Capitol Insurrection 'Haunts' Democracy 1 Yr Later, NYC Pols Say

BROOKLYN, NY —The image of President Donald Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol one year ago had far from left the minds of New York's elected officials on Thursday, even a year after the attacks unfolded some 200 miles away.

"The images of January 6, 2020 are still seared in our memory" Attorney General Letitia James said from a rally in Brooklyn. "We are still haunted by that attack on our democracy, an attack against the peaceful transfer of power."

The anniversary of the riot — which aimed to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory — was commemorated in New York City with promises to protect voting rights, which elected officials urged were still under siege across the country.

James, who pointed to 20 states that have enacted voter restrictions, warned that New York is not immune to the threat to democracy demonstrated on Jan. 6.

Her office most recently sued upstate counties for failing to provide early voting sites and uncovered a robocall campaign aiming to suppress Black voters.

The attorney general — who recently dropped out of the governor's race to focus on such investigations — is also overseeing two high-profile cases against Trump himself.

"As the chief law enforcement officer of the state of New York, I stand with anyone of any party fighting to expand voting rights," she said. "...My office and my voice will always be there."

New York's connection to the Jan. 6 riots is perhaps more directly seen in the dozens of residents who currently face charges in connection to the attempted coup, including at least 13 in New York City and eight in Brooklyn.

Most of the city dwellers remain free a year after the attacks as they wait for their cases to move through the courts.

The circumstances behind the Jan. 6 insurrection are the subject of an ongoing congressional investigation. And a massive federal criminal probe into the riot itself identified scores of people in the mob as tips rolled in from Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and even alleged insurrectionists' own live-streams.

The riot left five people dead either before, during or shortly after the insurrection. One person was shot by Capitol police, another died from a drug overdose and three perished from natural causes. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.

"It wasn’t a rally gone bad — it was people trying to overthrow the government," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Thursday. "...My hope is while we commemorate this day, we commemorate what actually happened and put in measures to prevent it."