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History will frown on Arizonans who aided in Jan. 6

5 1
08.01.2026

Five years ago this week, on Jan. 6, 2021, President Donald Trump told thousands of his supporters in Washington, D.C., to “fight like hell” and to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue” to protest the allegedly stolen 2020 election.

The result?

Over 140 Capitol police officers assaulted.

Approximately $3 million in property damage.

Feces and urine smeared throughout the hallways of Congress.

A noose at the Capitol and cries of “Hang Mike Pence!” and “Execute the traitors!”

Zip-ties and Molotov cocktails.

Secret service agents who called their families to say “goodbye,” thinking they would die that day.

The first-ever violent attempt to stop the transfer of presidential power in American history.

At the time, nearly everyone was horrified and outraged.

Donald Trump Jr. frantically texted then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to get Trump to call off the protesters: “He’s got to condemn this shit ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough.”

Marco Rubio, now secretary of state, wrote, “(T)here is nothing patriotic about what is occurring on Capitol Hill. This is 3rd world style anti-American anarchy.”

Former Fox TV personality Tucker Carlson texted his colleagues frequently in the days leading up to Jan. 6 that Trump had no evidence for his stolen election theory. Following Jan. 6, Carlson texted that Trump is “a demonic force, a destroyer… They take the president literally. He is to blame for everything that happened today.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, considered one of Trump’s closest allies, wrote, “This has been a truly tragic day for America. We all join together in fully condemning the dangerous violence and........

© Arizona Republic