The battle over the truth of January 6

Summary

Consider This from NPR: The Battle Over the Truth of January 6

Release Date: January 6, 2025

Introduction

On this episode of NPR’s "Consider This," host Ari Shapiro delves into the ongoing struggle to define and remember the events of January 6, 2021—the day a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying the presidential election results. This episode explores the divergent narratives surrounding that day, the impact on American democracy, and the personal toll on those directly affected, particularly the family of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who lost his life during the attack.

Background: The Events of January 6th

Ari Shapiro opens the discussion by contrasting the businesslike atmosphere of the January 6, 2025, electoral vote certification with the chaos of January 6, 2021. He recounts how Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the certification process, which was starkly ordinary in contrast to the violent attempt to disrupt it by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Divergent Narratives and Political Rhetoric

The episode highlights the stark differences in how January 6 is portrayed by various political figures. Shapiro notes that while Trump initially condemned the violence, he later downplayed the severity of the events. For instance, during a Univision town hall in 2024, Trump described the day as “a day of love” (01:34) and characterized his supporters' actions as “peacefully and patriotically” (01:34).

Conversely, Democrats like Senator Adam Schiff emphasize the violence and illegality of the attack. President Joe Biden reinforced this perspective in an op-ed, stating, “We cannot allow the truth to be lost” (03:35), highlighting an ongoing effort to preserve the historical record against what he describes as a relentless attempt to rewrite it.

Legal and Political Ramifications

Ruth Ben Ghiat, a historian at New York University, explains that unlike in other countries where similar attempts to disrupt democratic processes have led to the perpetrators being banned or imprisoned, in the U.S., the legal battles remain unresolved. Two state courts in Colorado have ruled that January 6 was an insurrection and that Trump bears responsibility, but these decisions have not been fully adjudicated at the federal level (05:55).

Trump’s recent statements indicate he plans to pardon many of those convicted for their roles in the events of January 6, further fueling the controversy (06:28). His intention to pardon such individuals within his first 100 days in office (06:28) underscores the deep divisions in how this day is interpreted and remembered.

Personal Impact: The Sicknick Family’s Story

A pivotal part of the episode focuses on the Sicknick family, who endured profound loss due to the events of January 6. Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer, was pepper-sprayed by rioters and subsequently died from strokes deemed to be related to the trauma he experienced that day (12:23).

Family Testimonies and Emotional Toll

Aquilino Ganell interviews members of the Sicknick family, providing an intimate look into their grief and frustration. Brian’s brother, Craig Sicknick, shares the emotional devastation and the lasting impact of denial and revisionism surrounding January 6:

“I was in the middle of it and got soaked in pepper spray... then, not long after, the family got another message. Brian had collapsed in the Capitol” (11:07).

The family’s journey includes attending the sentencing of Julian Cater, the man convicted of assaulting Brian, where they faced the stark reality of their loss amidst a politically charged atmosphere (12:54). The Sicknicks argue that Trump’s rhetoric contributed to the environment that led to the attack, blaming him personally for Brian’s death:

“Absolutely.” – Kamala Harris (12:23)
“Certainly. Yes, definitely.” – Donald Trump (12:25)

Struggle Against Revisionism

The Sicknicks confront the narrative that seeks to portray the rioters as patriots. They express frustration over Trump’s refusal to publicly mourn Brian and his allies' attempts to sanitize the events:

“You do not want this fight.” – Donald Trump (06:50)
“When you are no longer interested in Brian's sacrifice... all the mementos seem even more important” – Kamala Harris (16:05)

Societal and Historical Context

Ruth Ben Ghiat draws parallels between the current attempts to rewrite January 6 and historical instances of revisionism, such as the backlash following the Reconstruction era. Sociology professor Simi adds that just as the post-Civil War period saw a struggle to maintain democratic ideals against rising authoritarianism, today’s efforts to reshape the narrative of January 6 could threaten the foundations of American democracy (08:44).

