January 6 commemorative plaque appears in Capitol after years of delay [View all]

Source: CNN Politics

Updated Mar 7, 2026, 1:49 PM ET
PUBLISHED Mar 7, 2026, 12:32 PM ET


A plaque honoring the heroism of police officers during the January 6, 2021, attack by a mob supportive of President Donald Trump has quietly been installed at the US Capitol after years of delay. The installation of the plaque early Saturday morning, which was first reported by The Washington Post, did not feature a formal ceremony or remarks. It came years after it was required by federal law to be installed by 2023.

“On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021,” the plaque reads. “Their heroism will never be forgotten.”

It lists the several local police departments and federal agencies that responded that day. Next to it is a QR code that leads to a file with the names of officers who were present. The plaque has been placed at the end of a hallway, just inside an entrance on the West Front of the Capitol, which is not open to the public.

Since Trump’s return to office, the president and his Republican allies have either ignored the January 6 riot or recast the day’s events and diminished the level of violence that occurred. In one of the first acts of his second term, Trump pardoned over 1,000 rioters who were charged in connection to the attack. In the absence of a formal plaque, many Democrats had poster copies hanging outside their congressional offices, CNN previously reported.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/07/politics/january-6-plaque-installed-capitol