Two questions from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

How did this happen today of all days?

Why has this gone on for so long?

Those are the two questions I still have a year after the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

I was on the air for more than 15 hours on January 6 and 7, 2021, holed up in the basement of the Capitol, during the insurrection. I actually didn’t start my day on January 6 until about 1 pm – the time when the House and Senate convened a Joint Session of Congress to certify the Electoral College. I began later than usual because we expected Republican lawmakers to contest up to six states. The House and Senate are allowed to debate each state’s slate of electors for two hours and then vote. So I thought the process may bleed well into January 7th if not January 8th.

FBI STILL HUNTING JAN. 6 SUSPECTS, PIPE BOMBER A YEAR LATER

And therein lies the essence of my first question.

How did the riot happen on January 6th of all days?

The House and Senate only convene a Joint Session of Congress for two events: the President’s State of the Union address and to certify the Electoral College.

The Vice President and the Speaker of the House preside over this session. The Joint Session in January 2013, to certify the re-election of President Obama was a sleepy affair. No members challenged any state’s electoral votes. Fewer than 80 members from either body came to the House chamber to watch “tellers” (a group of House and Senate members) inspect the electoral votes and to hear then-Vice President Biden announce the results. In fact, many freshman members – on the job for just a few days – only swung by so they could meet the vice president or pose for a photograph.

January 6, 2021, emerged as one of the most toxic, intense days ever seen at the historic…