Administration sources confirm new webpage represents “what actually happened,” which is different from but equally valid as what observably happened.
The White House on Tuesday unveiled what officials are calling the “definitive” january 6 official account of the 2021 Capitol riot, publishing a new webpage that describes the event as a “peaceful march” in which Capitol Police “escalated tensions.” A senior administration official, speaking on background because they were not authorized to speak publicly about things the administration has said publicly, confirmed that this version is now the real one.
“I want to be very clear,” the official said. “This is what happened. The previous version of what happened—the one with the videos and the injuries and the convictions—that was also what happened. But this is what actually happened.”
Officials Clarify The Clarification
The new webpage, hosted on the official whitehouse.gov domain, states that “peaceful patriotic protesters” were unfairly branded as “insurrectionists” despite what it calls “no evidence of armed rebellion.” When asked how this account squared with the approximately 1,583 criminal defendants, 608 assault charges, and more than 150 injured officers, the official appeared momentarily confused before recovering.
“Those are two different conversations,” the official explained. “You’re talking about legal outcomes. We’re talking about vibes.”
The official stressed that the administration’s account should be considered authoritative because it appears on an official government website, which is where authoritative information goes.
Previous Account Remains Valid In Its Own Way
Sources familiar with the administration’s thinking confirmed that the previous understanding of January 6—in which a violent mob breached the Capitol, forcing the evacuation of lawmakers and resulting in multiple deaths—has not been “replaced” so much as “supplemented with an alternative.”
“Think of it like a second opinion,” one source explained. “If your doctor says you have a broken leg, and then another doctor says actually your leg is fine and the X-ray machine escalated tensions, you now have two medical opinions. That’s more information. That’s good.”
The official declined to comment on video footage from the day showing rioters smashing windows, assaulting officers with flagpoles, and chanting about hanging the vice president, noting that “context is important” and that they had not personally reviewed the footage because “I’ve been very busy.”
Bipartisan Reaction Mixed Along Partisan Lines
Democrats criticized the webpage as a dangerous revision of documented history. Republicans largely declined to comment, with several citing scheduling conflicts.
When asked whether the administration was concerned that publishing demonstrably false information on an official government website might undermine public trust, the official smiled warmly.
“Trust is very important to us,” they said. “That’s why we’re telling people what to trust.”
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