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.
Excerpts from Biden’s prepared remarks on Jan. 6
To mark one year since a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed through the Capitol -- including Statuary Hall where Biden will soon speak -- and attempted to breach the House chamber in an attempt to undo the 2020 election, in his remarks this morning, Biden will say that Americans are facing a moment when “we must decide what kind of nation we are going to be.”
“Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm? Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people? Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?” Biden will say according to speech excerpts released by the White House.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation. The way forward is to recognize the truth and to live by it,” the excerpt read.
While Biden is not expected to mention the former president by name, the White House said he will lay out the “singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw.”
Upon Biden’s arrival to the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer greeted him. The pair flanked the president as they walked towards Statuary Hall.