Last month in Ohio, former President Donald Trump stood at a campaign rally and solemnly saluted as a recorded national anthem played to the crowd's loud cheers. The chorus was recorded by prisoners jailed for their roles in the January 6 attack in 2021 on the US Capitol Hill.

Trump hailed the rioters as "unbelievable patriots", having previously pledged to pardon them on his "first day in office".

Over three years ago, a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election, resulting in five deaths. More than 1,300 people were charged in the riot, with two-thirds of them already sentenced, facing penalties ranging from a few days in jail to 22 years.

While most Americans view the January 6 attack as a direct assault on democracy, Trump has launched his election campaign, making the violent siege and its failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election a cornerstone of his bid to return to the White House.

Trump and his campaign team seem emboldened by several surveys indicating that two-thirds of Republicans believe the election was rigged and that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected. They continue to endorse allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The persistence of a significant number of lawmakers and individuals propagating the baseless claim that the 2020 election was tainted by widespread fraud........

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