Community and Resilience

Despite the ongoing battle over the truth, the Sicknick family finds solace in the support from their community. Acts of kindness, such as condolences from strangers and ongoing support from Capitol Police colleagues, provide a beacon of hope amidst their grief:

“There are a lot of good people out there.” – Craig Sicknick (15:59)

Emotional and Psychological Impact

The episode delves into the emotional burden carried by the Sicknicks. Craig Sicknick describes how denial and misinformation have fueled his anger and transformed his interactions:

“I turn into a much angrier, crankier person. People don’t like me. I don’t care.” – Craig Sicknick (14:00)

Kamala Harris expresses empathy and concern for the mental health toll on the family:

“I cry just because.” – Kamala Harris (14:31)

Conclusion: The Future of American Democracy

The ongoing struggle to define the truth of January 6 has significant implications for the future of American democracy. The episode underscores the importance of confronting historical realities to prevent the erosion of democratic principles. As Senator Ruth Ben Ghiat warns, the revisionist narrative poses a threat similar to historical attempts to undermine progress towards equality and justice.

The personal stories, particularly that of the Sicknick family, serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost of political division and misinformation. Their resilience and commitment to honoring Brian’s legacy highlight the enduring fight to preserve the integrity of American democracy.

Final Thoughts

Ari Shapiro closes the episode by emphasizing the critical need to maintain an accurate historical record of January 6 to safeguard the future of the nation’s democratic institutions. The episode calls listeners to reflect on the importance of truth and accountability in shaping a stable and just society.

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This detailed summary captures the essence of the NPR "Consider This" episode, highlighting key discussions, personal narratives, and the broader implications for American democracy.

Transcript

[Ari Shapiro]

The business at the Capitol on Monday felt, well, businesslike.

[Kamala Harris]

The state of the vote for the President of the United States, as delivered to the president of the Senate, is as follows.

[Ari Shapiro]

In a little over half an hour, a joint session of Congress counted electoral votes and certified Donald Trump's victory.

[Kamala Harris]

Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes.

[Ari Shapiro]

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the session.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes.

[Ari Shapiro]

Votes it was ordinary, which is striking, given what happened the last time Congress certified a presidential election. On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the count. Here's how Donald Trump, who was on his way out of office, described it in a speech the next day.

[Donald Trump]

I would like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol. Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem.

[Ari Shapiro]

He did not acknowledge the role he played leading up to that mayhem. In the weeks after the 2020 election, Trump falsely claimed that he actually won, not Joe Biden. On January 6, he urged his supporters to march toward the Capitol, where Congress was certifying the results. These days, Trump and his allies don't describe January 6th as a heinous attack. They don't mention violence, lawlessness and mayhem. Instead, this is how Trump talked about it in a Univision town hall during the 2024 campaign.

[Donald Trump]

That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. It's like hundreds of thousands. It could have been the largest group I've ever spoken before. They asked me to speak, I went and I spoke. And I used the term peacefully and patriotically.

[Ari Shapiro]

Trump now falsely claims the rioters were ushered in by the police.

[Aquilino Ganell]

My fellow officers and I would punch, kick, shove, spray with chemical irritants by a violent mob.

[Ari Shapiro]

Aquilino Ganell was a sergeant in the Capitol Police that day. He held back rioters trying to breach the building through an entrance tunnel. He later testified that what happened January 6th brought back memories of his time as a soldier in Iraq.

[Aquilino Ganell]

I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, this is how.

[Gladys Sicknick]

I'm going to die.

[Ari Shapiro]

Defending this entrance, Trump has called people convicted of felonies connected to January 6th hostages and unbelievable patriots. He promises he'll pardon many of them in the first hour of his presidency.

[Aquilino Ganell]

If the president goes forward with pardoning vast numbers of people involved in that.

[Gladys Sicknick]

Violence, he will begin his new administration.

[Donald Trump]

The way he ended his last administration.

[Aquilino Ganell]

And that is by celebrating violence against our democracy.

