Press Release: 1/7/2026

Senator Markey Statement on Five-Year Anniversary of Trump-Incited Insurrection, Violent Attack on Democracy

 

Washington (January 5, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement marking five years since President Donald Trump incited a MAGA mob to violently storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and threaten to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“Five years ago, Donald Trump incited a vicious MAGA mob to storm the United States Capitol with one goal: to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Fortunately, Trump and his gang of bigoted, violent extremists failed in their mission to undermine our democracy that day. But Trump continues to bear direct responsibility for this disgraceful, dangerous attack, which forever scarred our political system and our nation.

“We cannot, and must not, forget what happened on January 6, 2021, and the enduring consequences of that terrible day. Trump’s MAGA mob attacked the brave officers of the Capitol Police with metal pipes, baseball bats, and chemical sprays, resulting in the death of several officers and injuries to more than 140 members of law enforcement. On the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned the January 6 rioters, including violent criminals convicted of assaulting officers, undermining our democracy, and condoning political violence. Trump and his supporters continue to rewrite the truth of that tragic day, whitewashing the violence of the riot and hailing those who carried Confederate flags and symbols of white supremacy through the halls of the Capitol as ‘patriots.’ 

“But true American patriots stand up for democracy. True American patriots don’t bend the knee to wannabe kings. Every American must denounce the actions of those who chose to subvert our Constitution on January 6 and condemn those who continue to side with lawlessness and authoritarianism over the basic principles of American democracy: equality, freedom, and the peaceful transfer of power. Our future depends on it.”

Senator Markey is a champion of democracy and the rule of law. In January 2025, Senator Markey joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution condemning the pardons of individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers. The resolution followed the move by President Trump, on the first day of his second term, to grant full, complete, and unconditional pardons to over 1,500 people charged with committing crimes in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and to commute the sentences of 14 others, including leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, both far-right militias. In January 2024, Senator Markey and Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08) introduced the Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act, legislation that would create a federal prohibition on paramilitary groups through civil and criminal enforcement.