Donald Trump is About to Face the Jan. 6 Scenario He Claimed Joe Biden Avoided
Monday's certification of Trump's victory will stand in stark contrast to the chaos that unfolded at the Capitol four years earlier.
TroibNews 
The transfer of power to Donald Trump appears to be proceeding peacefully.
There are no crowds gathered to disrupt Congress’ counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6. No Democratic leaders are questioning the election results or devising complex legal strategies to overturn the outcome. The primary concern for disruption seems to be a storm system expected to bring a few inches of snow to the area overnight.
If everything unfolds as anticipated, Trump’s victory will be certified on Monday afternoon in a ceremony led by his former opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who will fulfill her role as the president of the Senate. Harris has made it clear that she intends to ensure a straightforward transfer of power, mirroring the actions of her predecessors — including Mike Pence, who stood against Trump’s attempts to reject electors from states that Biden won in 2020.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries received applause from Republicans for acknowledging Trump’s victory during a speech on the House floor on Friday.
“It’s OK,” Jeffries remarked humorously in reference to his GOP colleagues. “There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle.”
This situation starkly contrasts with the turmoil of four years ago when thousands of Trump supporters, incited by false claims of a stolen election, unleashed chaos under clear blue skies. Many attacked police officers defending the Capitol to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden as president.
The January 6 assault initiated the largest federal criminal investigation in history, resulting in significant legal challenges against Trump, a failed attempt to remove him from the ballot, and shaped the political landscape of the two subsequent election cycles. Democrats labeled Trump a threat to democracy, while the president-elect used these legal battles to energize his base, claiming political victimization.
In stark contrast, the upcoming meeting of the House and Senate is expected to unfold as a nearly routine affair. Harris will initiate the joint session at 1 p.m., where lawmakers from both parties will announce certified electors from each state, and she will confirm their counts.
Though there is an avenue for lawmakers to object to electors based on legal or constitutional concerns, no Democrats are expected to raise such objections, with many dismissing the prospect altogether. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who previously lodged a minor objection to Trump’s electors in 2017, announced he would refrain from doing so this time, affirming that Democrats would “stand by the constitutional order.”
The joint session will also operate under a 2022 law aimed at preventing undermining the power transition and reducing lawmakers’ ability to challenge election results, thus diminishing the chances of disruptions.
Nevertheless, the calm atmosphere in Washington hides a significant tension between those who witnessed the erosion of the nation’s democratic institutions on January 6, 2021, and those who wish to gloss over it. This has become particularly evident as Trump seeks to reshape the narrative surrounding the Capitol attack and plans to pardon many involved. The Justice Department has charged over 1,500 individuals linked to the events, with more than 1,200 having pleaded guilty or faced conviction.
Judges in Washington’s federal district court are moving forward with trials and sentencing in connection to the fourth anniversary of the attack, despite calls to delay proceedings until after potential clemency decisions from Trump. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth — a prominent supporter of the court’s ongoing work on January 6 cases — has specifically timed the sentencing of a notable defendant to coincide with the Congress session. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, originally set to oversee Trump’s criminal trial related to his actions to undermine the 2020 election, is preparing for a January 6 trial next week. Moreover, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has set a hearing regarding a lawsuit from Congress members and Capitol Police officers against Trump for his role in inciting violence four years ago.
Activists supporting January 6 defendants are organizing a press conference urging Trump to issue sweeping pardons, even for those convicted of the most severe assaults against law enforcement. This demonstrates the unexpected political leverage these defendants have gained as Trump has intertwined their struggles with his own against the legal system.
Others plan a memorial walk for Ashli Babbitt, a rioter shot by Capitol Police as she attempted to breach a restricted area near the House chamber.
Republican congressional leaders have no plans to commemorate the anniversary of the attack. Instead, House leaders are focusing on investigating the January 6 select committee that examined Trump’s role two years prior. Speaker Mike Johnson and other top officials reacted strongly when Biden awarded prestigious Presidential Citizens medals to the panel's leaders, Rep. Bennie Thompson and former GOP representative Liz Cheney. Trump also seized this opportunity to criticize Cheney, a long-standing adversary, while hinting at the possibility of her prosecution.
Amid these developments, Capitol Police, D.C. police, and Secret Service agents are readying themselves to secure the Capitol on Monday and during Trump’s inauguration two weeks later. Many officers who faced the mob four years earlier are still carrying the weight of that experience.
Numerous officers have testified during trials of the January 6 defendants, recounting the chaos and terror they witnessed — emotions that continue to affect them.
“You ask these officers, ‘Do you have confidence today?’” said Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger at a recent press conference. “I was at a roll call at 7 o’clock this morning and was talking to officers. I asked for a show of hands. ‘How many of you were here four years ago?’ About half of them raised their hands. The other half came here knowing exactly what they were getting into. And they’re here because they want to be, and if you ask most of them they were here because of January 6. These are officers that want to be on the front lines of what is happening here.”
