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.
![Homegrown: Standoff to Rebellion](https://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/capitol-graphic2-abc-ml-220105_1641409891450_hpMain.jpg)
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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Lawmakers reflect on Capitol attack
In a large House caucus room, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. -- a decorated Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran who helped barricade the House chamber on Jan. 6 and defend the lives of his colleagues -- led members in sharing their reflections on the insurrection.
Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., argued the importance of agreeing about the truth of that day and pulled out a piece of glass he said he picked up from a broken window in the Capitol in the aftermath of Jan. 6 that he carries in his pocket each day.
"Truth is clear as this shard of broken glass that I have carried with me the last 365 days… as a reminder -- a constant reminder -- in my pocket of the brutality of that day," he said. "Only truth and accountability will give us the opportunity to find a path toward reconciliation. Only truth will begin to thaw the bitterness that characterizes our current divisions."
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who is running against Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for Senate, called out lawmakers who have whitewashed the day and "forgotten their oath," she said, "overshadowed by their quest for power and their pathetic fear of election officials counting every vote."
"Many people call themselves patriots. But true patriots don't lie. They don't steal. They don't cheat," she said, taking the chance to thank law enforcement officers as the former police chief in Orlando. "But out of the ashes, good things can rise."
Historians commemorate Jan. 6 in panel discussion
In a panel discussion moderated by Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, historians John Meacham and Doris Kearns Goodwin addressed the significance of the anniversary of the attack and the importance of sharing a common truth about the events of the day instead of whitewashing what happened.
"This is about our future and all of us have a responsibility to remember that a more perfect union is about we the people, not a singular person," Meacham said.
He echoed Biden in calling the moment Americans face now "an inflection point" and said the founders would “want us to defend their experiment."
"In my lifetime this is the hardest moment for democracy," Goodwin added. "We have to recognize how deep that challenge is and not to sugar coat it, as Lincoln would say... but I think it can come back again."
The panel got some help at the top from the cast of the Broadway hit "Hamilton" -- which explores the foundations of American democracy and George Washington's choice to surrender power after two terms.
"You're all stewards of the American experiment," creator Lin-Manuel Miranda said in a pre-recorded video, before the cast sang, via Zoom, the song "Dear Theodosia" from the musical.
-ABC News Benjamin Siegel
Dick Cheney blasts GOP leadership, praises daughter
Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney departed the House chamber after the moment of silence walking alongside his daughter, and told ABC News, "Very proud of Liz," when asked for some parting thoughts.
The somewhat frail former vice president -- clad in crisp navy pinstripe suit -- was greeted by a swarm of reporters and still photographers as he became the unwitting star of this unusual day on Capitol Hill.
"It’s great coming back," he said. "Liz is doing a hell of a job. I’m here to support her."
When asked for his reaction to Republican leadership’s handling of the day, Cheney -- not one to mince words -- said, "Well, it’s not a leadership that resembles any of the folks that I knew when I was here for 10 years -- dramatically."
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who holds the seat her father once held, said GOP leadership is "very concerning," adding, "I think a party that is in thrall to a cult personality is a party that is dangerous to the country, and I think we clearly have got to get to a place we are we are focused on substance and on issues."
The former vice president took the long walk across the Capitol toward the Senate chamber, stopping momentarily to take in his own white stone bust outside the office of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who is far from the Capitol, and instead, at a funeral for a late GOP senator in Atlanta.
-ABC News' Trish Turner, Mariam Khan and Benjamin Siegel
One year ago at this hour, a mob of Trump supporters moved on the Capitol
One year ago at this hour, a mob of Trump supporters moved toward the Capitol after a speech from the former president at the Ellipse.
"If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore," he said then, stoking anger in the fired-up crowd, telling them he would march with them to the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Biden's electoral vote win.
"Now, it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you," he told them.
The temporary fencing that ringed the Capitol for more than six months after, and again briefly for a September demonstration has not returned for the dark anniversary, though that could change quickly if conditions warrant, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas in a recent interview.
Thursday's ceremonies are scheduled to conclude in the evening with a prayer vigil on the Capitol center steps. Members of the House and Senate were invited to observe the anniversary with prayer and music.
Pence sheltered feet away from insurrectionists
As lawmakers returned the evening of Jan. 6 to certify the election following the attack, then-Vice President Mike Pence tweeted his thanks last year to the law enforcement officers who kept him safe, showing how he was rushed to a Capitol Hill parking garage during the attack.
In the subsequent weeks, video played at Trump’s second impeachment trial revealed just how close the rioters came -- some within 100 feet of Pence and his family, who were forced to take shelter in the Capitol.
In an interview with Trump for his book "Betrayal," ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Trump at Mar-a-Lago last March if he was worried about the safety of his vice president.
"No, I thought he was well-protected," Trump said. "And I had heard that he was in good shape.”
When asked directly about the "’Hang Mike Pence’” chants on tape, Trump said, "Well, the people were very angry. Because it's -- it's common sense, Jon, it's common sense, that you're supposed to protect -- How can you, if you know a vote is fraudulent, right — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?"
There is no evidence to support Trump’s claims that he won the election over Biden, despite dozens of failed court battles last year.