“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic it represents, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” [cheering] They came from all 50 states out of a sense of patriotic duty… “It’s much more than just a rally for President Trump. It’s really a movement for our way of life. The American dream, against fake news.” … to protest against an election they believed had been stolen. “Stop the theft! Stop the robbery!” “We’re here, patriots. We’re in the Capitol building in Washington DC dead in front of us.” His day of action would be January 6… “The House is back in order.” … when Congress would count the ballots and ratify the results of the 2020 election. For some, it was just a rally for their president. For others, it was a call to arms. “We have power in numbers. March on Congress right after Trump’s speech.” In the weeks leading up to it, there were more than a million mentions of the Capitol storming on social media. Maps of the building layout were shared. There was talk of carrying guns and ammunition, and arguments about which legislators should be targeted first. This anger was based on a lie. “This election was a fraud.” A lie that had become more frantic after the elections. “President Trump won this election.” “They were flipping the votes.” “Stealing the Election in Philadelphia”. “When you win in a landslide and they…” “Stealing the election in Atlanta…” “And it’s rigged…” “Stealing the election in Milwaukee…” “It’s not acceptable.” “This is outrageous.” A lie spread by the president and his closest allies. “We’re going to cheat when we find it.” Some of which fueled calls for violence. “All hell will break loose tomorrow.” “Everyone will remember who’s really in the gap and fighting tomorrow. And who’s running away like a chicken.” “We bleed freedom.” “This will be their Waterloo.” “And we will sacrifice ourselves for freedom.” “This will be their destruction.” “USA! USA!” What happened next was chaos. “Did they break the glass?” insurrection “Get him now!” “Treason! Betrayal!” Death. He then began a campaign to whitewash history, starting at the top. “It was a zero threat. From the beginning, it was a zero threat.” And spreading throughout the Republican Party. “Even calling it an insurrection, it wasn’t. Overall, it was a peaceful protest.” One lawmaker, who helped barricade the doors of the House, now suggests there was almost no threat. “If you didn’t know that the TV footage is a video from January 6, you’d actually think it was a normal tourist visit.” It was not a tourist visit. And the proof is in the footage. As part of a six-month investigation, The New York Times has collected and forensically analyzed thousands of videos, most of them filmed by the rioters themselves. We obtained internal police radio traffic… …and went to court to reveal the police body camera footage. Our reconstruction shows the Capitol riot for what it was, a violent assault encouraged by the president on a seat of democracy he promised to protect. We’ll see how police leaders ignored warnings of an impending attack, putting rank-and-file officers in danger. We’ll follow the mob’s main instigators as they exploit the weaknesses in the Capitol’s defenses to ignite a wave of violence that engulfs the building. We will show, for the first time, the many simultaneous points of attack and the eight breaches of what appeared to be an impenetrable institution of government. We will show how the delay in securing Congress probably cost a mutineer his life. And as for some, storming the Capitol was part of the plan, all along. “Actually, tomorrow, I don’t even like to say it because I’m getting arrested.” “Well, let’s not say it. We have to go, I’ll say it. “All right.” “We have to go to the Capitol.” “Here we go!” It’s the morning of January 6 and thousands fill the National Mall in Washington. Trump will speak here at the Ellipse, a large park near the White House and half an hour’s walk from the US Capitol, where the election will be certified. Who is really in this crowd? Most are ordinary citizens who believe Trump’s lie that the election was stolen. “It will be a great day. It’s going to be wild, as Trump says.” But we also see more extreme groups that have gained followers during Trump’s presidency. There are followers of the QAnon conspiracy… “Drinking their blood, eating our babies.” … that believe Trump is facing a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. Q posts often invoke notions of patriotism and predict a coming storm. And before January 6, some supporters are calling for violence. The Oath Keepers, a group far-right paramilitary, are here too. “We already have men stationed outside of DC…” Their leader has said the group is ready to follow