a.m.: Vice President Pence, having finished certifying the electoral votes, declares President Joseph R. Biden the 46th President of the United States and Kamala D. Harris the Vice President.