January 6

Alex Jones

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Alex Jones used his Infowars platform to amplify false claims of election fraud to millions of followers. He promoted the 'Stop the Steal' movement and was present at the January 6 rally preceding the Capitol attack. Jones had previously been ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages for spreading false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook school shooting, establishing a pattern of promoting dangerous disinformation.

Donald Trump

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Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden by over 7 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes. Despite this, Trump refused to concede and launched an unprecedented campaign to overturn the results, promoting false claims of widespread voter fraud. His own Attorney General, Bill Barr, stated the DOJ found no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the outcome. Trump was indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith for his efforts to overturn the election and by Fulton County DA Fani Willis in a RICO case related to the fake electors scheme.

Jack Smith was appointed Special Counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Smith's office secured a four-count indictment against Trump for conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction, and conspiracy against the right to vote. The indictment laid out a detailed scheme involving fake electors, pressure on state officials, and the events of January 6. Smith resigned after Trump won the 2024 election, citing DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol while Congress was certifying the Electoral College results. The attack followed a rally where Trump told supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the Capitol. Five people died in connection with the attack, approximately 140 police officers were injured, and over 1,200 people were subsequently charged with federal crimes. The attack temporarily halted the certification but Congress reconvened and certified Biden's victory early the next morning.

January 6th Committee

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The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was a bipartisan congressional committee that conducted a comprehensive investigation into the events of January 6, 2021, and the broader effort to overturn the 2020 election. The committee held 10 public hearings, interviewed over 1,000 witnesses, and produced a final report recommending criminal charges against Donald Trump. The committee was chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson with Rep. Liz Cheney serving as Vice Chair.

Liz Cheney

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Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, served as Vice Chair of the January 6 Committee. She was one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the January 6 attack. Cheney became the committee's most prominent voice, stating that Trump's actions constituted a 'clear and present danger' to democracy. She lost her 2022 primary to a Trump-backed challenger, but remained committed to holding Trump accountable.

Michael Flynn

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Michael Flynn, Trump's former National Security Advisor who had previously pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI (and was pardoned), publicly advocated for Trump to declare martial law and use the military to "rerun" the election in swing states. He promoted QAnon conspiracy theories and appeared at rallies promoting the lie that the election was stolen. No credible evidence supported any of the claims he promoted.

Mike Pence

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Vice President Mike Pence was pressured by Trump and John Eastman to reject certified Electoral College votes during the January 6 congressional certification. Pence consulted with constitutional scholars and former Vice President Dan Quayle, concluding he had no authority to reject electors. He certified the results despite threats from the Capitol mob, some of whom chanted "Hang Mike Pence." Pence later stated that Trump was "wrong" to claim he had the power to overturn the election.

Peter Navarro

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Peter Navarro, a White House trade advisor with no election expertise, authored three reports he called "The Navarro Report" claiming to document election fraud. The reports were widely debunked by election experts as a collection of previously disproven claims, statistical errors, and misrepresentations. Navarro was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a January 6 Committee subpoena and served a four-month prison sentence.

Shaye Moss, a Fulton County election worker and daughter of Ruby Freeman, was targeted alongside her mother by false accusations of election fraud. Her emotional testimony before the January 6 Committee detailed the death threats, racist harassment, and life-altering fear she experienced after being publicly named by Trump and Giuliani. Moss's testimony was considered some of the most powerful of the committee's hearings, putting a human face on the consequences of election disinformation.

Steve Bannon

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Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, ran a podcast "War Room" that served as a central hub for promoting election fraud conspiracy theories. He was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the January 6 Committee. Before the election, Bannon predicted on tape that Trump would declare victory prematurely regardless of results, which is exactly what happened.

Stop the Steal was a political movement and loosely organized campaign that promoted the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Originally organized by Ali Alexander and Roger Stone, the movement organized rallies and protests nationwide, culminating in the January 6 rally that preceded the Capitol attack. Facebook removed the original "Stop the Steal" group for inciting violence. The movement's central premise — that the election was stolen — was rejected by every court that heard the claims.

The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. was the site of the January 6, 2021 attack when a mob of Trump supporters breached the building during the congressional certification of Electoral College results. The attack caused over $30 million in damage, resulted in multiple deaths, and over 140 injured police officers.