WASHINGTON — One year to the day after rioters stormed the seat of American democracy, President Joe Biden blasted his predecessor, making clear that he thinks former President Donald Trump lit the fuse which caused the deadly riot.
The Capitol riot caused $1.5 million worth of damage to the revered structure and temporarily held up the Constitutionally-prescribed Electoral College vote certification.
"The former President of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election," said Biden.
Fellow Democrat, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Virginia), agreed.
"A mob of insurrectionists, egged on by Donald Trump, tried to overturn the results of a Presidential election in the United States," he said." That goes against the heart of what our country stands for."
For his part, Trump marked the day via e-mail, repeating his false claim of a "rigged election," writing: "Biden...used my name today to try to further divide America."
Republican House members Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) on Thursday accused the federal government of playing a role in inciting Trump's supporters to storm the Capitol that day.
Without proof, they repeated an unfounded conspiracy theory that federal agents orchestrated the riot.
Virginia Wesleyan University Associate Professor of Political Science Leslie Caughell said she's worried about what the future holds for democracy.
"If citizens don't believe elections are legitimate, you've got nothing else," she said. "That is central. That's key. So, this is really dangerous rhetoric we're playing with."
Five people died during or after the attack, including four protesters and one police officer. Approximately 140 officers suffered injuries. More than 725 accused rioters have been charged.