Jan. 6 memorial plaque placed at Capitol, three years after intended

A plaque recognizing the service of law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was inconspicuously installed in Congress early Saturday, four years after lawmakers voted to furnish Capitol Hill with a memorial.

The overnight installation, first reported by The Washington Post, did not include a formal ceremony — just Architect of the Capitol staff fixing it inside an entrance on the West Front of the Capitol.

“On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021,” the plaque reads. “Their heroism will never be forgotten.”

It lists the names of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies at the scene, including the D.C. police, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, National Guard and Maryland and Virginia state police.

Congress in 2022 ordered the memorial to be completed by mid-March 2023, but it was installed nearly three years past its deadline, having sat in the Capitol basement waiting for its debut. 

Democrats blamed House Speaker Mike Johnson for the delay, but his office said at the time that the project was “not implementable.” 

Last year, two police officers who responded to the riot sued the Architect of the Capitol to have the memorial installed and “ensure that the history of this attack on the Capitol — and on democracy — is not forgotten,” according to federal court records.

Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges accused President Trump’s allies of “rewriting” history.

Since Mr. Trump’s return to office, his administration has aimed to recast the events, including a presidential pardon of over 1,000 rioters who were charged in connection with the attack.

The attack included MAGA supporters intent on overturning Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss, but the president has portrayed them as victims of a weaponized justice system.

A White House page says Democrats falsely accused “peaceful patriotic protesters” of being “insurrectionists” and that the party framed the event as a “violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump.”