[Ari Shapiro]

That's California Senator adam Schiff on NBC's Meet the Press. Like many Democrats, he is urging Americans to remember the violence at the Capitol. President Biden wrote an op ed in the Washington Post saying, quote, an unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite, even erase the history of that day. He wrote, we cannot allow the truth to be lost. Consider this. Four years after the fighting and violence of January 6, 2021, there is still an intense fight over the story we tell about that day. What does that mean for the future of American democracy? From npr, I'm Ari Shapiro.

[Ron Rutson]

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[Gladys Sicknick]

Saatva in 2007 2008, I went out and I bought the most popular luxury mattresses. I tore them apart and I realized based on the raw materials, cost and the analysis that I had done that I was able to sell that level mattress, but with a very affordable price.

[Ron Rutson]

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[Ari Shapiro]

It's consider this from NPR, what happened on January 6, 2021? There have been news reports and documentaries trying to put that question to rest. Speeches, an impeachment trial, a House elect committee. But the fight over how that day will be remembered isn't over. And that could have big consequences. NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Youssef reports.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Ruth Ben Ghiat says in recent years, other countries have also had their January 6th moments. She calls them self coups, attempts by someone in power to stay in power, often by using illegal means and force.

[Kamala Harris]

In Brazil in 2023, Bolsonaro attempted one in Peru, 2022 in South Korea very recently.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Ben Guillot is a historian at New York University and author of the book Mussolini to the Present.

[Kamala Harris]

And in all of those cases, the perpetrator of the self coup was either imprisoned or banned from politics.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Not so in the US here, the legal questions of whether January 6th was an insurrection and whether Trump bears responsibility were never fully adjudicated by a federal court. Two state courts, both in Colorado, determined yes for both questions. But the narrative coming from Trump, FOX News, and a proportion of the GOP that has grown in the last four years is that it was actually a day of patriotic heroism.

[Donald Trump]

I want to look at everything. We're going to look at individual cases. Yeah.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

On NBC's Meet the Press last month, Trump repeated a promise to pardon some or all of those convicted of crimes related to January 6th within your first 100 days.

[Aquilino Ganell]

First day.

[Donald Trump]

First day.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Trump has also spoken of going after members of the House select committee, which investigated January 6th, and he has called that day, quote, a beautiful day.

[Donald Trump]

You do not want this fight.

[Kamala Harris]

You're on the wrong side, buddy.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

It's perhaps one of the most documented events in recent history. Michael Primo is a journalist and filmmaker. In August, his documentary Homegrown premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It follows two proud boys starting in 2018. One of them, Christopher Quaglin, ended up being sentenced to 12 years for his violent participation. In January 6th. Primo filmed it all. He says many Americans still don't understand how the country got to that point.

[Gladys Sicknick]

The election made the film even more relevant because the headlines trying to diagnose the 2024 election outcomes, talking about the increasing multiple, like cultural participation of the far right, the crisis of masculinity, are all ideas that our film squarely deals with.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Primo says U.S. broadcasters have praised the film, but none have agreed to distribute it. He says they're nervous about the content, but he thinks an American audience will want to see it and talk about it.

[Gladys Sicknick]

Something that has been an indication of how hungry people are for this film is the fact that at all our screenings, many of them are sold out. Virtually all of the audience stays to talk afterwards because people are so hungry to sort of better understand what's happening in America.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Pete Seemey says the rewriting of the narrative of January 6th is itself another hallmark of America. This has happened before.

[Gladys Sicknick]

It reminds me a lot of what happened after the Reconstruction era.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

Simi is a sociology professor at Chapman University. He says after the Civil War, there was rapid progress toward democratic ideals. Rights of citizenship and voting were finally extended to people who'd been slaves. And then came the backlash.

[Craig Sicknick]

The level of violence during the Reconstruction.

[Gladys Sicknick]

Era meant to dismantle those efforts. And then afterwards really kind of created alternate history in terms of the events that happened.

