WASHINGTON

House Democrats held a meeting Tuesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.

"Five years ago today, a violent mob incited by Donald Trump attacked the Capitol as part of a concerted effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and halt the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in opening remarks on Capitol Hill.

On Jan. 6, 2021, near the end of President Donald Trump’s first White House term, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, in which incoming President Joe Biden was the winner. The attack led to multiple deaths, injuries and arrests, prompting congressional investigations and federal prosecutions.

Jeffries detailed the assault on law enforcement, noting that more than 140 officers were seriously injured and several were killed in the insurrection.

"Because of the extraordinary bravery of the U.S. Capitol Police, other law enforcement officials and the resolve of the Congress to return that night, this unprecedented attack on our country and on our democracy failed," he said.

Jeffries criticized Trump and far-right extremists in Congress for attempting to “rewrite history and whitewash the horrific events” of that day. He condemned Trump for pardoning hundreds of “violent” felons who participated in the insurrection, calling it “a Trump-inspired crime spree” that has contributed to violence and mayhem in communities across the country.

He questioned why Republicans in Congress have not condemned the behavior and accused them of acting as a “reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.”

"The January 6 violent attack on the Capitol that took place five years ago today was shameful then, it is shameful now and it will be shameful always and forever," said Jeffries.

He stressed the importance of protecting US democracy.

"We must continue to learn from what happened on January 6 in order to make sure that it never happens again. We must protect our free and fair elections. We must protect the peaceful transfer of power. We must protect the preeminence of the rule of law," he said.