january 6: White House January 6 webpage sparks controversy over officers and Pence

After returning to office, Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of hundreds of people involved in the Jan. 6 incident. As Axios notes, some supporters call them “patriots” or “hostages,” while others call them violent rebels. The White House web page showed images of Nancy Pelosi and Jan. 6 committee members and claimed Democrats were “staging the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election.”

January 6 web page controversy

Election officials say there is no evidence that many people rigged the vote. Page blamed the US Capitol Police (USCP) and said they turned a calm protest into chaos. It was also stated that a USCP officer “killed” Ashli ​​Babbitt. He was shot and killed while trying to climb through a broken window near the House Speaker’s Lobby. The Department of Justice controlled the case but closed it in 2021. The USCP said the attack was legal.
The webpage accused Pence of “cowardice and sabotage” for refusing to block the certification of Biden’s election. Pence’s organization did not respond to Axios, but Pence himself said the officers were “real heroes” and called the day a “victory for freedom” because Congress finished certifying the election the same day.

January 6 officers and deaths

Approximately 140 police officers were injured during the riot. Officer Brian Sicknick was attacked, suffered a stroke, and died the next day. Four other police officers later died by suicide. However, the White House page stated that no law enforcement officers died. Besides Ashli ​​Babbitt, three other participants died during the riot, and some later died by suicide. Sicknick’s name was not mentioned on the White House page. Former Capitol Police officer Winston Pingeon said pardoning rioters who harmed officers was “completely unacceptable,” as noted in the Axios report.

Pingeon spoke with former federal prosecutor Brendan Ballou, Mary McCord of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, and former MAGA supporter Pamela Hemphill, who rejected the pardon. Ballou said Trump was trying to “rewrite the history of January 6.”
In his speech to House Republicans, Trump said he told his supporters to march “peacefully and patriotically” to the Capitol. He also falsely claimed that the committee and the news media never conveyed his instructions. According to Axios, some Republicans who criticized Trump and January 6 at the time have softened their language since then. The plaque, prepared in memory of the police officers injured or killed on January 6, has not been hung yet, although there was an instruction to hang it.

FAQ

Q1. What does the White House say on the anniversary of January 6?

The White House’s website calls Pence a “coward,” claims the 2020 election was stolen and says Trump supporters are peaceful.

Q2. How does the January 6 web page describe officers and rioters?

He blames the Capitol Police for the chaos, says no officers died and calls some rioters “patriots,” ignoring some deaths like Officer Sicknick.