Jan. 6 updates: Biden tears into Trump for inciting Capitol attack
Speaking at the Capitol, Biden slammed Trump for "spreading a web of lies."
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.
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.
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.
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White House previews Biden’s speech
In his speech scheduled for 9 a.m. inside the Capitol's Statutory Hall, Biden will address the "singular responsibility" then-President Donald Trump had "for the chaos and carnage" witnessed on Jan. 6, White House press secretary Jen Psaki previewed Wednesday.
"And he will forcibly push back on the lie spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters as well as distract from his role and what happened," Psaki said.
She declined to say whether Biden would call Trump by name but said that "people will know who he’s referring to."
"He sees Jan. 6 as a tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country and they reflected the importance to the president of winning what he has called many times and you've heard him call many times the soul, the battle for the soul of our nation," Psaki added.
Here’s what’s happening in Washington to mark Jan. 6
Biden and Harris are scheduled to deliver remarks to kick off the ceremonies at 9 a.m. in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.
At noon, Pelosi will lead the House chamber in a moment of silence at noon. Then, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden will moderate a "Historic Perspective" panel discussion with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham "to establish and preserve the narrative of January 6th."
In a large caucus room in the Cannon Office House Building at 2:30 p.m., Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a decorated Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran -- who was sworn in for his second term days before Jan. 6 -- will lead members in sharing their experiences and reflections.
The schedule is set to conclude at 5:30 p.m. with a prayer vigil on the U.S. Capitol center steps. Members of the House and Senate were invited to observe the anniversary with prayer and music.
Biden explains why he didn't call Trump out by name in speech
After his strongest speech to date blaming Trump for the violence at the Capitol, reporters pressed Biden on his way out of the building why he did not mention the former president by name, and he argued that he didn’t want to make it into a "contemporary political battle" between the two of them.
"I think we just have to face the facts of what happened. Draw a clear picture for the American people. It's not about me, it's not about the vice president, it really isn’t. That’s the thing that bothers me the most about the attitude that seems emerging in some degree in American politics," Biden said. "It’s about the system, and somebody who decides to put himself above everything. And, so, I did not want to turn it into a contemporary political battle between me and the president. It's way beyond that."
A reporter followed up, "Does calling him out divide more than it heals, though?"
"No no, look. The way you have to heal -- you have to recognize the extent of the wound. You can't pretend. This is serious stuff. And a lot of people -- understandably -- want to go -- you know, 'I’d just as soon not face it.' You've got to face it. That's what great nations do. They face the truth, deal with it, and move on," Biden said.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Sarah Kolinovsky