Why Jan. 6 isn’t over

The mob is gone. The pepper spray has dissipated. The pounding on the door into the House of Representatives – a battering ram sound that still haunts some members – has stilled.

It has been a year since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and in some ways American politics and government has returned to normal. Lawmakers are wrangling over bills and budgets. Party strategists are focused on redistricting and upcoming midterm elections.

But Jan. 6 isn’t just an event for the history books. It’s not even past. It’s still occurring.

In the months since pro-Trump protesters smashed their way into the halls of Congress with the apparent intent of attacking and disrupting the counting of Electoral College votes, it has become increasingly clear that the violence was just one part of a broader effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In the months since, that effort has focused on the