Thread by @washingtonpost

Trump’s assault on American democracy began in 2020, when he issued a flurry of preemptive attacks on the integrity of the country’s voting systems.

The doubts he cultivated ultimately led to a rampage inside the U.S. Capitol a year ago today. wapo.st/3pTXK0M

While the public may have been surprised by what happened on Jan. 6, the makings of the insurrection had been spotted at every level, from one side of the country to the other.

The red flags were everywhere. wapo.st/3pTXK0M

Intelligence officials never envisioned a mass attack against the government incited by a sitting president.

Yet Trump was the driving force at every turn as he orchestrated what would become an attempted political coup leading up to Jan. 6.
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On Jan. 6, danger signs were in full view, including clashes that morning among pro-Trump demonstrators and police at the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.

The red flags did not trigger increased security, underscoring how unprepared police were. wapo.st/3GDYLQz

In the months after Jan 6., Trump's supporters pushed for new investigations of the election and demanded stricter voting laws.

Election officials around the country received hundreds of menacing emails and calls afterwards, a Post investigation found. wapo.st/2ZDO2V8

This is an investigation of the key events before, during and after the Jan. 6 attack.

It examines law enforcement's failure to address the looming threats, the cost of Trump's inaction on that day and the spread of threats and misinformation afterwards. wapo.st/3pTXK0M