Over the past several years, numerous different narratives have been pumped out from media pundits and politicians regarding what happened on January 6th. From it being an attempt to overthrow democracy to it being a peaceful tour visit through the building, America’s views of the event couldn’t vary more. While there are several different assertions people hold regarding the events of that day, one particular conspiracy theory has become increasingly popular in the realm of discussion: was any part of the January 6 Capitol Attack an inside job?

On December 5th, during the fourth Republican primary debate, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy spoke on the idea of it being an inside job. As the first candidate to ever mention such a thing, Ramaswamy said, “Why am I the only person on this stage at least who can say that January 6th now does look like it was an inside job?” He was then met with pushback by CNN reporter Dana Bash after the debate ended, as she told him in an interview that there is “no evidence that it is an inside job.” Ramaswamy then replied, saying, “If you had asked me three years ago, ‘Is there some chance January 6th is an inside job,’ I would’ve said that was crazy talk.” He then went on to mention different events he believed were evidence that certain inside individuals, such as the FBI, had indeed been involved in orchestrating the events that occurred. Ramaswamy was then met with criticism from several media outlets as well, such as the BBC’s article, “Why is Vivek Ramaswamy doubling down on conspiracy theories?”

Despite the media acting as if these claims are egregious, many Americans seem to also believe there could be some credence to such assertions. A shocking poll was taken in March of 2023 asking voters if they believed undercover federal agents helped provoke the riot, to which 61% of respondents said yes. This includes 70% of Republicans and 57% of both Democrats and Independents.

Similarly, another poll shows that 59% of Americans think former President Trump bears at least some responsibility for the storming of the Capitol. This includes 28% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats, and 60% of Independents.

So, what really happened on January 6 when thousands stormed the Capitol? What the American public was made aware of by much of the mainstream media for years following the January 6 Capitol attack was part of the story, however, other parts of the story have been able to be pieced together as time has gone on. Before that can be tackled though, it first must be established what the primary narratives the American public has been given shortly after that infamous day.

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“I think right here we’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated; lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections, but whether or not they stand strong for our country. Our country has been under siege for a long time, far longer than this four-year period.” – President Donald Trump

That is the full context of what the former President said before the events that occurred at the Capitol. What truly happened before and after is where people’s views widely begin to divert.

Former President Trump began his speech at noon Eastern Time. Roughly 16 minutes into the speech, he mentioned going to the Capitol for the first time. At around 12:30, individuals began to appear in mass outside of the Capitol in apparent support for the former President. Photographs also emerged around that time showing a noose, with some chanting “hang Mike Pence!” President Trump then ended his speech at around 1:15, which was about 15 minutes before his supporters began to overtake Capitol police. At 1:30, individuals began to overtake Capitol police. The Capitol itself was then breached at around 2:15, and public officials were then forced to evacuate. President Trump then tweeted shortly after, saying, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our constitution.”

Once many entered the Capitol, various videos and images were shortly after widely available. Most of the people who entered could be seen just walking through the building once in, however, others damaged and vandalized property. Many from the conservative side of the aisle have taken this to support the claim that it was mostly a peaceful event. At the same time, many individuals outside of the building were very violent. Videos show individuals in mass shoving, hitting, and beating police officers in their attempts to overtake Capitol police. A few individuals could also be seen wearing military gear, with two that can be seen carrying around plastic restraints. Many from the left side of the aisle used these occurrences to support the idea that it was an insurrection. One video shows some who were there that day not understanding too much of what was going on. One person in the Senate chamber saw that Senator Ted Cruz had written “Objection to Arizona,” to which the person remarked, “Look: ‘objection.’ He was gonna sell us out all along.” Another person then had to correct him, saying, “No, that’s a good thing.”

The former President later released a video at roughly 4:15, speaking to his supporters who were still on the Capitol grounds. “You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” he said. “Go home, we love you, you’re very special,” he told his supporters. He ended his one-minute video by telling his supporters to “go home in peace.”

Just a few weeks later, the public was made aware by the FBI that pipe bombs had been planted at both the Democratic and Republican party headquarters.

Many others, on the other hand, have retorted some of these conclusions with an alternative viewpoint. Some claimed that it was Antifa supporters who attacked the Capitol, that police opened the doors for protestors, and that the notion it was an insurrection is completely false. In the past year, many more videos have been released by now that many on the right have used to support some of these narratives as well.

Those are the core facts that the public was told by much of the mainstream media for the years that followed. The attack was considered by many as an insurrection, an attempt to overthrow democracy, and comparable to events such as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. The former President was blamed for inciting the attack and was impeached over the matter as well.

While that is what the public has heard from both sides, what is the truth? How can all of this information, some of which is blatantly factual, co-exist with each other? What we see from all of these videos is enough for two completely contrary narratives to be spewed out by different individuals: It was an attempted insurrection, and it was a peaceful tourist visit. While much of it appears to be contradictory while searching for explanations, piecing it together both provides a clearer picture and raises more questions. What few media outlets have actually done is look at all of the evidence in an attempt to understand the full truth as to what actually happened that day. That is what the latter two parts of this four-part series will cover: what is claimed, what raises skepticism, and what is confirmed.