Fresh accountability push greets anniversary of Jan. 6: The Note

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It turns out Jan. 6 united the country in at least one respect: Democrats, Republicans and independents lack strong faith in the election system.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll out Thursday morning finds only 20% of Americans say they are "very confident" in the nation's elections, down significantly from a poll taken shortly after the attempted insurrection.

Voters may come at such a question from different directions, given the horrors of a year ago followed by the dizzying mix of lies, innuendo and legal changes pursued in states across the country.

As to whether such pessimism morphs into cynicism, a renewed push for accountability might have something to say about that. Attorney General Merrick Garland's investigative status report included a promise of harsher penalties in charges to come, along with a vow to pursue charges against anyone responsible, "whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible."

President Joe Biden plans a more pointed critique of his predecessor when he speaks Thursday, when he will highlight "the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage," according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

"Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?" Biden plans to say, according to an excerpt released Thursday morning. "We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation."

Meanwhile, the former president's contention that Jan. 6 protesters were actually "patriots" and "great people" has not been endorsed by most nationally prominent elected Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last month offered tacit support for the fact-finding mission of the House's Jan. 6 committee, calling it "interesting to reveal all the participants involved." Even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, while blasting Democrats for trying to score political points on the anniversary, reiterated in a statement this week that rioters "deserve to face legal repercussions and full accountability."

It figures to be a relatively quiet day out of Trump world on Thursday, after his decision to cancel a news conference he had scheduled at Mar-a-Lago. That's another notion that could get bipartisan backing on this anniversary day.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

As the nation marks the solemn anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, many Republican lawmakers will be noticeably absent from the day's events.

A number, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will be in Georgia for former Sen. Johnny Isakson's funeral. Without any scheduled votes, many senators are skipping town and heading to their home states, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Ernst told ABC News she didn't believe anything should be done to acknowledge horrific events of that day. "I'll say a prayer, and we'll call it good," Ernst told ABC's Allison Pecorin.

Other Republican lawmakers have ducked questions about tomorrow's events, claiming that Democrats are politicizing the day -- but arguably the most political event taking place Thursday will be hosted by a couple of the GOP's most inflammatory voices.

Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene are holding a press conference where the pair are expected to offer a Republican "response" to official events. The pair are expected to spew far-right conspiracy theories about the attack.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

The roots of the Jan. 6 insurrection grew out of a false denial of the 2020 election results, and since then, those wrongful rebuttals have manifested across virtually all levels of the nation's political landscapes -- including among the candidates.

The first major elections since the riot are now on the horizon, and some campaigns are seeking to remind voters of the Jan. 6 aftershocks beyond the Capitol.

In Wisconsin, Brad Pfaff -- a Democratic candidate for the state's third congressional district -- rolled out an ad condemning Republican candidate Derrick Van Orden for his alleged participation in the events of that day.

In Ohio, the state's Democratic Party is calling out Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel for airing conspiracies about the insurrection and continuing to push false claims of 2020 election fraud. Ohio Democrats are also blasting Mandel's GOP primary opponents, J.D. Vance and Jane Timken, for appearing to revise their positions regarding the severity of Jan. 6 after becoming Senate candidates.

This approach is likely to become a broader theme this midterm election cycle, given that an ABC News analysis of 12 high-profile battleground states earlier this year revealed a trend: Republican candidates for state offices are either questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election or casting significant doubt on how elections are conducted and votes are counted in their home states.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. In a special edition of Start Here, the show looks back at the events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the unanswered questions about what happened that day. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

• President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks to mark one year since the deadly Jan. 6 assault inside the National Statuary Hall at 9 a.m.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will deliver remarks commemorating the Jan. 6 anniversary on the House floor at noon.
• Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will moderate a "Historic Perspective" panel discussion about the Jan. 6 attack with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham at 1 p.m.
• White House press secretary Jen Psaki will hold a press briefing at 1 p.m.
• Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will hold a press conference at the U.S. Capitol at 2:15 p.m.
• Members of Congress will share their reflections on Jan. 6 at 2:30 p.m., presided over by Rep. Jason Crow.
• A prayer vigil will take place at the U.S. Capitol center steps in remembrance of the Jan. 6 attack at 5:30 p.m.

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.