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
There are no crowds gathered to disrupt Congress’ counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6. No Democratic leaders are questioning the election results or devising complex legal strategies to overturn the outcome. The primary concern for disruption seems to be a storm system expected to bring a few inches of snow to the area overnight.
If everything unfolds as anticipated, Trump’s victory will be certified on Monday afternoon in a ceremony led by his former opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who will fulfill her role as the president of the Senate. Harris has made it clear that she intends to ensure a straightforward transfer of power, mirroring the actions of her predecessors — including Mike Pence, who stood against Trump’s attempts to reject electors from states that Biden won in 2020.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries received applause from Republicans for acknowledging Trump’s victory during a speech on the House floor on Friday.
“It’s OK,” Jeffries remarked humorously in reference to his GOP colleagues. “There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle.”
This situation starkly contrasts with the turmoil of four years ago when thousands of Trump supporters, incited by false claims of a stolen election, unleashed chaos under clear blue skies. Many attacked police officers defending the Capitol to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden as president.
The January 6 assault initiated the largest federal criminal investigation in history, resulting in significant legal challenges against Trump, a failed attempt to remove him from the ballot, and shaped the political landscape of the two subsequent election cycles. Democrats labeled Trump a threat to democracy, while the president-elect used these legal battles to energize his base, claiming political victimization.
In stark contrast, the upcoming meeting of the House and Senate is expected to unfold as a nearly routine affair. Harris will initiate the joint session at 1 p.m., where lawmakers from both parties will announce certified electors from each state, and she will confirm their counts.
Though there is an avenue for lawmakers to object to electors based on legal or constitutional concerns, no Democrats are expected to raise such objections, with many dismissing the prospect altogether. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who previously lodged a minor objection to Trump’s electors in 2017, announced he would refrain from doing so this time, affirming that Democrats would “stand by the constitutional order.”
The joint session will also operate under a 2022 law aimed at preventing undermining the power transition and reducing lawmakers’ ability to challenge election results, thus diminishing the chances of disruptions.
Nevertheless, the calm atmosphere in Washington hides a significant tension between those who witnessed the erosion of the nation’s democratic institutions on January 6, 2021, and those who wish to gloss over it. This has become particularly evident as Trump seeks to reshape the narrative surrounding the Capitol attack and plans to pardon many involved. The Justice Department has charged over 1,500 individuals linked to the events, with more than 1,200 having pleaded guilty or faced conviction.
Judges in Washington’s federal district court are moving forward with trials and sentencing in connection to the fourth anniversary of the attack, despite calls to delay proceedings until after potential clemency decisions from Trump. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth — a prominent supporter of the court’s ongoing work on January 6 cases — has specifically timed the sentencing of a notable defendant to coincide with the Congress session. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, originally set to oversee Trump’s criminal trial related to his actions to undermine the 2020 election, is preparing for a January 6 trial next week. Moreover, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has set a hearing regarding a lawsuit from Congress members and Capitol Police officers against Trump for his role in inciting violence four years ago.
Activists supporting January 6 defendants are organizing a press conference urging Trump to issue sweeping pardons, even for those convicted of the most severe assaults against law enforcement. This demonstrates the unexpected political leverage these defendants have gained as Trump has intertwined their struggles with his own against the legal system.
Others plan a memorial walk for Ashli Babbitt, a rioter shot by Capitol Police as she attempted to breach a restricted area near the House chamber.
Republican congressional leaders have no plans to commemorate the anniversary of the attack. Instead, House leaders are focusing on investigating the January 6 select committee that examined Trump’s role two years prior. Speaker Mike Johnson and other top officials reacted strongly when Biden awarded prestigious Presidential Citizens medals to the panel's leaders, Rep. Bennie Thompson and former GOP representative Liz Cheney. Trump also seized this opportunity to criticize Cheney, a long-standing adversary, while hinting at the possibility of her prosecution.
Amid these developments, Capitol Police, D.C. police, and Secret Service agents are readying themselves to secure the Capitol on Monday and during Trump’s inauguration two weeks later. Many officers who faced the mob four years earlier are still carrying the weight of that experience.
Numerous officers have testified during trials of the January 6 defendants, recounting the chaos and terror they witnessed — emotions that continue to affect them.
“You ask these officers, ‘Do you have confidence today?’” said Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger at a recent press conference. “I was at a roll call at 7 o’clock this morning and was talking to officers. I asked for a show of hands. ‘How many of you were here four years ago?’ About half of them raised their hands. The other half came here knowing exactly what they were getting into. And they’re here because they want to be, and if you ask most of them they were here because of January 6. These are officers that want to be on the front lines of what is happening here.”
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
