White House Launches Official Website Redefining January 6 Attack and Blaming Pence
Washington D.C., Wednesday, 7 January 2026.
On January 6, 2026, the Trump administration utilized official government resources to launch a webpage that fundamentally reinterprets the events of the 2021 Capitol attack. This executive action formally shifts blame onto the U.S. Capitol Police for allegedly escalating tensions and explicitly accuses former Vice President Mike Pence of cowardice. By characterizing the insurrection as a misunderstanding and the rioters as peaceful patriots, the White House is institutionalizing a revisionist narrative that directly contradicts judicial rulings and historical records, signaling a significant shift in how the federal government formally acknowledges attacks on democratic processes.
Institutional Revisionism
The newly launched website, titled “January 6: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy,” seeks to fundamentally alter the public record by portraying the 2021 attack as a demonstration by “peaceful patriotic protesters” who were subsequently persecuted by political adversaries [2]. The administration’s narrative explicitly claims that the Democratic Party “staged the real insurrection” by certifying the 2020 election results, which the website characterizes as “fraud-ridden” [3][5]. This official government platform dismisses the violence of that day as a manufactured narrative, asserting that there was “no evidence of armed rebellion” despite judicial records confirming that attackers utilized weapons ranging from stun guns and bear spray to flagpoles and broken furniture [7][4].
Targeting Law Enforcement and Former Allies
A central component of this revisionist effort is a direct attack on the actions of law enforcement and former administration officials. The website accuses former Vice President Mike Pence of “cowardice and sabotage” for his role in certifying the election, while simultaneously alleging that the U.S. Capitol Police were responsible for “deliberately escalating tensions” through the use of tear gas and rubber munitions against what the administration terms an “orderly” crowd [3][1]. Furthermore, the site claims that “Zero law enforcement officers lost their lives” in connection with the event, a statement that omits the death of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after suffering strokes following the attack, as well as the four officers who subsequently died by suicide [4][3]. The narrative also alleges that an officer “murdered” rioter Ashli Babbitt “in cold blood,” contradicting internal probes and Justice Department findings that determined the officer’s conduct was lawful [3].
Pardons and Legal Consequences
The website also serves as a defense of President Trump’s use of executive power regarding the legal consequences of the riot. It states that on Inauguration Day 2025, the President “corrected a historic wrong” by issuing mass pardons and commutations to convicted defendants, whom the site refers to as “hostages” and “patriotic citizens” denied due process [5][3]. This characterization stands in sharp contrast to the judicial outcomes for the approximately 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the attack, over 600 of whom faced charges specifically for assaulting or interfering with law enforcement [1]. Recent data released by House Democrats on January 4, 2026, indicates that this leniency has had immediate repercussions, reporting that at least 33 of the individuals pardoned by the President have already been rearrested for new offenses [7].
Political Fallout and Opposition
The launch of this website on the fifth anniversary of the attack has drawn sharp condemnation from Democratic leaders, who view it as a misuse of taxpayer-funded resources to legitimize election denial. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated on January 6, 2026, that the administration is attempting to “whitewash the horrific events of Jan. 6” and rewrite history [1]. In response to the administration’s narrative, House Democrats organized an unofficial hearing where former Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted that the President “continues to lie about what happened that day” [1]. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized the President’s actions in a floor speech, specifically condemning the pardons issued on the President’s first day in office as a “betrayal of law enforcement” and a mockery of the rule of law [1].