[Ruth Ben Ghiat]

And it ushered in a five decade period of what many characterize as authoritarianism over black Americans. The Jim Crow era. Simi and Ruth, Ben Guyot see similar perils with January 6th revisionism.

[Kamala Harris]

I wouldn't be surprised if it became.

[Aquilino Ganell]

A day of commemoration in America, Almost a holiday.

[Ari Shapiro]

NPR's Odette Youssef. The effort to downplay the insurrection at the Capitol is about more than politics for the family of Brian Sicknick. He was a Capitol police officer on duty the day of the attack. He was in the middle of it and got soaked in pepper spray. He collapsed that night and died the following day. NPR's Tom Dreisbach went to visit his family.

[Kamala Harris]

Hi.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Thank you so much for having me. Just inside the front door of the sick nicks house, you can't miss it, is a small table filled with reminders and memories of Brian.

[Kamala Harris]

And this, this one, this. We got all this. Oh, my God.

[Aquilino Ganell]

His mom, Gladys showed me around. She had three sons who all grew up in this house. Brian was the youngest.

[Kamala Harris]

This is all his stuff that when he was a kid.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Oh, to mommy, it says, there's the mementos you'd find in the scrapbooks of a lot of proud parents, all next to awards from national leaders for Brian's service in the military. And on January 6, that flag is.

[Kamala Harris]

From Arlington when they buried him.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Oh, wow.

[Kamala Harris]

And that's the gold medal.

[Aquilino Ganell]

This is the congressional gold medal.

[Donald Trump]

We have all kinds of medals and plaques and declarations, but what we don't have is Brian.

[Aquilino Ganell]

That's Brian's dad, Charlie. The Sicknick family has been dealing with the loss of Brian for four years now.

[Craig Sicknick]

It was almost like a little mini me, so to speak.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Craig Sicknick is Brian's oldest brother. There's a 10 year age gap and he remembers the little brother who loved to tag along to the Jersey shore.

[Craig Sicknick]

It's kind of funny. I know he looked up to me and of course, as time went on, I started looking up to him. It's like, wow, look at all the stuff he's done, you know?

[Aquilino Ganell]

First there was Brian's service in the national Guard. He deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan. But he always wanted to be a cop. And in 2008 he got a job. And then how did you feel when he joined the Capitol police?

[Kamala Harris]

Oh, we thought it was wonderful.

[Donald Trump]

Very happy for him because we figured Capitol police, if you're going to be in law enforcement, this is pretty safe place to be. Didn't work out, you know, for the.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Sicknick family, The memory of January 6th is still right there, not even below the surface. Craig was texting with Brian that day. After the worst of the riot. Brian texted that he'd been Pepper sprayed and his clothes were soaked with the stuff, along with the smell of weed from the crowd of rioters, but he was okay. Then, not long after, the family got another message. Brian had collapsed in the Capitol. He was at the hospital, non responsive. They started rushing from New Jersey down.

[Craig Sicknick]

To D.C. so we're driving down and on the New Jersey Turnpike, we started getting calls from the press offering their condolences and asking for our initial opinions. So that's how we learned my brother was dead.

[Aquilino Ganell]

It took months, but the D.C. medical examiner later said that Brian Sicknick died from two strokes, officially natural causes. But the medical examiner added all that transpired on January 6 played a role in his condition. Sicknick's family blames the stress and trauma of the riot. Do you hold Trump personally responsible for Brian's death?

[Kamala Harris]

Absolutely.

[Donald Trump]

Certainly. Yes, definitely.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Bryan was a Trump supporter. But Trump never contacted the family to offer his condolences. A spokesperson for the Trump team did not answer our question about why before the riot, the sick nics were not very public or political. And that's one way this experience changed them. They started doing interviews. They went to the sentencing for the man who assaulted Bryan with pepper spray, Julian Cater. They wanted to stand up and speak to the court about how Bryan's death had affected them.

