Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University, on MSNBC on Thursday said that videos taken during the 2021 Capitol riot are critical so that we do not forget what happened that day, similar to videos taken of the Nazi concentration and death camps that were liberated by the Allies during World War II.
Brinkley further said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) "has become a true profile in courage" and should be given an award by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation.
"But we have film footage of what happened on January 6, we have proof. Dwight Eisenhower, during World War II, made sure all the Holocaust camps were filmed. So, we've got the film footage. So, now we're combating conspiracy theorists, deniers, and some Trumpateers," said Brinkley.
"But my worry is what do we call this and make sure we honor this day, this dark stained day every year. So, we've got to keep saying January 6. I think it is like December 7, Pearl Harbor, it is like the 9/11 tragedy, and we also have need not be afraid to call it the Trump Insurrection of January 6," he continued. "Because in the end, all roads to what went wrong that day lead to Donald Trump's ill behavior, his anti-democratic stance he took, the big lie, after the presidential election tallies came in and Joe Biden had won by millions of votes."
Brinkley was not alone in comparing the riot to events where many more people were killed and had more effects on the trajectory of the nation in the aftermath.
Vice President Kamala Harris began her speech at the Capitol on Thursday by linking the Capitol riot to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.
"Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them where they were and what they were doing when our democracy came under assault. Dates that occupy not only a place on our calendars but a place in our collective memory. December 7, 1941. September 11, 2001. And January 6, 2021," Harris said.
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