January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol

Did President Trump extend his power as president by law on January 6, 2021, and is the National Guard activated to Federal Duty and in complete control? No, that's not true: There is no constitutional authority under which a president can extend his legal authority past the end of his term. Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president…

Were antifa and federal agents behind the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol? No, that's not true: Supporters of former President Donald Trump were behind the January 6, 2021, attack. Claims that antifa members were responsible have been repeatedly and widely debunked. The recycled allegation appeared in an Instagram post on July 22, 2022. The post includes a short video…

Was Michal Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, murdered after saying the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an inside job? No, that's not true: Stenger resigned after the January 6 riot, as did other officials who were in charge of security. He died at age 71, on June 27, 2022. The claim appears in a doctored photograph…

Was nobody arrested inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: People were arrested inside the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, and they have been charged with crimes including "entering a restricted building and violent and disorderly conduct." A rhetorical question posted on Facebook revolves around a false statement and a problematic assumption. It is true…

Was it impossible or difficult for then-President Donald Trump to reach the steering wheel of the vehicle he was riding in on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: The fortified SUV transporting him did not have a glass partition between the front and back seats, so there was nothing that would have prevented him from reaching for the steering…

Does a video show U.S. Capitol Police just opening the gates for rioters on January 6, 2021, so they could attack the Capitol? No, that's not true: Marcus DiPaola, the freelance journalist who shot the video, told Newsweek in a January 7, 2021, story, "They definitely didn't just open the barriers, the pro-Trump rioters made a fist like they were…

Is geotracking the only evidence being used by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to place January 6, 2021, defendants inside the U.S. Capitol? No, that's not true: FBI investigators and the DOJ are using the tracking data, along with Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth beacons that interacted with phones and security cameras to confirm people were inside the building during the…

Did NPR publish an article on the morning of January 6, 2021, about Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol and clashing with police before any clashes with police had occurred? No, that's not true: This intentionally deceptive post focuses on the National Public Radio article's original publication timestamp while cropping off the well-marked notice that the article had been updated…

Was a green screen used to produce one of the more memorable images of rioters inside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021 -- with actors posing in another location and superimposed onto still and video images of the riot? No, that's not true: An image circulating online is a photoshopped prank composed of two different images after-the-fact. The…

Does Facebook have any immediate plans to reinstate Donald Trump's account? No, that's not true: Facebook suspended the now former president's account on January 7, 2021. The suspension is for at least two years, at which point Facebook says it will reinstate Trump's account if it determines there's no longer a public safety risk. The claim appeared in a blog…