[Kamala Harris]

When we were sitting in the courtroom waiting, he came in an orange jumpsuit and oh, my God. So every time I said his name, I looked at him and he put his head down.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Wow.

[Kamala Harris]

Yeah, it was very. It was scary to. But I knew it had to be done.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Why?

[Kamala Harris]

Just had to tell people.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Cater was sentenced to six years in prison. And in the courtroom, it felt like facts mattered. But in politics, and even with friends, conspiracy theories were everywhere. Charlie says he heard from people. Didn't the police let the rioters in the building? Was it really so bad?

[Donald Trump]

I try not to associate with people who are Trump people. And I have lifelong friends that I don't associate with anymore because of what happened, you know, to them, it's not a big deal because it wasn't their son, you know?

[Aquilino Ganell]

Craig says the experience of people he knew denying reality changed him, made him get into a lot more arguments, especially on social media.

[Craig Sicknick]

I'm not nice. I used to be nice, used to be decent. I don't tolerate it anymore.

[Aquilino Ganell]

You've got a lot of anger now. It sounds like, oh, big time.

[Craig Sicknick]

Yeah, I turn into a much angrier, crankier person. People don't like me. I don't care.

[Aquilino Ganell]

But the Sicknicks did care a lot about the 2024 election, they took action. Craig and Gladys both went to the Democratic National Convention. They actively supported Vice President Kamala Harris. Gladys says it felt like keeping active helped her cope, at least for a while.

[Kamala Harris]

Just recently is when I've gotten crazy in my head with this stuff, really. And then this election.

[Aquilino Ganell]

What do you mean, crazy in my head?

[Kamala Harris]

Just. Just, you know, I cry just because.

[Aquilino Ganell]

When Trump won the election, the Sicknicks were stunned.

[Craig Sicknick]

I went to sleep, hoping for the best. I woke up Wednesday morning, turned on the phone and said, sick to your stomach? Yeah. It took me an extra two hours to get to. I just couldn't get moving. I was. I was depressed enough that it's like, do I even bother anymore?

[Kamala Harris]

What I'm very upset about that might happen is that he's going to let all these people out of jail. It's just. It's just not right.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Trump has promised to pardon January 6th defendants on his first day in office, but hasn't given specifics. A spokesperson for the Trump team said the administration would pardon people they claim were, quote, denied due process and unfairly prosecuted. Last year, Trump said he was open to pardoning people convicted of assaulting police, which might include the man who assaulted Brian. Craig says he expects Trump to whitewash the truth of January 6th. But even in all the pain, they've also found good people. There are the Capitol Police officers, Brian's former co workers who still check in on them. The random gas station attendant who gives his condolences.

[Donald Trump]

People we met on our honeymoon 55 years ago. We haven't been in touch since, but she sent this quilt with, you know, Brian's picture on it, so.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Oh, my goodness. So it must feel like at least some people reached out and still remembered and thought of you.

[Craig Sicknick]

There's a lot of. There's a lot of good people out there.

[Aquilino Ganell]

And the Sicknicks are so proud to be Brian's father, mother, and brother. They show me their metal bracelets they all got in memory of Brian. And then Gladys rolls up her sleeve.

[Kamala Harris]

And then I did this, too.

[Aquilino Ganell]

What's that?

[Kamala Harris]

Brian's shield.

[Aquilino Ganell]

Oh, it's a tattoo you got with Brian's shield on your forearm.

[Craig Sicknick]

Generally, not tattoo people. She got that done.

[Aquilino Ganell]

You don't often hear of people getting their first Tattoo in their 70s. Gladys told me it was partly because the metal bracelet kind of irritated her wrist. But when it feels like people are no longer interested in Brian's sacrifice on January 6, the bracelets, the tattoo, all the other mementos seem even more important. And a way to feel like his memory is just a little bit closer.

[Ari Shapiro]

NPR's Tom Dreisbach. This episode was produced by Connor Donovan, Karen Zamora and Monika Evstatieva. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Andrew Sussman and Barry Hardiman. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Ari Shapiro.

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