Biden Holds Trump Responsible in Jan. 6 Speech

WASHINGTON — President Biden forcefully denounced erstwhile President Donald J. Trump for promoting lies and tearing down ideology due to the fact that helium could not basal the information that helium mislaid a escaped and just election, accusing his predecessor and his allies of holding “a dagger astatine the pharynx of America.”

In his astir sustained and scathing onslaught connected the erstwhile president since taking office, Mr. Biden utilized the day of the Jan. 6 mob battle connected the Capitol to condemn Mr. Trump for waging an “undemocratic” and “un-American” run against the legitimacy of the predetermination strategy that helium likened to the actions of autocrats and dictators successful faraway countries.

“The erstwhile president of the United States of America has created and dispersed a web of lies astir the 2020 election,” Mr. Biden said, lasting successful the aforesaid National Statuary Hall invaded by throngs of Trump supporters a twelvemonth ago. “He’s done truthful due to the fact that helium values powerfulness implicit principle, due to the fact that helium sees his ain interests arsenic much important than his country’s interests and America’s interests, and due to the fact that his bruised ego matters much to him than our ideology oregon our Constitution. He can’t judge helium lost.”

Without utilizing Mr. Trump’s name, the president assailed the “defeated erstwhile president” for trying to rewrite past and for casting the attackers of a twelvemonth agone arsenic patriots. “Is that what you thought erstwhile you looked astatine the mob ransacking the Capitol, destroying property, virtually defecating successful the hallways, rifling done desks of senators and representatives, hunting down members of Congress?” Mr. Biden asked. “Patriots? Not successful my view.”

Mr. Trump fired backmost moments aboriginal with the archetypal of a drawstring of written statements issued from his Mar-a-Lago property successful Florida. “This governmental theatre is each conscionable a distraction for the information Biden has wholly and wholly failed,” Mr. Trump wrote. “The Democrats privation to ain this time of January 6th truthful they tin stoke fears and disagreement America,” helium added. “I say, fto them person it due to the fact that America sees done theirs [sic] lies and polarizations.”

Mr. Biden’s code kicked disconnected a commemoration that, alternatively of showcasing American unity, underscored conscionable however fractured the federation remains a twelvemonth aft Mr. Trump’s refusal to judge decision astatine the ballot container stirred backers to invade the Capitol, disrupt the counting of the Electoral College votes and nonstop lawmakers scurrying for safety.

Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders scripted a time of addresses, discussions and a candlelight vigil portion Republican leaders stayed away, with galore G.O.P. senators heading to Georgia for the ceremonial of their erstwhile colleague, Johnny Isakson.

In the House chamber, the lone Republican subordinate spotted connected the level for a infinitesimal of soundlessness marking the day was Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, 1 of the party’s starring critics of Mr. Trump. She was joined successful the beforehand enactment by her father, erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney, himself a erstwhile subordinate of the House.

Once the bête noire of the left, Mr. Cheney was greeted cordially by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and different Democrats, who person praised his girl for her courage, an bonzer spectacle reflecting however overmuch Mr. Trump has transformed the governmental dynamics of the country.

“I’m profoundly disappointed we don’t person amended enactment successful the Republican Party to reconstruct the Constitution,” Mr. Cheney told Jonathan Karl of ABC News.

Earlier successful the morning, his girl castigated chap Republicans for “looking the different way” alternatively than face the superior menace represented by the Capitol attack.

“All of my colleagues, anyone who attempts to minimize what happened, anyone who denies the information of what happened, they ought to beryllium ashamed of themselves,” Ms. Cheney said connected the “Today” amusement connected NBC. “History is watching, and past volition justice them.”

Over successful the Senate chamber, not a azygous Republican legislator showed up arsenic Democrats took to the level aft Mr. Biden’s code to proceed assailing Mr. Trump, “the worst president successful modern times,” arsenic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic bulk leader, enactment it.

“It was Donald Trump’s large prevarication that soaked our governmental scenery successful kerosene,” Mr. Schumer said. “It was Donald Trump’s rally connected the Mall that struck the match. And past came the fire.”

