Extract from ABC News
US President Joe Biden has accused his predecessor Donald Trump of posing a continuing threat to American democracy in a speech on the anniversary of the deadly attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
Key points:
- Joe Biden accused Donald Trump of spinning a "web of lies"
- The anniversary of the deadly Capitol riot is being marked in events today
- Many Republicans are still playing down the attack
Speaking at the white-domed building that was the scene of the January 6, 2021 riot, Mr Biden warned that Mr Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud could unravel the rule of law and undermine future elections.
"We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie," he said.
"He can't accept he lost," Mr Biden added.
Launching such a direct attack on Mr Trump — though Mr Biden never actually said his predecessor's name during the speech — was a departure for Mr Biden, who has spent most of his first year in office focused on pursuing his own agenda rather than looking backward.
LIVE UPDATES: Read our blog for the latest on the anniversary of the US Capitol attackBut Democrats, a handful of Republicans and many independent observers have warned that the damage done by Mr Trump's efforts to undermine faith in the election he lost to Mr Biden lingers on.
"The former president and his supporters have decided the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and subvert our elections," Mr Biden said.
"His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution."
According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, some 55 per cent of Republican voters believe Mr Trump's false claim to have won the 2020 election, which has been rejected by dozens of courts, state election departments and members of Mr Trump's own administration.
Accusing Mr Trump of seeking to perpetuate a "big lie," Mr Biden said there was a "battle for the soul of America" and a struggle at home and abroad between the forces of democracy and autocracy.
Mr Trump issued three statements in the hours following his successor's remarks, accusing Mr Biden of trying to divide the country and repeating his false election claims.
In one, he said Mr Biden "used my name today to try to further divide America".
Attack aftermath still felt
Four people died in the hours-long chaos a year ago, which occurred after Mr Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell".
One police officer died the day after battling rioters, and four later died by suicide. Around 140 police officers were injured.
One of the officers at the scene, Sergeant Harry Dunn of the Capitol Police, said the attack took an emotional toll.
"You cannot get away from January 6, even if you're trying to. It's everywhere, especially if it's your place of work," Mr Dunn said.
Mr Biden's remarks began a day-long series of events that will also feature House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other legislative leaders, mostly from Mr Biden's Democratic Party.
Mr Biden's speech was carried live on all major US television networks.
Many Senate Republicans planned to be out of state attending the funeral of former Republican senator Johnny Isakson.
'Big lie' takes root
Some observers say they worry Mr Trump's false claims could make it less likely that future transfers of power in America will be peaceful — especially those involving closer margins than the 2020 election, which Mr Biden won by 7 million votes nationwide.
"The fact that the big lie has taken root the way it has, and that it's intensified and worsened over the past 12 months, that's even more dangerous than January 6 itself," said Ohio State University law professor Edward Foley.
Mr Trump remains highly popular among Republican voters.
He has been shaping the field of Republican candidates who will contest the November 8 elections that will determine which party controls Congress, and has hinted he may run for president again in 2024.
Mr Trump's main fundraising committee had $US90 million in the bank at the end of June, while another account had $US7.7 million, according to public filings.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump cancelled
plans to mark the anniversary with a news conference. He plans to speak
instead on January 15 at a rally in Arizona.
Most Republican officials and office holders have remained loyal to Mr Trump.
Some have sought to play down the attack by likening the rioters to tourists and questioning whether the assault was perpetrated by federal agents.
Mr Biden said it was hypocritical for them to question the outcome of the presidential race, while accepting Republican victories in congressional and state-level races held on the same day.
Those Republicans who have called for accountability, including Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, have been shunned by their colleagues.
The two are the only Republicans participating in a congressional investigation into the riot that has interviewed more than 300 witnesses so far, including top Trump aides.
US prosecutors have brought criminal charges against at least 725 people linked to the riot.
Democrats are using the anniversary to push for broad voting-rights legislation that they say is needed to counteract Republican efforts to tighten voting laws at the state level.
So far Democrats have been unable to round up enough support to ensure passage in the Senate.
Republicans say Democrats are exploiting the anniversary for partisan purposes.
"It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mob's attempt to disrupt our country's norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules and institutions themselves," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.
Reuters
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