By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden Thursday will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 assault at the U.S. Capitol by honoring the bravery of law enforcement on the scene, and outlining the unfinished work the nation needs to do to strengthen its democracy, the White House said.
“On Thursday, the president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday in the first preview of the president’s remarks.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Democrats, will speak on Thursday morning at the U.S. Capitol, one year after a mob loyal to former President Donald Trump raided the complex https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democracy-under-siege-an-hour-by-hour-look-assault-us-capitol-2022-01-04 in a failed attempt to stop the counting of Electoral College votes that officially delivered Biden’s election victory.
Trump, some fellow Republicans and right-wing media personalities have pushed https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-disinformation/half-of-republicans-believe-false-accounts-of-deadly-u-s-capitol-riot-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN2BS0RZ false and misleading accounts to downplay the event since, calling it a non-violent protest or blaming left-wing activists.
Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer died the day after defending Congress. Dozens of police were injured during the multi-hour onslaught by Trump supporters, and four officers have since taken their own lives https://www.reuters.com/world/us/officer-who-responded-us-capitol-attack-is-third-die-by-suicide-2021-08-02.
Biden will put an extra spotlight on the role of Capitol Police and others on the scene on Jan. 6, Psaki said.
“Because of their efforts, our democracy withstood an attack from a mob, and the will of more than 150 million people who voted in the presidential election was ultimately registered by Congress,” Psaki said.
Trump has said he will hold a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida later on the same day.
(Reporting By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O’Brien)
