On January 6, former Vice President Mike Pence oversaw a joint session of Congress to nationally acknowledge then-President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
But what had been a routine procedure after presidential elections for over a century before was suddenly anything but standard.
With his frivolous lawsuits and pressure on state legislatures to overturn the election results, then-President Donald Trump had no proof to show for his constant lies that the 2020 presidential race was "stolen" from him by Democrats. He called on his Vice President to wield powers not enshrined to him in the joint session to reverse the results.
Realizing that Pence wasn't going to facilitate Trump's power grab, the former President's supporters—many of whom attended Trump's rally just minutes before—grew enraged. They stormed the United States Capitol, calling for Pence to be hanged. They shattered windows, smeared excrement across the walls, ransacked offices, and erected a gallows outside.
Their actions resulted in the deaths of at least five people and endangered the lives of every lawmaker present that day, including Trump's own Vice President, whom surveillance footage revealed came only feet from the insurrectionists.
As chilling a moment as it was for the United States, it would've been even worse were it not for the actions of the Capitol Police and other security officials that day, many of whom spent hours wrangling with rioters in order to protect the lawmakers inside.
On Wednesday, the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed a bill honoring with Congressional gold medals the police who defended them and the Capitol.
But while it passed with an overwhelming majority, 12 pro-Trump Republicans voted against it. Among them were Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Louie Gohmert (R-TX).
These Republicans rejected the language of the bill, claiming it was too "editorial" for referring to the insurrectionists as "insurrectionists" and to the Capitol as a "temple." They accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) of using the bill for political convenience.
Many of them called for the House to pass far-right Congressman Louie Gohmert's opposing bill instead, which barely acknowledges the riots or who committed them.
The Republican representatives soon began facing heat for their "No" votes.
Several pointed out that these same Republicans use so-called support for law enforcement to demonize those calling attention to racist police brutality.
All of the Republicans who voted against the bill also amplified Trump's election lies, which played a crucial role in prompting the riots.