Trump’s orders and arrest members of what they call the “Deep State.” They’re organized, staging their military-style gear neatly on the ground. And later, donning body armor, talking into radios and chatting with followers on a walkie-talkie app called Zello. “We have a good group there’s about 30, 40 of us that are united and we follow the plan. Everyone, we’re one block from the Capitol, now. I’ll probably be quiet when I get there because I’ll be a little busy.” Another group is the Proud Boys. They are far-right nationalists who displayed signs of white power all day. “Look at all that testosterone.” They became a household name when Trump invoked them during a presidential debate. “Proud boys, stand back and wait.” And that’s what they did. They have a history of street violence and will be the main drivers of the riot. We will get back to them soon. Although the rally is billed as a political protest, some are calling to storm the Capitol even before Trump speaks. And later, when Trump takes the stage… “We’re going down to the Capitol.” … some hear his words as a call to action. “I know everyone here will be marching to the Capitol building soon.” Two hours earlier, the Proud Boys were already on their way to the Capitol. They are clearly spoiling a fight with far-left agitators like Antifa, who they think are in DC. But there are moments that suggest another reason. “Come on, tighten up.” “Come on, guys. They’re organized, too. Many are marked with orange tape or hard hats. They wear body armor, wear baseball bats, and use radios. “That’s affirmative. Jesse, this is Tucker” At the helm is Ethan Nordean, who has been entrusted with so-called war powers. They are joined by other well-known Proud Boys such as Joe Biggs, an organizer from Florida, Dominic Pezzola, a former Marine, and Billy Chrestman. They will be among the first rioters inside the Capitol building. “Proud boys.” As Trump speaks, some of his other supporters also head to the Capitol. Singer: “Whose streets? Our streets! Whose streets? Our streets!” And the tone is becoming threatening. “And we’re going to raid the [expletive] capitol [expletive] you, [expletive].” “USA! USA!” Right out front, the officers guarding the building are understaffed and ill-equipped for what comes their way. “Are you going to stop us?” The building has more than two football fields. And the barricades erected on the east side are defended by only a few dozen officers. The west side, in the run-up to the Trump rally, is even lighter. The fence has been extended and only five officers stand guard on the north-west approach. About five also defend the southwest approach, a few more dot the lawn, and a dozen agents are behind them. Plans to storm the Capitol were made in plain sight, but the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security did not consider these threats to be credible. “We’re going to take this building!” “USA! USA!” Capitol Police leaders and the mayor of Washington were warned at least three times of violent threats, but neither took them seriously nor circulated that information. And they turned down offers of security personnel from federal and other agencies. They could have drafted several hundred more Capitol Police officers for duty on Jan. 6, but they didn’t. And none of the officers at the barricades have protective gear or crowd control gear. As a result, the Capitol is thinly defended. “Whose house? Our house! Whose house? Our house!” It’s 12:50 p.m. and a large group of proud boys are standing with other protesters right next to the Capitol Police line. Joe Biggs is rallying them. When Ryan Samsel, a Trump supporter, approaches him of Pennsylvania. Chat, we don’t know what. But a minute later, Samsel is the first to approach the police line. And that’s when the protest turns violent. “USA!” Without hesitation, the crowd dominates the police. Nearby, a second group opens another approach. Others jump fences. And now hundreds of rioters face off on several fronts. “DC is a [expletive] war zone.” The police retreat to the Capitol building where he is becoming more and more menacing. “This is what we came for! Yes!” A mob mentality begins to take hold. The police are so outnumbered that they are forced to retreat again to more strongly defend the access points to the Capitol. It is five minutes into the siege that the chief of the Capitol Police call for support from local law enforcement, known as the Metropolitan Police, and ask other Capitol leaders to mobilize the National Guard. “You took an oath! That doesn’t mean a damn thing to you, does it? The metro police will arrive in 15 minutes. But for reasons we will explain later, the National Guard will not arrive for more than four hours….