Why rioters said they came

Five years ago today, thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

A number of them assaulted police officers with weapons and even looted the building. They called for war, revolution, and political executions. That’s according to thousands of videos presented in court reviewed by NPR. One former federal prosecutor who led the Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6 called it the “most televised crime in American history, if not world history.”

But the narrative around what happened that day continues to shift. President Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly every Jan. 6 defendant, ending the largest criminal prosecution in American history.

What are we still learning about Jan. 6 five years later? And how is that day still shaping our politics — and the country?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. 

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy