Democrats are using the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to blast President Trump, accusing him of inciting the riot and pledging accountability even as he pardoned hundreds of defendants on his first day in office. 

The 2021 riot, which unfolded as lawmakers were certifying former President Biden’s election victory, sent shock waves through the country — intensifying partisan polarization, prompting a sweeping reassessment of security around Washington and leaving millions of dollars in damage to the Capitol.

While many Republicans have remained largely silent about the attack — or in some cases defended it — Democrats have been quick to argue Trump has only elevated and vindicated Jan. 6 rioters in his second term. 

Trump granted full pardons to more than 1,500 rioters and commuted the sentences of extremist group leaders, including those part of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, accused of spearheading the attack.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released a report Monday criticizing Trump for installing Ed Martin, who participated in the attack, as the U.S. pardon attorney. 

“I am ashamed of our president pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters, criminals, in crimes against our country. I am ashamed of the president for doing that,” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) said. 

“The President’s first day back in the Oval Office was punctuated by his decision to pardon or grant clemency to every single insurrectionist who violently attacked the Capitol, including those who beat and gouged police officers. Since then, he has placed fellow election deniers into key administration roles, and his Justice Department has fired or demoted the prosecutors and investigators who were doing their jobs by holding violent attackers accountable,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told The Hill in an emailed statement.