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Once inside, insurrectionists desecrated and vandalized the Capitol. They ransacked Congressional Leadership offices—breaking windows and furniture, and stealing electronics and other sensitive material.[1] They left bullet marks in the walls, looted art, smeared feces in hallways, and destroyed monuments, including a commemorative display honoring the late Representative John Lewis.[2] Many rioters carried Trump flags and signs, while others wore the insignia of fringe militias and extremists such as the Proud Boys and neo-Nazis, including a shirt emblazoned with the slogan, “Camp Auschwitz.”[3] One insurrectionist paraded the Confederate battle flag through the Capitol halls—an act that thousands of troops gave their lives to prevent during the Civil War.[4]

Shortly after Senators had been evacuated from the Senate Chamber, insurrectionists entered it and rummaged through Senators’ desks, taking photos of private notes and letters.[5] One of them shouted “Trump won that election!” on the Senate dais where Vice President Pence had presided.[6] Another rioter climbed onto the dais, announcing that “I’m gonna take a seat in this chair, because Mike Pence is a fucking traitor.”[7] He left a note on the Vice President’s desk stating, “ITS ONLY


  1. ↑ Natasha Bertrand, Justice Department Warns of National Security Fallout from Capitol Hill Insurrection, Politico (Jan. 7, 2021); Wilson Wong, Shattered Glass, Ransacked Offices: Images of Damage at U.S. Capitol Left by Pro-Trump Mob, NBC News (Jan. 7, 2021).
  2. ↑ See Chris Sommerfeldt, Pro-Trump Rioters Smeared Poop in U.S. Capitol Hallways During Belligerent Attack, N.Y. Daily News (Jan. 7, 2021); The Hill (@thehill), Twitter (Jan. 7, 2021, 1:16 PM); Sarah Bahr, Curators Scour Capitol for Damage to the Building or Its Art, N.Y. Times (Jan. 7, 2021); Lauren Egan, Capitol Reels from Damage and Destruction Left by Violent Rioters, NBC News (Jan. 7, 2021).
  3. ↑ Here Are Some of the People Charged since a Mob Breached the Capitol'', Wash. Post (Jan. 15, 2021); Elana Schor, Anti-Semitism Seen in Capitol Insurrection Raises Alarms, Associated Press (Jan. 13, 2021); Special Agent Affidavit, at 13 (Jan. 15, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1355921/download.
  4. ↑ Id.; Julia Jacobo, A Visual Timeline on How the Attack on Capitol Hill Unfolded, ABC News (Jan. 10, 2021).
  5. ↑ Id.; Lauren Leatherby & Anjali Singhvi, Critical Moments in the Capitol Siege, N.Y. Times (Jan. 15, 2021); Luke Mogelson, Among the Insurrectionists, The New Yorker (Jan. 15, 2021).
  6. ↑ Igor Bobic (@igorbobic), Twitter (Jan. 6, 2021, 2:47 PM).
  7. ↑ Luke Mogelson, Among the Insurrectionists, The New Yorker (Jan 15. 2021).
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