AT A GLANCE
- The White House launched a new Jan. 6 webpage accusing Democrats of staging the “real insurrection” and defending President Trump’s actions.
- The site praises Trump’s mass pardons of Jan. 6 defendants and blames Democrats, the House Jan. 6 committee, and Capitol Police.
- Democrats and former committee members denounced the page as propaganda and a continuation of election falsehoods.
- A House Judiciary report says dozens of pardoned defendants have since been charged with new crimes.
White House Launches January 6 Webpage Rewriting Riot Narrative
On the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the White House unveiled a new webpage Tuesday aggressively reframing the events of that day, claiming Democrats “staged the real insurrection” and praising President Donald Trump for pardoning individuals charged in connection with the riot.
The website is Trump’s most direct and official defense yet of January 6, when he falsely told supporters the 2020 election had been stolen and urged them to march on the Capitol as Congress met to certify President Joe Biden’s victory.
During the attack, rioters threatened to hang then–Vice President Mike Pence after Trump publicly criticized him for refusing to block the certification of the election. Lawmakers from both parties were evacuated as violence spread through the building. Trump did not publicly intervene for hours and continues to falsely claim he won the 2020 election.
The new White House page accuses Democrats of “certifying a fraud-ridden election,” attacks the House January 6 select committee, and places blame on the U.S. Capitol Police for allegedly escalating tensions.
“With his triumphant return to the White House, President Trump wasted no time righting one of the darkest wrongs in modern American history,” the website states. It praises Trump for issuing “sweeping pardons and commutations” on Inauguration Day 2025 for most January 6 defendants, describing them as “patriotic citizens” who were “overcharged, denied due process, and held as political hostages by a vengeful regime.”
White House aide Stephen Cheung later suggested the site was intended as a trolling exercise, writing on social media that he couldn’t believe news outlets “actually fell for our trap.”
The reaction from Democrats was swift and sharply critical.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a former member of the House January 6 committee, said the website shows Trump is “doubling down” on lies about the attack.
“Trump recognizes that he has not shaken January 6,” Raskin said after attending an anniversary event. “The fact that they’re having to put up a little propaganda site on the White House web demonstrates how insecure they are about the situation.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chaired the select committee, dismissed the claims outright. “He’s known for not telling the truth,” Thompson said. “That’s a good example.”
House Democrats held a forum Tuesday aimed at symbolically reconvening the January 6 investigation. One of the speakers was Pamela Hemphill, a convicted January 6 rioter once dubbed the “MAGA Granny,” who publicly rejected the pardon Trump granted her.
Hemphill said she was neither denied due process nor targeted by a weaponized Justice Department.
“Once I got away from the MAGA cult and started educating myself about January the sixth, I knew what I did was wrong,” she said. “I pleaded guilty because I did the crime. I received due process. When Donald Trump pardoned us, I rejected the pardon. Accepting it would be lying about what happened. I am guilty, and I own that guilt.”
A report released Monday by the House Judiciary Committee found that 23 individuals pardoned by Trump for January 6 offenses have since been charged with new crimes, including violent assault, possession of child sexual abuse material, and plotting to kill an FBI agent involved in the investigation.
The White House webpage prominently features images of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the nine members of the select committee. It accuses the panel of staging a “scripted TV spectacle” to fabricate an insurrection narrative and unfairly blame Trump.
“The Democrats masterfully reversed reality after January 6,” the site states, claiming protesters were falsely labeled insurrectionists and that there was “no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government.”
Raskin countered that the site simply revives Trump’s original falsehoods. He noted the continued attacks on Pence, the accusations against Capitol Police, and what he described as an effort to erase the violence of that day.
“You’re talking about the most photographed and documented violent assault on the Capitol in American history,” Raskin said.
The webpage also accuses the U.S. Capitol Police of firing tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber munitions into crowds of “peaceful protesters,” a claim repeatedly contradicted by court records, video evidence, and officer testimony.
The January 6 attack led to the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history, with approximately 1,600 people charged, many for violent offenses against law enforcement.
Hemphill offered a direct apology to Capitol Police officers, crediting them with saving her life after she was trampled during the riot.
“I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “I can’t believe people are still disrespecting you and trying to lie about January the sixth.”
Trump’s efforts to overturn the election resulted in federal charges brought by former special counsel Jack Smith, who dropped the case after Trump was reelected. Smith has since disclosed that he was considering additional charges against Trump’s co-conspirators.
In a closed-door House Judiciary Committee deposition last month, Smith said the evidence showed Trump’s own actions led to the attack.
“Our view of the evidence was that he caused it and that he exploited it,” Smith said. “This was not about trying to interfere with anyone’s First Amendment rights. This was fraud—and fraud is not protected by the First Amendment.”
