WASHINGTON — It’s been a year since the deadly riot at our nation’s capital and Kentucky lawmakers are reflecting on what happened.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement calling Jan. 6, 2021 a “dark day for Congress and our country.” McConnell referred to the people who stormed the Capitol “criminals who brutalized police officers and used force to try to stop Congress from doing its job.”
“One year later, I am as grateful as ever for the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who served our institution bravely that day and every day since. I continue to support justice for those who broke the law,” he said in the statement.
McConnell went on to accuse Democrats of trying to exploit the anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that quote “long predated this event.”
Many Congressional Republicans are dismissing the U.S. House Select Committee that’s investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, but McConnell recently said he was “interested” in the results.
In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Spectrum News 1 that took place on Dec. 16, 2021 McConnell said “I think the fact-finding is interesting.”
“We’re all going to be watching it, and I think what they are seeking to find out the public needs to know,” he said.
Earlier this week, Spectrum News 1 asked Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) if he plans to be in Washington on the anniversary of the riot.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be here or not,” Paul said. “We are sort of here depending on our voting schedule.”
“I can tell you that in the last year, I’ve probably been to 40 different cities in Kentucky and talked to hundreds of Kentuckians, not one has asked me about it and so it’s not something that’s really pressing on the mind of Kentuckians,” Paul said.
There continues to be a partisan divide on the topic and the Jan. 6 remembrance events will largely be attended by Democrats.
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) is the only Democrat in Kentucky’s delegation and the only member to confirm that he would take part.
“There has not been such a visible and widely shared experience of a threat to our democracy as there was on Jan. 6,” Yarmuth said. “American citizens who felt the need to attack their Capitol makes it one of the most extraordinary events in our history and one of the darkest days.”
The commemoration events included speeches by the president and vice president about the attack on the Capitol, a moment of silence on the House floor, a moderated discussion with historians and an evening prayer vigil.
Yarmuth said “making sure that Americans don’t forget what happened on that day is really critical.”