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Boston Globe

House Republicans ignore those who saved their lives during the Jan. 6 insurrection

Advertisement And so long as House Speaker Mike Johnson — or any Republican — has the gavel in their hands, that's where it will probably remain. This is yet another move by Trump, ably assisted by a spineless GOP, to memory-hole what happened when thousands of his followers, who he directed to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, stormed the building in an attempt to upend democracy by stopping the certification of the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Biden. At a recent news conference, Advertisement When asked by a CNN reporter why the plaque, which had a March 2023 installation deadline, had yet to be displayed, Johnson — who was in the Capitol during the insurrection and was later one of 'My folks were here on Jan. 6. They were part of what went on. They were assaulted,' For years, Trump has been making up stories to rewrite the narrative of what stunned millions witnessed in real time on television. With his incessant Trump-washing of history, he has mendaciously called Jan. 6 ' Advertisement In one of the most grotesque acts of any president in modern history, Trump, on his first day back in office, granted clemency to more than 1,600 people convicted of crimes connected to the insurrection. And earlier this month, his administration agreed to In the insurrection's aftermath, perhaps there shouldn't have been a rush to clean up what Trump's mob left in its brutal wake. The most apt memorial of this attack should have been the broken windows still unrepaired and boarded up; instead of replacing damaged furniture, those spots should have remained empty; marks on items scarred by the rioters' extinguished cigarettes should be visible. All of them were symbols of democracy's fragility. Every Republican should be reminded of what happened in the Capitol whenever they walk into the building — and how their complicity is fostering Trump's ongoing insurrection against the truth and democracy. By refusing to install the memorial, House Republicans are hiding the crimes of Jan. 6 at the scene of the crime, as they choose fealty to a tyrant over a public acknowledgment of the men and women who saved their lives. This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Renée Graham. . Advertisement Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at