Here’s what Colorado officials have to say about the Jan. 6 insurrection anniversary

Hundreds of people stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, during a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, which was in the process of confirming the results from the 2020 presidential election. Legislators and staff were evacuated as armed protestors made their way to the Senate and House floors.  

Multiple Colorado residents, including a two-time Olympic champion and a geophysicist, have been arrested and charged with crimes in connection to the Jan. 6 attack. 

Here’s what some Colorado officials have to say about the attack, one year later. 

House

“January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. And for those of us who were in the Capitol that day, it’s a day we will never forget,” Rep. Diana DeGette, of the 1st Congressional District, said in a Thursday statement. 

“I never thought I’d see a sitting U.S. president incite a deadly attack on our own Democracy, but that’s exactly what President Trump did one year ago today. Despite Trump and his supporters’ deadly attempt to thwart our democratic process, our Democracy held. And, as a nation, it is now our collective responsibility to do everything we can to prevent such an assault from ever happening again.”

“One year ago, the Capitol — our citadel of liberty — was breached, as rioters attempted to dismantle the peaceful transfer of power,” Rep. Joe Neguse, of the 2nd Congressional District, tweeted Thursday morning. “We must continue to seek the truth and ensure that what happened on January 6th never happens again.”

Hard to believe it’s been one year.

My defining memory of Jan. 6th is reflected in the picture below, which I took at 2:59 a.m.

Those who attempted to stop the peaceful transfer of power failed.

We returned to the House floor.

We certified the election.

We did our job. pic.twitter.com/2mX4PJJ23E

— Joe Neguse (@JoeNeguse) January 6, 2022

“Comparing Jan 6 to Pearl Harbor & 9/11 is repugnant & totally non-comparable,” Rep. Doug Lamborn, of the 5th District, tweeted Thursday. “It comes as no surprise that this comparison comes from the same individual who helped bailout rioters & looters that committed federal crimes, destroyed American cities, & besieged federal property.”

“Reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the violent insurrection at the Capitol is not just an exercise in history,” Rep. Jason Crow, of the 6th District, said in a statement. “The disturbing forces that led to that attack are still at play today.” 

“We are facing a surging domestic violent extremist movement in this country, disinformation and misinformation campaigns promoted by foreign adversaries and domestic groups, and we are experiencing an unprecedented assault on our voting system, elevating party loyalists over the rule of law,” Crow said. 

Crow is working with Rep. Dean Phillips, of Minnesota, to introduce a Democracy Day House Resolution, which would designate Jan. 6 as Democracy Day, according to the statement. 

“The Jan 6 insurrection was an attack on all Americans,” Crow tweeted Wednesday. 

“One year ago, our democracy faced an unprecedented attack — a direct attack on liberty, on freedom, and on people’s right to vote,” Rep. Ed Perlmutter, of the 7th District, said in a Thursday statement shared on social media. “It was also an attack on individuals, many of whom were career public servants and law enforcement officials.” 

“The January 6, 2021 attack was a dark moment in our nation’s history but we cannot forget resiliency and democracy ultimately prevailed.” 

Two organizers of a rally on Jan. 6 that led to the insurrection at the Capitol told Rolling Stone that they were in communication with Rep. Lauren Boebert. Boebert denied these allegations in an Oct. 25 tweet. 

Senate

“The January 6th insurrection was a dark day for our country,” Sen. John Hickenlooper tweeted Thursday. “The violent mob that stormed the Capitol showed how fragile our democracy is. The endurance of our nation rests on our shoulders.”

“If President Trump can ‘stop the steal’ with no evidence of theft, what election would ever be secure? As Americans, we cannot disregard our Constitution just because we don’t like an election’s outcome,” Sen. Michael Bennet wrote in an opinion piece Thursday. 

“We must seize this moment to restore our democratic covenant with one another.”

A year after Jan. 6, we continue to face the greatest threat to democracy in our lifetimes. Senate inaction would be a profound abdication of our duty.

We must pass the #FreedomToVoteAct and #JohnLewisVotingRightsAct and reform abused Senate rules that mindlessly block them.

— Michael Bennet (@SenatorBennet) January 5, 2022

Other state officials

“The weaponized federal government of the Biden Regime and the mockingbird media thought they could control the story and brand Patriots as rioters and cop killers,” ​​state Rep. Ron Hanks said in a Wednesday statement. “Turns out, the government has blood on its hands, while it continues to hold Americans in lockdown for entering a building that was not properly secured, and where people were waved into the building by ‘security’ personnel.” Hanks, who repeats debunked claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, is running to unseat Bennet in this year’s election. 

“January 6, 2021 was a tipping point. Since then, we’ve seen over 500 bills filed across the nation that aim to suppress voters,” Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state, said in a Thursday statement. “Federal election reform has stalled in the Senate, and people who participated in the insurrection or refused to certify the 2020 election are now running for elected office, including for top election positions across the country.” 

“Today, we solemnly mark one year since the attack that struck at the very heart of our democratic system. To maintain a country ‘of the people, by the people, for the people,’ we must commit ourselves to achieving that ideal. We must stand together for democracy today, tomorrow, and every day into the future. Our future as a free nation depends on it,” Griswold said.

“Those who stormed this Capitol and those who instigated and incited and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America — at American democracy,” President Joe Biden said Thursday. “They didn’t come here out of patriotism or principle. They came here in rage — not in service of America, but rather in service of one man.”