A Reporter’s Reflection on Jan. 6, Then and Now

Luke Broadwater was at the Capitol when a pro-Trump mob stormed the complex on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory. Four years later, he reflects on what has changed.

A loudspeaker in the Senate press gallery crackled with a dire warning on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, and a voice announced a lockdown as I sat at my desk in the Capitol.

“External security threat,” I scribbled in my notepad, writing down what I was hearing. “Stay away from exterior windows and doors.” And then: “Seek cover.”

That was how I knew four years ago that something had gone wrong — very wrong — during what is typically a perfunctory event on Capitol Hill: certifying the results of the presidential election.

This year, Jan. 6 reverted to what it always had been: a constitutionally mandated, legally prescribed and routine step in the peaceful transfer of power, whereby Congress formalizes what has already been decided in a democratic election.

But hanging over it all was the anomaly of four years ago, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol and disrupted the certification. In the mayhem, 150 police officers were injured (three later died), an individual was shot just off the House floor, protesters ransacked the American seat of government, and something fundamental changed in our country.

This year’s return to normalcy came only after the resignation of Capitol security officials, millions of dollars in upgrades for the police force and an overhaul of the law governing how Congress counts electoral votes. It was only after the arrests of more than 1,500 defendants charged in connection with the riot.