by Sharon Rondeau
(Nov. 27, 2023) — In a video taken from the Upper West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, at approximately the halfway mark U.S. Capitol Police are seen leading a group of visitors through the hallway and a set of double doors in a non-confrontational way.
The video segment (https://cha.house.gov/cha-subcommittee-reading-room-fe781e74-d577-4f64-93cc-fc3a8dd8df18) appears on the second of five pages uploaded November 17 by the Committee on House Administration’s (CHA) Oversight Subcommittee after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave his assent to release the nearly three-year-old videos. That evening, Johnson wrote on “X” that the total footage to be made public would consist of “more than 40,000 hours,” with approximately 4,000 hours “that may involve sensitive security information related to the building architecture” to be withheld.
The video shows police officers leading apparent Trump supporters through the hallway who were carrying flags bearing the then-president’s name, backpacks, cellphones and/or homemade signs and wearing clothing reflective of the winter weather.
Hundreds of citizens entering the Capitol that day had attended a rally at the Ellipse which Trump held to protest the election results. Later in the day, Congress was to hold its quadrennial joint session to tally the electoral votes to confirm the election of the president.
During his address late that morning, Trump urged his supporters, which numbered approximately one million, to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard” at the Capitol in anticipation of the joint session.
Because some who entered the Capitol confronted law enforcers, destroyed property and urged others to follow, the media immediately described the incident as an “insurrection” in which “several militia groups and hundreds of people” “stormed the Capitol” to “overturn the ’20 election results.”
More than 1,100 people have been arrested, with some incarcerated for many months prior to going to trial.
The “attempted coup,” CNN reported in November 2021, rested squarely on Trump for his having “relentlessly tried to weaponize the Justice Department to nullify President Joe Biden’s victory.”
To date, Trump has been charged with 91 felony counts in four jurisdictions, most of which stem from his efforts to prove that he, and not Joe Biden, won the election. In public statements, he continues to say he is the rightful winner.
Following Johnson’s pledge to release the footage, the media was quick to proclaim that “conspiracies” would arise or reappear.