Biden is planning White House events marking the January 6 attacks

By Trevor Hunnicutt

(Reuters) – US President Joe Biden plans to mark the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol with a White House ceremony, according to a timetable released by his office on Monday.

Friday’s event will mark a rare moment for Biden to address immediate issues sparked by deadly riots by supporters of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Their actions interfered with the Democrats’ 2020 victory certification.

Biden condemned the unrest as a threat to democracy and the rule of law, but he has rarely discussed his predecessor’s name publicly and has framed his presidency to unify and heal the country’s partisan divisions.

Entering his third year in office, Biden said he intends to seek another four-year term but has not formally nominated him.

Trump, who has never conceded defeat in the 2020 election, has announced that he will seek re-election in his party in 2024.

Last month, a Democratic-led US House panel investigating the 2021 attacks asked federal prosecutors to charge Trump with four crimes, including obstruction and rebellion. This is the first time in history that Congress has referred a former president to criminal prosecution.

Trump, who faces two other federal investigations, has dismissed the House investigation as partisan.

The former president gave an impassioned speech to his supporters on the morning of January 6, 2021, and publicly rebuked Vice President Mike Pence for not following through on his plan to deny Biden the vote.

Trump then waited hours before making a public statement as thousands of his supporters rampaged through the Capitol, attacking police and threatening to hang Pence.

Five people, including one police officer, died during or shortly after the incident and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

“A former president of the United States has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He did it because he valued power above principles,” Biden said at an event at the Capitol last year marking the event, never speaking. Trump’s name. “He can’t accept he lost.”

Biden’s schedule says Friday’s ceremony will take place in the East Room of the White House. No further details were provided.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Bradley Perrett)