🏛️ January 6

Trump announces a 'major investigation' into voter fraud, leading to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (Pence Commission), which disbanded in 2018 having found no evidence of widespread fraud. Tweet text: "I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even those registered to …

Trump demands a recount of Georgia's presidential votes after Biden wins the state by 11,779 votes. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, orders a hand recount of all 5 million ballots. The recount confirms Biden's victory. Trump attacks Raffensperger personally and pressures him to 'find' votes. The confrontation culminates in the January 2, 2021 phone call where Trump …

Trump campaign operatives convene fake electors in seven swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and New Mexico — who sign false certificates declaring Trump the winner. The fake certificates are sent to the National Archives and Congress. The scheme, orchestrated by Trump lawyer John Eastman and campaign officials, becomes a central part of the January 6 committee's …

Trump calls for a 'big protest' in DC on January 6th that 'will be wild', directly preceding the Capitol attack. Central to impeachment and criminal prosecution. Tweet text: "Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud 'more than sufficient' to swing victory to Biden. A great report by Peter. Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in …

Trump tweets: 'Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!' The tweet mobilizes thousands of supporters to travel to Washington for the January 6 certification. Extremist groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers interpret the tweet as a call to action. The tweet becomes a key piece of evidence in the January 6 committee hearings …

In a recorded phone call, Trump pressures Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 'find 11,780 votes' — exactly one more than Biden's margin of victory in Georgia. Trump threatens Raffensperger with criminal prosecution if he doesn't act. The recording of the call is leaked and becomes one of the most damaging pieces of evidence of Trump's direct involvement in …

Trump considers replacing Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, a DOJ official who supports Trump's election fraud claims. Trump meets with Clark at the White House. Rosen and Deputy AG Richard Donoghue threaten to resign en masse if Trump installs Clark. The episode, which Rosen later describes as an attempted coup at DOJ, is detailed in the January …

Trump launches a sustained pressure campaign against Vice President Mike Pence to refuse certification of the electoral votes on January 6. Trump publicly tweets that Pence should 'do the right thing' and privately pressures him in meetings and phone calls. Eastman argues that Pence has unilateral authority to reject electors — a theory rejected by Pence's legal counsel and every …

Trump lawyer John Eastman produces two memos outlining a six-step plan for Vice President Pence to reject or delay certification of the 2020 election results. The memos propose that Pence declare Trump the winner or send the election back to states. Eastman acknowledges the plan would violate the Electoral Count Act. The memos become a central focus of the January …

Thousands of Trump supporters storm the US Capitol, breaching doors and windows, forcing Congress to evacuate. The breach begins at 12:58 PM — before Trump finishes speaking. Five people die.

"Don't dare call them protesters — they were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists." Biden delivers an impassioned condemnation of the attack.

The House of Representatives impeaches Trump for a second time, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack. Ten Republicans vote yes.

Trump repeatedly calls January 6 defendants 'hostages,' 'political prisoners,' and 'great, great patriots.' He vows to pardon them on 'day one' of a second term. The rhetoric escalates over time, with Trump recording a song with J6 prisoners and featuring them at campaign events. By 2024, the 'hostage' narrative is a central campaign theme. After taking office in 2025, Trump …

The House Select Committee on January 6 holds eight prime-time and daytime hearings presenting evidence that Trump was at the center of a 'multi-part conspiracy' to overturn the 2020 election. Key testimony comes from White House aides Cassidy Hutchinson and others who describe Trump's demands to march to the Capitol, his anger at being unable to join the mob, and …

Trump posts on Truth Social calling the January 6 Committee 'unselective' and continuing his election denial narrative during the committee's televised hearings.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr's videotaped testimony is played during the January 6 committee hearing, in which Barr says he told Trump the election fraud claims were 'bullsh*t' and that Trump had become 'detached from reality' after the election. Barr — Trump's own hand-picked Attorney General and one of his most loyal defenders — testifies that there was 'no evidence' …

During the January 6 committee's third public hearing, evidence reveals that Trump lawyer John Eastman — architect of the fake electors scheme and the legal memo arguing Pence could overturn the election — emailed Rudy Giuliani after January 6 asking: 'I've decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works.' The email is …

January 6 committee testimony reveals that on January 7, 2021 — the day after the insurrection — Trump White House attorney Eric Herschmann told John Eastman: 'Get a great f***ing criminal defense lawyer. You're going to need it.' The exchange, confirmed by Herschmann's sworn testimony, shows that even Trump's own White House lawyers believed Eastman's actions were criminal. Herschmann, a …

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, delivers explosive testimony before the January 6 committee. She testifies that Trump knew the crowd was armed ('they're not here to hurt me') and still told them to march to the Capitol. She testifies that Trump lunged at his Secret Service detail and tried to grab the …

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general reveals that Secret Service text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021, were erased after the inspector general requested them. The deletion occurs as part of a device replacement program, despite the messages being under investigation. The DHS watchdog opens a criminal investigation into the destruction of evidence. The missing texts spark accusations …

Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints Jack Smith, a veteran war crimes prosecutor, as special counsel to oversee the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation and the January 6 investigation. The appointment comes days after Trump announces his 2024 presidential campaign. Smith moves the investigations forward at unprecedented speed, securing indictments in both cases within months. Trump attacks Smith as a "deranged" partisan …

The House January 6 Select Committee votes unanimously to refer Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution on four charges: obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and inciting or assisting an insurrection. The criminal referral is based on 18 months of investigation, over 1,000 witness interviews, …

Four Proud Boys leaders including former national chairman Enrique Tarrio are convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the January 6 attack. The verdict follows a four-month trial that established the group planned the attack weeks in advance, coordinating via encrypted messages and leading the breach of the Capitol. Tarrio is sentenced to 22 years — the longest sentence …

Special Counsel Jack Smith obtains a federal grand jury indictment charging Donald Trump with four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment alleges Trump knowingly spread false claims of election …

"Release the J6 hostages. They've suffered enough. I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages." Trump reframes convicted Capitol rioters as victims.

The US Supreme Court rules 6-3 that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts performed while in office. The decision effectively derails the federal January 6 case against Trump, sending it back to lower courts to determine which acts were "official" versus "private." The ruling is a landmark expansion of presidential power, with the dissent calling …

Four years to the day after the Capitol attack, Congress — presided over by VP Kamala Harris — certifies Trump's 2024 election victory without incident.

On his first day back in office, Trump signs sweeping pardons for approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants. "These are the hostages. Full pardon." Includes those convicted of assaulting police officers.

The Trump White House launches a website calling Jan 6 rioters "peaceful protesters" and "patriots," blaming Capitol Police for "escalating tensions" and falsely claiming Democrats "staged the real insurrection."