The Attack on the Capitol: from Planning to Siege to Arrests

Wednesday’s attack on the US Capitol is already one of the most unforgettable events in American history. The
Capitol building was last stormed when British forces invaded during the War of 1812. 209 years later, a mob
of insurrectionists attacked the building.

Trump called the mob to the Capitol building to thwart the certification of Biden’s election victory through
tweets dating back to late December. What followed was an attack on Senators, members of Congress, Capitol
police, and journalists attempting to document the scene. Details continue to emerge in press reports and on
social media. In an attempt to corral the events of this day, GQ presents this summary of the events leading up
to the attack, what happened on January 6th, and the final fallout.

The Call to Action

Despite Washington Police Chief Robert Contee’s claim that “There wasn’t any clear evidence that suggests
that there would be a breach of the US Capitol,”.Organizers of different groups—including Stop the Steal,
TheDonald message board, MyMilitia.com, and a Facebook group called Red State Secession—were spurred by
a Trump tweet on December 23rd that directed his supporters to attend a “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th.
Be there, will be wild!” “Once Trump said be there,” Arieh Kovler, a political consultant who studies alt-right
activity online, told GQ, “they interpreted that as a call to action, as their marching orders.”

Planning started that day, when Leaders of a Stop the Steal group wrote in a text to supporters, “We came up
with the idea to occupy just outside the CAPITOL on Jan 6th,”. They even called the event the “Wild Protest”
and created a dedicated website for it, WildProtest.com, that’s since now been taken down. Calls to action grew
increasingly violent. On a forum, where former and current pro-Trump military personnel congregate, members
said they were “ready to die for my country once again” in any effort to stop the certification.

How They Planned It

On the TheDonald forum, plans grew more specific: posters discussed that there are only 2,000 Capitol police
members, a number they can easily overwhelm. Floorplans were posted: “Find the tunnels. Arrest the worst
traitors,” one posted. One person planning on attending the rally wrote a post titled, “Today I told my kids
Goodbye.”

“All this bullshit about not bringing guns to D.C. needs to stop,” one post read. “This is America. Fuck D.C. it's
in the Constitution. Bring your goddamn guns.” Another forum member wrote: “ARMED WITH RIFLE,
HANDGUN, 2 KNIVES AND AS MUCH AMMO AS YOU CAN CARRY.”

Some rioters seemed prepared to go through with violence on Wednesday, too. They brought a noose to the
Capitol steps. People traveled from around the country to attend the storming of the Capitol. Some came just to
be part of what they envisioned as a historic event. One plane from Texas to D.C. was overrun with Trump
supporters who projected Trump’s logo across the roof and harassed fellow passengers. One supporter clearly
said, after removing his mask, “These are the guys we came to wipe out."

Other supporters traveled in posher style. Jenna Ryan took a private jet to D.C. “Hopping on a plane heading to
DC #MarchToSaveAmerica #stopthesteal,” she wrote on Twitter. (One person replied, “Have fun.”) On
Wednesday, Ryan tweeted (then deleted) that it was the “best day of her life,” according to the Houston
Chronicle.

The Rally
On Wednesday morning, Trump met his supporters at a rally held at the Ellipse, a park in D.C. located just
south of the White House. Over the course of an hour-plus speech, Trump repeated his favorite claims of
election fraud and took special aim at Mike Pence, who had reportedly infuriated Trump by explaining that he
lacked the power to thwart the certification of Biden’s win.

Trump made his intentions clear: “After this, we’re going to walk and I’ll be there with you.” Trump went back
to the White House. The crowd, meanwhile, made the roughly mile-and-a-half walk to the Capitol Building,
where the certification was playing out.

The Siege

The advance on the Capitol started at 1:15pm. “This is the exact moment the siege of the Capitol building began
as the two men in front ripped down a preliminary barrier & rushed at officers who were behind a 2nd barrier.
“They then encouraged others to follow them. Officers appeared to be taken completely off guard.” Once past
the barricades, many of the insurrectionists made their way to the Capitol’s west side.

Videos from the scene show Capitol police at worst unprepared and at best overwhelmed by the size of the
crowd. Journalist Marcus DiPaola posted a video on TikTok of what he describes as Capitol Police being
overtaken by the mob. “The rioters moved up the steps of the capitol pretty quickly, capitol police tried to hold
them back but they didn't have shields and really got pushed around,” DiPaola told NewsWeek. Other alarming
videos seem to show Capitol police being chased around inside the building. Another livestream captured a cop
taking a selfie with one of the rioters.
The Trump supporters invaded the Capitol from multiple points: There are videos and images of the
rioters scaling walls, smashing windows, and breaking down doors to get into and advance through the building.
One clearly overwhelmed officer slouched while rioters passed him.

How Politicians Inside Reacted

Capitol police may have been unable to keep rioters out of the building, but they were more successful
protecting the congresspeople, government employees, and press inside. Many lawmakers, including Nancy
Pelosi and Mike Pence, were evacuated to safe locations. The insurrectionists made it so deep into the building
they managed to infiltrate the Capitol Visitor Center, an underground bunker built after 9/11. “It cost $700
million and has multiple secure rooms and resistant doors,” according to the Washington Post. Police intended
to take evacuating senators there as a safe room but the mob was already inside.

Even as Wednesday’s events grew more chaotic, the White House was resistant to deploy the National Guard.
“Trump initially resisted requests to mobilize the National Guard,” The New York Times wrote. It eventually fell
on Pence to authorize the group’s deployment. Late Wednesday, all 1,100 troops in the D.C. National Guard as
well as 650 from Virginia’s were sent to the Capitol to gain control over the situation.

Trump, the agitator at the middle of all this, posted his version of a mea culpa to Twitter Thursday night and
finally admitted a new administration would be inaugurated January 20th. “Like all Americans, I am outraged
by the violence, lawlessness, and mayhem,” he said. In response to the video, one unhappy supporter wrote on
TheDonald forum: “Wow, what an absolute punch in the gut. He says it’s going to be wild, and when it gets
wild, he calls it a heinous attack. Unbelievable.”