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Jan. 6 updates: Biden tears into Trump for inciting Capitol attack

Speaking at the Capitol, Biden slammed Trump for "spreading a web of lies."

Last Updated: January 6, 2022, 8:55 PM EST

Thursday marks one year since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Democrats observed the anniversary with somber tributes at the building that's the symbol of American democracy.

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Homegrown: Standoff to Rebellion

A look at the days, events and conversations leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, from the eyes of anti-government groups, extremism experts and several ABC News correspondents who were at the Capitol that day.

The events in Washington included a panel discussion with historians, firsthand testimonies from lawmakers and a prayer vigil on the Capitol steps.

From Statuary Hall, which rioters stormed last year, President Joe Biden gave his most forceful rebuke of former President Donald Trump to date -- without calling him by name -- blaming him for the violence that erupted at the Capitol after he refused to accept a peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, were the only Republicans present in the House chamber for a moment of silence led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A mob of supporters of President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
Leah Millis/Reuters, FILE

ABC News Live will provide all-day coverage of Thursday's events at the Capitol and examine the continuing fallout for American democracy one year since the Jan. 6 siege.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 06, 2022, 8:30 AM EST

By the numbers: DOJ investigates Jan. 6

At least 704 accused rioters have been charged by the Department of Justice, according to an ABC News count. At least 172 have pleaded guilty to their changes.

The FBI is still seeking 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, according to the DOJ, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.

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-ABC News' Olivia Rubin, Alexander Mallin and Will Steakin

Jan 06, 2022, 8:06 AM EST

Capitol Police union praises officers' 'dedication and commitment'

The union representing United States Capitol Police officers praised the "dedication and commitment" of those who protected the Capitol building one year ago.

"Today, we recognize the dedication and commitment to mission of the men and women who put their own lives and safety on the line to defend the U.S. Capitol," Gus Papathanasiou, chair of the union, said in a statement Thursday. "We especially pay tribute to Officer Sicknick who died after being injured during the rioting, and to Officer Liebengood who tragically took his own life after the attack."

According to Papathanasiou, 80 Capitol Police officers sustained injuries that day, with some so serious they are still not back at work. He said members of the force remain "committed to our mission," but that comes with an increase in officers as well as improved intelligence and communications between officers and leadership.

Papathanasiou noted that the legacy of Jan. 6 -- from a policing perspective -- should be a police force that is better prepared, with an eye toward readiness if an attack of such scale ever occurred again.

"Going forward, this Union will work with the Department to ensure those sacrifices will not be in vain," he added. "We must ensure that the events of January 6th are never repeated."

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Jan 06, 2022, 8:00 AM EST

Who placed the pipe bombs the night before the Capitol attack?

On the evening of Jan. 5, 2021, on a sleepy street a short distance from the U.S. Capitol, a mysterious figure loomed. Wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, a pair of Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow Nike logo, a backpack and gloves, the suspect walked through alleyways and was equipped with what investigators say were two pipe bombs.

A full year later, the agency still has not caught the person who placed the bombs nor has it released information about a "person of interest."

The FBI released this image on March 9, 2021, asking the public for information about a suspect that placed pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021.
FBI

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-ABC News' Luke Barr

Jan 06, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

How Trump's plot nearly succeeded: ANALYSIS

Beyond the riot, Jan. 6 was a dangerously close call. ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl asks: "What if Pence had followed Trump’s order? What would have happened if he had brought the gavel down during the joint session on Jan. 6 and thrown out Biden’s electoral votes in the states Trump had contested? What if he had declared Trump the winner of those states?"

J. Michael Luttig, a former federal appellate judge popular among conservatives, had advised Pence he would be violating the Constitution if he followed Trump’s order, and Luttig tells ABC News that if Pence had attempted to do it, he would have "plunged the country into a constitutional crisis of the highest order."

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-ABC News' chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl

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