WASHINGTON — Metal detectors screen lawmakers for weapons at the doors of the House chamber. Staff members are frightened to come to work. Anxious police officers worry about a future attack, even as they relive the one that took place. The citadel of democracy is almost inaccessible to the public it is supposed to welcome and serve.The Jan. 6, 2021, assault has shaken the foundations of the Capitol, a symbol of American strength and unity, transforming how lawmakers view their surroundings and one another. A dark mood lingers and the scars will be long in healing.“I have colleagues, to be honest with you, I can’t stand looking at, and I don’t want to get into an elevator with them when we are going to roll-call votes,” said Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts, referring to Republicans he considers complicit in the attack of a year ago and unapologetic about it today.The Capitol has been the site of significant violence over the centuries. There was its torching by British troops in 1814, the bloody caning of Senator Charles Sumner in 1856, a spray of gunfire from the House spectator’s gallery by Puerto Rican nationalists that wounded five representatives in 1954, the murder of two Capitol Police officers standing guard in 1998, and the killing of another at a traffic barricade last April.Image
The American flag was flown at half-staff on Wednesday.Credit...Andrew Mangum for The New York TimesBut the attack of a year ago was uniquely shattering in that it was a brutal effort by marauding Americans to keep President Donald J. Trump in office despite his election loss by interrupting one of the nation’s essential civic functions — the tallying of the electoral votes for president. Lawmakers who were on hand are still struggling to comprehend it.“That’s the difference,” said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who had argued that Congress should shut down on Thursday to spare staff workers the trauma of reliving a horrific day. “The last time the Capitol was breached and taken over was in 1814 by British forces. Here, we had our fellow Americans storming the Capitol.”The events of last year have turned everyday spaces in the Capitol into testaments to what transpired. Here’s a spot where they fought their way into the building; there’s a window they broke or a wall they scaled.A heavily trafficked marble staircase on the Senate side of the building is no longer just a way to reach the second floor. It is now etched in memory as the stairway where Officer Eugene Goodman, acting alone, diverted a mob away from a set of back stairs, allowing Vice President Mike Pence and senators to escape unharmed to a secure location before the intruders breached the Senate chamber.ImageThe once-vibrant Capitol seems eerily empty and footsteps echo loudly off the marble floors.Credit...Andrew Mangum for The New York TimesImageOfficer Eugene Goodman, acting alone, diverted a mob away from a set of stairs, moving the group away from lawmakers.Credit...Andrew Mangum for The New York TimesSenators cannot help but look at the presiding officer’s desk in their inner sanctum and remember that it was roughly commandeered by supporters of Mr. Trump — one shirtless and wearing horns on his head — who rifled through the historic desks in a chamber considered sacred by its usual occupants.Understand the Jan. 6 Investigation
Both the Justice Department and a House select committee are investigating the events of the Capitol riot. Here's where they stand:
Inside the House Inquiry From a nondescript office building, the panel has been quietly ramping up its sprawling and elaborate investigation.Criminal Referrals, Explained Can the House inquiry end in criminal charges? These are some of the issues confronting the committee.A Big Question Remains: Will the Justice Department move beyond charging the rioters themselves?Garland’s Remarks: Facing pressure from Democrats, Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that the D.O.J. would pursue its inquiry into the riot “at anyBy: Carl Hulse
Title: One Year Later, Assault Still Casts a Pall Over the Capitol and Its Occupants
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/us/politics/one-year-later-assault-still-casts-a-pall-over-the-capitol-and-its-occupants.html
Published Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2022 23:55:41 +0000
Read More
UK PoliticsWorld PoliticsVideosPrivacy PolicyTerms And Conditions