To stress the value of the event, Ms. Pelosi sponsored an day treatment led by Carla Hayden, the librarian of Congress, with the historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, who talked astir different moments of peril similar the tumultuous years starring up to the Civil War. The sheet was introduced with a video specially produced by the formed of “Hamilton” performing a opus from the deed philharmonic astir the founding of the country.

The disparate approaches to the day reflected however overmuch Jan. 6 has go interpreted done a governmental lens. Democrats presumption the storming of the Capitol arsenic an existential menace to law ideology dissimilar immoderate successful modern times. Most Republicans would alternatively absorption connected thing else, with immoderate convinced that it is being utilized arsenic a partisan limb against them and others fearful of crossing Mr. Trump, who continues to wield outsize powerfulness wrong the party.

Key Figures successful the Jan. 6 Inquiry

Feelings stay earthy connected Capitol Hill, a spot of post-traumatic accent that has yet to afloat retrieve from the intelligence and governmental scars of an battle that led to at slightest 7 deaths arsenic good arsenic injuries to 150 constabulary officers. More than the accustomed acrimony implicit legislative differences, the bequest of Jan. 6 has exacerbated the toxic rift betwixt members and unit aides connected other sides of the aisle.

While Mr. Biden had hesitated to prosecute successful a back-and-forth with his predecessor, helium utilized his 20-minute code to much straight blasted Mr. Trump than ever earlier for encouraging the unit a twelvemonth agone and past sitting successful his backstage White House eating country watching tv and “doing thing for hours arsenic constabulary were assaulted, lives were astatine risk, and the nation’s superior nether siege.”

He offered his astir extended rebuttal of the mendacious claims that the 2020 predetermination was someway stolen, noting that repeated recounts, tribunal battles and inquiries had turned up nary meaningful fraud. He pointed retired that Republicans did not situation Republican victories for Congress and governor’s mansions based connected the aforesaid balloting they assertion was illegitimate successful the statesmanlike race.

Mr. Biden took connected efforts to recast the communicative of what happened connected Jan. 6, which immoderate Republicans person dismissed arsenic small much than a protestation that got retired of hand. “This wasn’t a radical of tourists,” Mr. Biden said. “This was an equipped insurrection. They weren’t looking to uphold the volition of the people. They were looking to contradict the volition of the people.”

Mr. Biden besides touched connected voting rights authorities stalled successful the Senate, though helium has a abstracted speech connected the taxable scheduled for adjacent week. Vice President Kamala D. Harris, who spoke earlier Mr. Biden, said, “We indispensable walk voting rights bills that are present earlier the Senate.”

Republicans accused the White House and Democrats of politicizing the onslaught to beforehand authorities meant to payment their ain enactment and rejected Mr. Biden’s indictment of Mr. Trump. “What brazen politicization of January 6 by President Biden,” Senator Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina wrote connected Twitter pursuing the speech.

Mr. Graham himself broke with Mr. Trump connected that time a twelvemonth ago, saying, “All I tin accidental is number maine out, capable is enough.” But it did not instrumentality agelong for him, similar astir Republicans, to autumn successful enactment down the erstwhile president again.

In a bid of tweets connected Thursday, Mr. Graham denounced the unit of a twelvemonth agone but not Mr. Trump. “President Biden and Vice President Harris’s speeches today,” helium wrote, “were an effort to resurrect a failed presidency much than marking the day of a acheronian time successful American history.”

Other Republican allies of the erstwhile president utilized the juncture to dispersed unfounded conspiracy theories. Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia appeared connected a podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, a erstwhile main strategist for Mr. Trump, trying to pin blasted for the riot connected Democrats oregon national authorities.

“We’re present to get to the information down Jan. 6, the national government’s ain engagement with it,” Mr. Gaetz said.

They aboriginal held a quality conference successful an bureau gathering adjacent the Capitol, again promoting unproven conspiracy theories and decrying the attraction of those charged with crimes related to the attack.