‘This is not a peaceful protest!’

In the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, American political leaders almost universally condemned the riot as an act of domestic terrorism that threatened democracy. Now, President Trump calls Jan. 6 a “day of love” and the rioters “great patriots.” And since he issued mass pardons to the rioters, his administration has been trying to rewrite history.

NPR has tracked every Jan. 6 prosecution in a public database, and, drawing on thousands of hours of footage and years of reporting, created a front-line account of the riot. The evidence vividly shows the planning for “revolution” and the brutality of violence on a day that continues to shape American politics.

Explore the database and coverage, or scroll to read the full narrative.

This material includes profanity, violence and references to suicide.

Chapter 1: The run-up

Heading into the 2020 presidential election, the country was engulfed by overlapping crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged lockdowns, along with mass protests, counterprotests and, at times, violent unrest following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Chapter 2: “Stop the Steal”

On election night, long before election officials or news networks had declared a winner, Trump claimed that he had won and that the election was being stolen from him.

Almost immediately, Trump, his campaign and his allies were leading what they called the “Stop the Steal” movement.

Courts across the country almost universally rejected the Trump campaign’s claims of widespread election fraud or other irregularities. Inside the Trump campaign, officials privately acknowledged that they had found no evidence of fraud that could have changed the outcome. State election officials also certified Joe Biden’s victory.

But Trump continued to pressure them.

Chapter 3: How the assault on the Capitol unfolded

Scroll down to see how key moments unfolded.

There are seven deaths directly linked to the Jan. 6 attack.

Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Philips died due to medical emergencies they suffered while in the crowd outside the Capitol.

Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by police inside the Capitol while attempting to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby, which leads to the House chamber.

Rosanne Boyland collapsed and was crushed by the mob during a period of intense fighting near the lower west terrace tunnel. A subsequent report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner attributed her death to an accidental overdose of amphetamines, Boyland’s medication for ADHD.

Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was assaulted with pepper spray while defending the Capitol. Later that evening, Sicknick collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He died on Jan. 7, 2021. The Washington medical examiner determined that Sicknick died due to natural causes — the result of two strokes. Sicknick’s family told NPR that they believe the riot contributed to his death.

Two other police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, Jeffrey Smith and Howard Liebengood, died by suicide in the days immediately following the attack. The Department of Justice formally classified their deaths as "in the line of duty."

In addition to those deaths, the Department of Justice estimated that the attack caused approximately $3 million in damage to the Capitol. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office identified a total of $2.7 billion in costs to taxpayers related to the Jan. 6 attack, including, among other things, funds to address “security needs and investigations.”

Meanwhile, police officers who served on Jan. 6 are still coping with the aftermath of the attack.

In court, police officers who responded to the violence on Jan. 6 described the physical and mental injuries they suffered. Court documents redacted some of their names due to concerns of threats and harassment.

Chapter 4: The investigation

Political leaders across the spectrum — including President Trump — called for the rioters to face justice.

Because so few people were arrested during the attack, extremists who led the riot remained free, and some made comments suggesting more violence was coming. Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader, said Jan. 6 was just a “warning shot.”

Just days after the riot, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was recorded discussing violence against Pelosi. Federal prosecutors later introduced the recording as evidence at trial.

Chapter 5: The pardons and rewriting of Jan. 6

While Trump initially condemned the Jan. 6 attack, he soon began embracing the rioters, describing them as “political prisoners” and “hostages.”

When Trump won the 2024 election, his transition team did not indicate precisely who would receive pardons.

On Jan. 12, 2025, just eight days before the inauguration, incoming Vice President Vance told Fox News Sunday that “of course” the administration would not pardon defendants convicted of assaulting police.

“I think it’s very simple. Look, if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance said. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”

But as one of his first acts in office, Trump issued mass pardons to Jan. 6 defendants. Only 14 defendants — all of whom were linked to extremist groups — received commutations rather than a full pardon, meaning they were released from prison, but the convictions remained on their records.

Trump’s pardon also included defendants who had prior criminal records for crimes including sexual assault, manslaughter and rape.

The administration subsequently deleted a government database of Jan. 6 cases, and evidence began disappearing from a site maintained to share court exhibits with the media.

NPR joined a coalition of media organizations that went to federal court to preserve access to video evidence from the Jan. 6 cases. Hundreds of those videos are now publicly accessible through NPR’s database of all of the prosecutions.

On June 6, 2025, the Trump administration settled a lawsuit brought by Ashli Babbitt’s family for $4.975 million. Later that year, on Nov. 7, Trump granted a sweeping pardon to “all United States citizens…for any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 Presidential Election.” The immediate effect of that pardon, which applies to federal charges, was largely symbolic.

Trump has also stocked his administration with people who advocated for Jan. 6 defendants, spread conspiracy theories about the attack, and, in one instance, a former Jan. 6 defendant.

Dozens of federal prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases were fired by the Trump administration. They have argued that the firings were retaliation for doing their jobs.

They have since faced harassment and death threats.

Since receiving pardons from Trump, some former Jan. 6 defendants have faced additional legal trouble.

Among those cases:

Judges from across the spectrum condemned the Jan. 6 attack.

Few people saw as much of the evidence from the Capitol riot as the judges who oversaw all of the Jan. 6 cases. Those judges heard arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, sat through hours of witness testimony, and reviewed extensive evidence presented at trial. Regardless of their ideological leanings or the president who appointed them, the judges described the attack on the Capitol as a threat to democracy and a stain on the nation’s history.